The 14-time major champion has been absent from competition since 2015 when he had surgery for a problematic back. He entered this weekend’s PGA Championship looking to go into the British Open with renewed form. But a series of problems in the practice rounds were enough to make him withdraw, allowing him to make good on his promise to have something to play for after a lengthy layoff. He intends to play next week in the AT&T National Pro-Am, where he will partner Dustin Johnson. While that is sure to be a competition to watch, he can expect to be put in a great deal of pressure by his four children during the tournament.
I think if they can handle it, it’s great. Tiger loves it. He relishes it. He wants to be with the kids. That’s something important for him to be doing. It’s back-to-back weeks. So, you know, these are kids that are 13 and 8, and they want to be in the same room as me. Tiger said, “I don’t have my golf clubs. I’m too sore, but that’s okay. I’m going to play with my son.”
Charlie was born in 2010 after an initial impasse between Woods and ex-wife Elin Nordegren, who was expecting their first child and wasn’t fully supportive of Woods’ recreational use of drugs and alcohol. He now plays regular rounds with his children, Sean, Charlie and Sam, whose sister is Ellie, who was born earlier this year.
“I’ve talked to him and I said to him, ‘How do you think you’re doing to handle it? How does your competitive nature tell you to handle it? What do you need from my daughter?’ And his answer is, ‘I need a good mother, and then I need you, and I need him. Because that’s what I want. And I love them. And they’re the greatest thing,’” Nordegren told the Chicago Tribune.
Read the full story at The Boston Globe.
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