This weekend, 15-year-old Charlie and his father Tiger Woods will feature at the PNC Championship. They have done so since 2020, as the mixed-age event for families to compete in has been a staple of the winter for golf. The tournament's sponsor, PNC, just extended its sponsorship.
PNC signed an eight-year extension to now function as the title sponsor through 2032. The company first joined in 2011 and sponsored the 2012 tournament.
According to golf reporter Bob Harig, the sponsorship extension means that the young Woods will have to wait even longer to turn pro. The comments, which appear to reflect Tiger Woods' importance to the popularity of the tournament, could have been made as a joke.
"That means Charlie needs to wait until he is at least 22 to turn pro."
Woods is not yet of professional age. Golfers must be 18 by the time they play on the PGA Tour to turn pro, and Woods is just 15 now. He wouldn't even be eligible until 2027.
There has been a countdown of sorts unit Woods' pro debut for a while, as the son of one of the most successful golfers of all time has had a lot of attention on his golf journey.
The sporting world wants to see if he can make it at that level and whether or not his father's guidance and the access Charlie had would translate to talent or skill.
Tiger Woods opens up on return to action with son Charlie
Tiger Woods is making his return to golf this weekend alongside his son Charlie. The two have golfed together a lot at the PNC Championship, which is something special for the father/son duo.
Tiger Woods said via ESPN:
"Playing together is something we look forward to and it's always more special when you're surrounded by friends and family."
This is the fifth year in a row the Woods pair will team up at the PNC. It's also the first time the pro golfer will have played since the Open Championship. He has been recovering from surgery for a microdecompression in his spine.
This marks the first step in a journey back to the sport. The 82-time PGA Tour event winner said:
"Whether my commitment going forward is once a month, yeah, I could say that all over again. But I truly don't know. I'm just trying to rehab and still get stronger and better and feel better, really give myself the best chance I can going into next year."
He declined to play at the Hero World Challenge earlier this month even though he is the tournament's host, but he's back in action and looking to ramp up for next season now.