Charlie Axel Woods Profile

Meeting Tiger Woods' Son (And Yes, Charlie Plays Golf)

Tiger Woods and son Charlie Axel Woods attend Day Twelve of the 2017 US Open tennis tournament
Tiger Woods (right) sits with son Charlie Axel Woods at a tennis match late in 2017, when Charlie was eight years old. Elsa/Getty Images

Tiger Woods and his former wife Elin Nordegren had two children while together. One is a son named Charlie. His full name is "Charlie Axel Woods" and he was born on Feb. 8, 2009.

Unlike with the birth of his daughter, Sam Alexis, which happened a day after the end of a U.S. Open tournament, Woods didn't have to rush home for the birth of Charlie. At the time, Woods was still recuperating from surgeries following the 2008 U.S. Open and had not yet returned to tournament golf. He was already at home, working on his game and working towards a return to action when Charlie was born on a Sunday.

Is It Charlie or Charles?

"Charlie" is not his nickname; it's not what Tiger and Elin call him rather than "Charles." Charlie's given name is not Charles. It's Charlie, pure and simple. The name Charlie was inspired, at least in part, as a tribute to World Golf Hall of Fame member Charlie Sifford. Woods often called Sifford one of his heroes, and sometimes even called Sifford "Grandpa."

Explaining Charlie's Middle Name

Charlie Woods' middle name is "Axel," and you can rest assured it has nothing whatsoever to do with Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses fame. It's not a very common name, however, among children born in the United States.

Note that Woods' daughter's middle name is Alexis, so the parents stuck with a theme for their children's middle names: begin with "A," include an "X."

But there's a more specific reason Charle's middle name is Axel. Charlie's uncle — Elin's brother — is named Axel, and Charlie's middle name keeps that name in the family. "Axel" is a much more common name in Scandinavian countries, and Charlie's mother is Swedish.

Does Charlie Live With His Mother or Father?

Alas, as everyone knows, Charlie's parents split up. Charlie was less than two years old when his parents' divorce settlement was finalized in mid-2010. As part of that settlement, Tiger and Elin agreed to joint custody of their children. That means Charlie and Sam split time between their parents.

Does Charlie Woods Play Golf?

Yes, both Woods' children golf, but Charlie appears to favor it more than his sister. There's a YouTube clip of Charlie swinging a club at age 4. In 2015, when Charlie was six, Woods said that his son had the best golf swing of any member of the Woods family, adding, "He’s got some parts in his swing that I’m trying to do."

When he was seven years old, in mid-2016, Charlie played in his first golf tournament, a U.S. Kids Golf event in Florida. He finished second, shooting 55 for nine holes. As he's gotten older, Charlie has been more often seen at his dad's golf tournaments, too.

While Charlie is already playing some competitive kids golf events, he, like his sister, actually likes playing soccer more, according to Tiger.