Charlie Woods Reveals Biggest Takeaway From 2024 And Why He And Tiger Are Only Focused On One Thing As First PNC Championship Looms

For Team Woods, Sunday at the PNC Championship will be all about the F word - fun.

Tiger and Charlie put together a superb round of 59 (13-under) on Saturday to grab a share of the lead alongside Team Langer and Team Singh and offer up the opportunity of a first win at the family event. Both of the other co-leading duos have tasted success before, with Bernhard one of the most successful players ever at this tournament.

For Tiger, winning has been more than a habit for over 20 years, but he is still as desperate to taste success at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club as any other Major or PGA Tour event. Charlie's thirst for victory is identical, however, he doesn't yet have the experience to fall back on while trying to nudge this first one over the line.

But, in between rounds at the 2024 PNC Championship, the maturing 15-year-old shared how much he has learned over the past 12 months, and in particular from another rollercoaster season of junior amateur golf.

Among the peaks and troughs of the teenager's year included reaching the State Championship final with his school, missing out on qualifying for his first PGA Tour event ahead of the Cognizant Classic, qualifying for the US Junior Amateur after winning his local qualifying event by one stroke, and missing the cut at said US Junior by 18 strokes on 22-over par.

Despite the tough lesson at Oakland Hills Country Club, Woods admitted that week further highlighted a very valuable lesson he has been trying to learn for a while now.

He said: "It's about focusing on my playing. I was so focussed on winning and how I played that it kind of crept into kind of how am I going to win, instead of how I'm going to play the shot, and it kind of built up and that caused two very, very bad rounds of golf. But live and learn."

Later on, he said: "It's just as I get older, I learn how to deal with different things. Like last year, I focused so much on winning and playing, instead of everything else and having fun out there. Like Dad said, I did a lot better today."

Having fun and giving full attention to each shot was something of a theme throughout Team Woods' post-round interview on Saturday, further suggesting that Tiger has been reiterating the message to Charlie as he looks to improve before college.

Way before that moment, though, Tiger insisted these few days are more about family bonding and enjoying their time together.

Woods said: "I'm just trying to have fun out here. I'm very rusty and, as I said, it's a scramble, and so we're just trying to have fun out there. Ham-and-egg each other. Push each other in great spots, and just root for each other to pull off the shot that we want."

Heading into the final round, Team Woods is hoping to maintain their run of strong results at this tournament by finally landing the Willie Park trophy at the fifth attempt - not that either player is taking anything for granted.

Several questions on the pair's chances were fired their way after Saturday, and each was largely batted back - as to be expected.

Asked if they felt it was only a matter of time until Team Woods triumphed, Tiger said: "I hope so. We're right there. There's a bunch of teams that are up there. We're going to have to shoot another ground tomorrow and and, you know, make a bunch of birdies. Hopefully we can do that and get off to a good start, and then develop it into the back nine."

Meanwhile, Charlie revealed the desire to win is "always there" but acknowledged the aforementioned F word should come first.

He said: "Just got to have fun. That's what we've got to go back to."

Team Woods and Team Langer will be last to go out in the final round on Sunday, with a tee time of 11:07am ET (4:07pm GMT).