“Will Tiger Woods’ Son Charlie Carry on His Legacy in Golf? A Look at His Impressive Performances and Possible Swedish Citizenship”

After Tiger Woods, 47, limped out of the Masters with a nagging injury the other week, the talk started again: Is it over for the greatest golfer of all time? Or can he come back again?

Tiger Woods has since announced that he underwent a successful operation, but has not given any clear indication of what the future looks like.

Regardless of how things look for Woods the elder, the golf world is now watching with excitement how Woods the younger: Tiger’s son Charlie Woods, 14.

For three consecutive winters, they have competed together in the father-and-son PNC Championship in Florida, and each time the crowd marvels at the similarities between them.

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In December, they became eight.

– The best thing has been getting to “farm” with Charlie. It means so much to us, Tiger said after that contest.

For Charlie, the competitions with dad have been a relatively gentle way into the limelight that inevitably hits a golfer with his name and background.

– It has been about getting used to this. The first year was surprising. Then I knew what to expect. It’s a lot about maintaining focus, just thinking about what you’re doing, hole by hole, Charlie said then.

Charlie Woods is competing quite sparingly so far, but is playing on a junior tour in Florida.

In March, he took nineteenth place against players who are up to 18 – that is, four years older than Woods. If you filter out the older players, Woods was second.

The Golf Association’s interest

– Do you know that he has a Swedish passport, right? Carl Magnusson wonders.

Magnusson was recently appointed coach of the Swedish men’s national team, after being in charge of the boys’ national team for eight years. He sounds a bit puzzled when asked if the golf association has any suitors out there in Florida, or if they have considered Woods as a potential Swedish player.

– So… In general, we have had very few Swedes from abroad in the national teams. So it was… I guess I’ll get in touch and check the interest there.

Charlie Wood’s Swedish citizenship

As far as the passport is concerned, there shouldn’t be any problems in any case.

The Tax Agency says that as long as you have a Swedish parent, you become a Swedish citizen, even if you were born abroad. Which is the case for Charlie Woods – and his sister Sam Alexis, 15 – through mother Elin Nordegren, 43.

(Charlie Wood’s Swedish citizenship, however, does not appear in the population register as long as he does not actively choose to obtain a Swedish passport, or is registered in Sweden.)

Elin Nordegren has, in one of the few interviews she has done after breaking up with Tiger Woods, told that the children have dual citizenship, and that she read children’s books in Swedish when they were small.

– My children and I are both Swedish and American citizens, we speak both languages ​​and I think we get the best of both worlds, Nordegren said in People 2010.

“Can look at it during the year”

Carl Magnusson says that it is only at 15 that you start investing properly in the boys’ and girls’ national teams, and the years after that show where it can actually lead.

Charlie Woods, with his 14 years, is thus not quite there yet.

– Well, we’re not starting so young, but we’ll have to look at this during the year, I suppose.

It is perhaps too early to say, but if it continues with a good development, it could well be interesting in a Swedish Olympic squad, say, in 2028…

– It would have been a pretty good person, yes. And with good contact networks behind him, too, I would think, says Magnusson.

There are some parallels to be drawn from elsewhere, such as Armand Duplantis. He was a successful pole vaulter in the USA but chose Sweden because it is a different competitive situation for selections and such. What can be compared there?

– Yes… The national team operations in golf are primarily a kind of educational activity for Swedish players who mostly operate in the Swedish system, with our competition venues and school system with national sports high schools and that whole bit. Then it is clear that players can come from outside and take a place in the championship, says Magnusson.

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Therefore, Sweden should hurry

Then the question is whether Charlie Woods would need what the Swedish Golf Association can offer at this stage.

– In a way, the youth national team is always a preparation for transition to a professional career. I’m guessing that he has pretty good conditions to prepare for professional life with what he has around him already.

Magnusson is still attracted by the idea of ​​a golfing Duplantis, in the form of Charlie Woods in blue and yellow.

– I hadn’t actually thought about it, but it would have been fun to ask that question. Maybe he hasn’t thought of that either? Then I know that the USA has not had any structured association activities for young people, but they are getting started there. So we might have to be a bit quick there before the US figures it out, says Carl Magnusson.

TV: Sörenstam on Woods: “Heartache”