Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, has faster ball speed than most PGA Tour pros
The apple never falls far from the tree, and the Woods family has proven that adage once again.
Fifteen-year-old Charlie Woods is a burgeoning talent, a high school golfer full of power and finesse. His mannerisms also resemble those of his father, which is not surprising.
Tiger Woods had all the power in the world at Charlie’s age. When he was 15, the elder Woods was in the midst of winning six straight NFL titles. If only we could see his advanced stats back then.
With advances in technology, computers and models can now capture club head speed, ball speed and spin rate on the drop of a dime. These numbers are all essential parts of a golfer’s arsenal, as they ultimately help the player gain distance and improve accuracy.
So, during Friday’s Pro-Am at the PNC Championship, Charlie A motor opened with a ball speed of 176 mph.
One hundred and seventy-six! In 15 years!
That’s a higher number than the PGA Tour average, a position held by Irishman Shane Lowry for the 2024 season. Lowry ranked 95th on the PGA Tour in ball speed, averaging 173.65 mph. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s best player, had an average ball speed of 176.29, good for 64th on the tour. Yes, Charlie produced ball speed similar to that of the Masters champion with this drive on Friday.
To calculate these numbers, the tour uses the maximum speed of the golf ball at launch on tee shots on par-4s and par-5s only. Naturally, it only uses drives where a valid radar measurement is taken.
For further perspective, Cameron Champ led the tour with an average ball speed of 190.12 mph, which is unbelievable. Min Woo Lee finished second, and Rory McIlroy came in third with a time of 185.58. All three of these players are big hitters, which explains why they are the top three in ball speed.
Charlie can bomb it too, and he even drove the green at last year’s PNC Championship. Considering the speed of the ball on Friday, it wouldn’t be surprising if he did something similar this time.
Jack Melko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Play Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.