Unfair Advantage: Tiger Woods Caddied For His Son Charlie In A Golf Tournament
NY Post - Charlie Woods added another accomplishment to his burgeoning golf career, with a little help from his dad.
Charlie — with Tiger Woods caddying — earned a spot in the Notah Begay III National Championship on Sunday.
#HealthyDebate is it bullshit for Charlie Woods to have his dad Tiger Woods, the undisputed greatest golfer in the history of golf, caddy for him in a competitive tournament?
Charlie Woods shot 66 on Sunday at the Last Chance Regional (14-15 age division), to earn a spot in the prestigious Notah Begay III National Championship. Everybody who follows golf knows that Tigers son Charlie is a fantastic player. That's how genes work. When you're born the son of the man who golfed so well that courses across the country underwent renovations just to make the sport fair, and a genetically perfect Swedish model, you're going to be pretty decent at golf yourself.
As a kid, you're already behind the 8-ball going up against Charlie Woods. But then on top of that, you have the most intimidating man in the history of sport staring you down every hole? Golfing in any tournament, or any sort of competitive match is nerve wracking enough. You step up to the first tee with a group of maybe 10 people watching you. Everyone is so damn serious about everything. The only thing you can think is, "please don't shank this, please don't shank this." I always hated that. Now imagine one of those people standing behind you is Tiger Woods. And he's going to be with you for 18 holes. Every shot you take, Tiger Woods will be watching. Judging your flawed swing. Watching the way you conduct yourself. I wouldn't be able to breathe.
Obviously you can't tell Charlie he's not allowed to have his dad caddy for him. That would be insane. If I were him I'd do the exact same thing. And even more obviously, if you asked any kid, "Would you like to spend 4 and a half hours on the course with Tiger Woods and his son?" The answer is yes every time. That's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It would very possibly be the best moment of my life. But you can't tell me that the intimidation factor alone is not a huge advantage for Charlie. Tiger Woods struck fear in the hearts of his opponents from 5 holes back. The best golfers in the world crumbled under the pressure of simply being on the same course as him. That's gotta be worth AT LEAST 3 strokes, if not a full-blown 18 hole long meltdown for a 14-year old kid. There's not enough Xanax in the world to make me play relaxed under those circumstances.