A Woods was back in the winner’s circle last weekend — but not the one golf fans grew accustomed to seeing.

This time, Tiger Woods played caddie to his son Charlie as the 14-year-old shot the best round of his fledgling career to win his age group’s regional qualifier for the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championships.

After opening with a one-under 71, the youngster rattled off nine birdies to post a career-low 66 at Mission Inn Resort in Orlando, Florida and stamp his ticket to the championship finale at Koasati Pines in Coushatta, Louisiana in November. With rivals closing in down the final stretch, Woods displayed the type of calmness under pressure that saw his father amass 15 major championships, finishing with back-to-back birdies to triumph by a single stroke.

“It’s hard to think, ‘You’re tied for the lead, you have to go shoot a low round to win this thing,’” the 14-year-old Woods told tournament organizers.

“So just take it one shot at a time, don’t think too far ahead. Just gotta keep eating.”

And naturally, being able to call on the advice of a caddie with 82 PGA Tour triumphs was a useful resource. The pair was pictured together in an Instagram post from Shane Croft, the father of Woods’ tournament playing partner Chase.

“It’s great, we just stay in our own little world and take it one shot at a time,” Woods said of his partnership with his dad.

“He puts me in my place. I’ll talk about the next tee shot and he’s like, ‘No. This is the shot we’re gonna focus on. Focus up, this is what we’re gonna do.’”

It’s not the first time the duo have teamed up on the course. The 47-year-old Woods was also on bag duty at last year’s regional qualifier, held at the same venue, where a then-career-best 68 round saw his son finish tied-fourth.

A few months later in December, the pair donned matching outfits at the PNC Championship in Orlando to tie for eighth in a star-studded 20-player field made up exclusively of players to have won a major or The Players, plus their relatives.

Yet the 15-time major winner’s course appearances have been few and far between since, as the long-term effects of his February 2021 car accident injuries continue to hamper his playing time. Woods competed at The Masters only to withdraw early, then proceeded to miss the subsequent three majors in 2023, undergoing “successful” ankle surgery in April.

It left him with a scant chance of making a ninth Ryder Cup appearance at the 44th edition of the tournament in Rome on Friday. (SD-Agencies)

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【球童】qiútóng caddie one who assists a golfer especially by carrying the clubs

【罕见的】hǎnjiàn de few and far between not happening or existing very often

上周末，伍兹又回到了胜利者的行列 —— 但不是高尔夫球迷习以为常的那位。这一次，老虎•伍兹为14岁的儿子查理当球童，孩子打出了他初出茅庐的职业生涯中最好的一轮，夺得诺塔•贝盖三世全美青少年高尔夫锦标赛该年龄组地区预选赛冠军。

男孩以低于标准杆1杆的71杆开局，随后连抓9只小鸟球，在佛罗里达州奥兰多市的Mission Inn度假村打出了职业生涯最低杆数66杆，获得了11月在路易斯安那州库沙塔市Koasati Pines举行的锦标赛决赛入场券。

对手在最后关头即将追上比分时，小伍兹表现出压力之下的冷静，接连抓到小鸟球，以一杆优势夺冠。同样的冷静曾助力老虎赢得15个大满贯赛的冠军。

14岁的查理对赛事组织者说：“并列第一出现的概率很小，你必须打出一轮低杆数才能赢。所以就一杆一杆地打，不想太多。继续努力就行了。”

当然，能够请教一位曾82次获得 PGA 巡回赛冠军的球童是得天独厚的资源。查理的比赛搭档切斯的父亲谢恩•克罗夫特在Instagram上发布了一张伍兹父子的合影。

谈到与父亲的合作时查理说：“这很棒，我们在自己的小世界里，一次一杆。他帮我调整状态。我想讨论下一杆时，他会提醒，‘不。集中精力在这一杆’。”

这不是两人第一次在球场上合作。去年在同一场地举行的地区预选赛上，47岁的老虎•伍兹也担任了儿子的球童，查理当时打出了职业生涯最佳的 68 杆，获得并列第四。

去年12月，在奥兰多举行的PNC锦标赛上，这对父子穿着同款球衣，在20名参赛选手中赢得并列第八。PNC锦标赛是一项由20位大满贯、球员锦标赛冠军和亲人一起参加的亲子赛。

然而，受2021年2月车祸造成的长期伤势影响，这位15次大满贯赛冠军得主此后很少出现在赛场上。

老虎•伍兹参加了美国大师赛，却提前退赛，随后错过了2023年的三场大满贯赛，并在4月份接受了成功的脚踝手术。这使得他第九次参加周五在罗马举行的第44届莱德杯的机会渺茫。

(Translated by Debra)