Tiger Woods back in action with son Charlie: Here are eight other great father-son golfing combos

Matt Cooper
16 December 2021

Twenty teams of Major Champions and a relative tee it up this week in the PNC Championship, but the Woods pairing will gain most attention.

Most years the PNC Championship is a pre-Christmas indulgence for Major Champions that few, bar their family, pays a great deal of attention to.

Twenty of them tee it up with a relative - usually a son or daughter, sometimes a father - and it's pure hit-and-giggle.

Last year's event gained extra interest because Tiger Woods made his debut alongside son Charlie. The internet was predictably agog at the sight of Woods Junior and his proud dad.

But news earlier this month that Woods would play this week took the viral activity into overdrive, being his first competitive outing since his car accident in February.

77 million views.

Make it 77 million and one. @TigerWoods watches 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙧: 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙢𝙨. 🐅🐯 pic.twitter.com/pfBYcx374d
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 14, 2021

No-one is under any misapprehension that this week will be more pussy-foot than Tiger roar, but the excitement is real nonetheless.

And Charlie's progress continues to intrigue fans, too, although it has to be hoped that the expectations are far from ludicrous because paradoxically what this event proves is just how tenuous notions of elite golfing genes are.

In fact, since the Open's field expanded beyond a handful of Scottish and English golfers, precisely zero combinations have claimed double generation Major triumph.

Ahead of this week's action, let's take a closer look at eight other father-son golfing duos.

Old and Young Tom Morris

The original and still the best father-son combination in the sport.

Old Tom is sometimes referred to as The Grand Old Man of Golf and, like WG Grace in cricket, he was a bearded colossus during the rapid growth of sport in the Victorian era. He finished second in the first Open in 1860 and won it four times in the next seven years.

Based in St Andrews, his life was spent playing challenge matches, improving The Old Course and continuing golf's fraught relationship with technology.

His son Young Tom was a dashing figure who won the Open four times in a row from 1868, the first when aged just 17. He died tragically young (24), shortly after his wife had died in childbirth.

Willie Park Senior and Junior

The great rivals of the Morris pair, Willie Park Senior won four Opens, his son landed a couple of Claret Jugs, and nephew Mungo claimed another one for the family.

Percy and Peter Alliss

Percy Alliss was one of the leading British golfers of the 1920s and 30s; a prolific winner, regular top 10 finisher in the Open and Ryder Cup stalwart. In 1931 he was working in Germany at the height of Weimar Berlin's decadence, with the shadow of the jack boot looming, when his wife gave birth. At 14lb 11oz the son was reputed to be Europe's biggest recorded newborn.

That baby grew up to be Peter, the voice of golf. But before he made his name as a whimsical commentator he emulated his father's success on the course. He was also brutally honest about the yips which stopped him fulfilling his dream of claiming Major glory.

Jack, Jackie and Gary Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus was a competitive giant, the accumulator of 73 PGA Tour titles (the third best total in history) and 18 Majors (a clear record). However, when he emerged in the 1960s he was seen as something of a one-dimensional thumper of the ball and lacked the popularity of Arnold Palmer, lacking his elder's natural charisma. In time, the public grew to love him and the pair became the sport's two great statesmen.

His last great triumph came in the 1986 Masters with son Jackie on the bag. Youngest son Gary once appeared on the front page of Sports Illustrated, hailed "The Next Nicklaus". The weight of expectation was hard to bear, though. He played on the PGA Tour between 2000 and 2003, never winning, but he did lose a play-off to Phil Mickelson in the 2000 Bellsouth Classic.

Craig and Kevin Stadler

The Walrus and the Baby Walrus. Craig Stadler was a cussed winner of 13 PGA and three European Tour titles, including the Masters in 1982. Son Kevin was a remarkable chip off the old block, not just visually alike but blessed with uncannily similar mannerisms. His career has been injury-ravaged, but he has also won both sides of the Atlantic (and finished top 10 in his Masters debut).

Jay and Bill Haas

Jay Haas had a slightly odd career, one which showed early promise, fizzled out a little, and then had a late blossoming. Consider this: he first played the Ryder Cup in 1983 and also played in 2004 when it was a vastly different experience. Son Bill has not been as prolific as his dad but victory in the 2011 Tour Championship landed him the $10million FedExCup bonus prize.

Jose Maria, Gabriel and Alejandro Canizares

Jose Maria Canizares was a stalwart of Europe's Ryder Cup renaissance in the 1980s, unbeaten in the famous 1985 victory and holing the putt which clinched retention of the Cup in 1989. Eldest son Gabriel couldn't establish himself on the European Tour, but Alejandro is a two-time winner.

Antonio and Ignacio Garrido

Antonio Garrido was among the first Europeans to join the Ryder Cup party in 1979 and when son Ignacio played in Severiano Ballesteros' team in 1997 they became the second father and son combo in the match after Percy and Peter Alliss. His daughter Alicia is a tireless supporter of Spanish golf and her promotions company is an integral part of the team behind the Spanish hosting of the 2023 Solheim Cup.