HOBE SOUND — Charlie Woods dealt with more than a leaky driver and struggling short game in his attempt to get closer to qualifying for his first PGA Tour event.
Woods, the 15-year-old son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, shot 16-over 86 on Thursday in a pre-qualifying round for the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches held at Lost Lake Golf Club.
Tiger Woods was not in attendance, though Charlie was followed by his mother, Elin Nordegren, and a zealous gallery throughout the morning.
When Woods’ first out-of-bounds drive went flying wide-right toward the rough on No. 5, so did several fans hoping to grab a souvenir from the bushes and palms.
As a frustrated Woods made his way up the fairway, spectators began to realize that there were no ropes to bar them from the course. In turn, they walked very close to Woods on the fairway, ignoring repeated requests from tournament officials to stay on the cart path.
A disgruntled fan asked one official: “Who are you? The fire marshal?
Woods’ following increased to more than 50 fans as he headed for the back nine, including one grandmother who learned that he was competing and pulled her granddaughter out of school in the hope of Woods noticing her.
