Tiger Woods was all smiles on Monday morning as he practiced with his 15-year-old son, Charlie, in Pinehurst ahead of this week’s U.S. Open.
Charlie helped his father get ready as he traversed the second hole at Pinehurst, N.C., where Woods is scheduled to tee off Thursday for the first time since missing the cut at last month’s PGA Championship in Louisville.
The father-son duo was spotted at various locations Monday morning along with Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler.
The 48-year-old Woods is a three-time U.S. Open champion and received a special exemption.
It’s hard to imagine him competing for the win this week, as he’s been on the course for four straight days and a number of injuries seem to be hampering his ability to play at a high level.
He missed the cut at the Masters in April and withdrew from the Genesis Invitational in February because of the flu.
Woods, a winner of 15 major titles, was hoping to turn his game around after missing the cut at Valhalla.
“I need to play more,” he said at the time. “Unfortunately, I haven’t played many tournaments and [there are] I don’t have many tournaments on my schedule, so hopefully my practice sessions at home will help me get everything right and I’ll be ready for Pinehurst.
“Physically, I’m better than I was before. [in April.] I still have a long way to go and a lot of physical improvements to make, but hopefully with the team I can get there before and on the day of the Pinehurst game.”
Woods last won a major tournament at the 2019 Masters, his first major victory since the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
He recently sparked concern among fans after a video showed him acting strangely at a charity poker event in Las Vegas.
