Rangers director’s delight as Tiger Woods and son sign up for tournament

Tiger Woods and his 11-year-old son Charlie are to play together in a PGA Tour event run by the former Rangers chairman Alastair Johnston.

Tiger Woods celebrates his Masters win last year with son Charlie. The pair will play together at the PNC Championship next month. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Woods is making his debut in the PNC Championship, where 20 major winners compete as a team with a family member. The tournament will take place at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando from December 17-20.

The 15-time major winner said: “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be playing with Charlie in our first official tournament together.

“It’s been great watching him progress as a junior golfer and it will be incredible playing as a team together in the PNC Championship.”

Rangers director Alastair Johnston is the executive chairman of the PNC Championship, a PGA Tour event for major winners.

Johnston, a long-serving with sports management giants IMG, is the executive chairman of the tournament. As a former Florida neighbour of Woods’, he said he was delighted to have the former world No 1 on board.

“Having Tiger and his son in the field for the first time is a very special moment for the recently re-named PNC Championship,” said Johnston, who is still a non-executive director at Rangers as well as being a huge golf fan.

"Back in 1997, Tiger and I were next door neighbours at Isleworth. After his momentous victory at the Masters that year, when he returned home, I offered him my congratulations.

“However, I did not reference his amazing performance at Augusta but advised him that as a newly minted major champion, he had now qualified to participate in the Father/Son Challenge!

“He was somewhat bemused at the time, but 23 years later, we will welcome him knowing very well that he will not be driven by nostalgia but will be on a mission to add to his commendable list of titles, but this time having the chance to share one with his son.”

Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington is also in the field along with the likes of John Daly, Bernhard Langer, Gary Player, Greg Norman and Annika Sorenstam.

To qualify for the PNC Championship, players must have won a major championship or The Players Championship. Their partner must not hold a PGA Tour card.

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