Sons of ‘Emperor’ and ‘Empress’ to play in a golf tournament

The sons of the golf emperor and the golf empress are scheduled to play side by side on the field.

This is going to be a rare scene to be seen at the event competition PNC Championship held at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club (par 72) in Orlando, Florida for two days from Sunday.

While 'golf emperor' Tiger Woods said he would compete with his son, Charlie, for three consecutive years, in this year's event tournament, 'golf empress' Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) also expressed to participate with her son Will McGee (11). Sorenstam, who became the first female professional golfer to compete in the event in 2019, teamed up with her father for her second year in a row through 2020.

This tournament, which has been held since 1995, features the winner of a major competition or the Players Championship and his or her family without a professional license as a team of two. It is played in a “scramble” method in which both players take a tee shot and then play the next play with the ball that landed in a better place.

Sorenstam's son, Will, the youngest of the participants in this tournament, is so passionate about golf that Sorenstam calls her a 'golf fanatic.' This August, he even competed at the US Kids World Championships. “I know it will be difficult to beat opponents, but having a good time and thinking about the meaning of golf are far more important than getting a high score,” said Sorenstam. She added, “(Will and Charlie’s match) will be an opportunity to inspire kids their age.”

Improved skills of Charlie, who has been participating in this event golf tournament for the third year, will also be a delight to watch for fans. The Woods team, who placed 7in the first year of participation, staged a birdie show on 11 consecutive holes in the second round last year and finished runner-up. When asked about Charlie's skills, Woods said, "I hate to say it, but I'll admit it. A few weeks ago, Charlie sent the ball farther than I did with his driver.”

In addition, Jordan Spieth, born in 1993 and a close friend to Charlie, and Justin Thomas (U.S.), who competed against Woods in the event competition “The Match” on Sunday, is also scheduled to participate with their fathers. Nellie Korda (U.S.), ranked second in the women’s golf world rankings, will also compete with her father, Petr, a former tennis star in the Czech Republic. The winning prize is $200,000.


Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com