The story behind Charlie Woods’ one-of-a-kind ‘Tiger putter’

Tiger Woods isn’t the only golfer in the PNC Championship field using a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS putter with his name stamped on the head.

As Charlie Woods waited for dad in the parking lot at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on Friday morning, cameras caught him making strokes with a putter that was “off-limits” to him until a few years ago: the Newport 2 GSS.

Back in 2016, Woods revealed there were two putters in his home studio that Charlie couldn’t touch — the 14-major-title-winning Newport 2 GSS and a Newport TeI3 (Teryllium) from that magical week in Augusta 24 years ago.

“Charlie knows there are two putters he can’t touch,” Woods said. “There’s the black one I won with the Teryllium insert. I won the Masters in ’97 with it and this Scotty Cameron. They sit next to each other. Touch any other putter, do anything you want with any other putter. But these putters are off-limits.”

Of course, kids don’t always do a great job of listening, Charlie included.

“He’s a kid,” Woods said with a grin when asked if Charlie had ever touched the putters. “He wants to always mess with me in some way.”

Kids also have a way of wearing their parents down to get their way. During a 2019 TGR Event, Woods shared a story about his son’s affinity for the iconic wand.

“I had to cut down one of my backup putters because he wanted a putter like dad’s,” Wood said. “So I had to pick and choose one of my backup putters.”

Woods told the story in passing, but it didn’t become apparent that he gifted his son one of those Newport 2 GSS backups until Charlie was spotted in the parking lot making strokes with a backup of Woods’ putter.

In fact, Charlie’s putter appears to be an exact replica — all the way down to the cord grip, cherry bombs and “Tiger Woods” stamped on the back bumpers.

The putter is decidedly shorter than Woods’ gamer, but that’s where the differences end.

Backup versions of Woods’ putter have sold for big money in the last few years, but Charlie’s version is on a completely different level. Ryan Carey, the founder of Golden Age Golf Auctions, tweeted that Tiger and Charlie’s Newport 2’s are “two of the most significant putters in existence — whose combined value may be more the golf course they are playing on.”

In other words, Charlie is rolling the rock with a truly special putter this week. Sometimes persistence pays off.

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Jonathan Wall

Golf.com

Jonathan Wall is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s Managing Editor for Equipment. Prior to joining the staff at the end of 2018, he spent 6 years covering equipment for the PGA Tour.