What if it happened on a course Tiger designed himself?

LOS CABOS, Mexico — The possibility of seeing Tiger Woods and his son, Charlie Woods, compete in the same PGA Tour event is a dream scenario for golf fans.
That intriguing possibility could become reality at the 2027 World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico.
With the tournament’s fourth edition at El Cardonal now complete, speculation is growing about whether Tiger will mount another comeback in 2027. Could he eventually seek to play on his lone course design that hosts a PGA Tour event? Adding to the intrigue, Charlie, who turns 18 in February and has committed to play college golf at Florida State University, could by then put a few results on the board to justify a sponsor exemption and a Tour debut.
The idea has certainly crossed the mind of Diamante developer Ken Jowdy, who brought Woods on board to design El Cardonal, the Oasis Short Course and the Legacy Golf Club, which remains under construction at the private resort destination on the southern tip of Baja California. [Woods also has a version of his signature restaurant at Diamante, The Woods Cabo, and owns the first home to be built at Diamante’s Legacy Golf Club.]Explore how to live where you love to play Access community guides, golf real estate insights, trusted agent connections, and content built for passionate golfers.
Jowdy would welcome the opportunity to have both Tiger and Charlie in the field. Speaking about the possibility, Jowdy said if an invite to the WWT is offered, it won’t be the first time a tournament has done so. He noted Tiger is protective of his son’s development and would want Charlie to earn any opportunity he receives at the professional level.
“He’d want Charlie to prove he belongs there,” Jowdy said. “I don’t think he’d like for it to be given to him just because of his name.”
That philosophy aligns with Tiger’s own journey.
In 1992, Woods made his Tour debut at age 16 on a sponsor exemption at what is now the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club near Los Angeles, not far from where Tiger grew up. More than three decades later, he serves as tournament host there through the TGR Foundation.
At first glance, Riviera might seem like the most logical place for Charlie to make his PGA Tour debut given its place in Tiger’s history and his current role there. Woods does select the annual Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption, which is granted to a minority player and pays tribute to Sifford, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and won in L.A. in 1969. Tiger named his son after Sifford, and next year would mark 35 years since his Tour debut as an amateur at the same course. However, the Genesis Invitational is a limited field signature event, and proposed changes to the PGA Tour’s Championship Series beginning in 2028 is expected to eliminate sponsor exemptions at those events, potentially limiting opportunities.
That makes the World Wide Technology Championship an especially intriguing possibility.
For Tiger, competing at El Cardonal would offer a rare opportunity to experience his own design through the eyes of a PGA Tour competitor and it would be cool to see his son try to take on a course with his fingerprints all over it. For Charlie, it could provide a first chance to measure his game against professionals.
And for golf fans, the sight of father and son sharing the same leaderboard — beyond their team appearance at the PNC Championship — would be must-watch television.
Of course, significant hurdles remain. For starters, Tiger still hasn’t given any indication when or even if he plans to mount his latest comeback. He hasn’t competed on Tour since the 2024 British Open. Plus, the future of the World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos beyond its current title sponsorship agreement, which expires in 2027, remains uncertain, and neither Tiger nor Charlie has suggested such an appearance is on the horizon. [Next year likely could be the last time the tournament is contested at El Cardonal before it shifts to Tiger’s new design, the Legacy Golf Club.]
Still, Jowdy likes the idea.
“I would love to have Tiger play,” he said. “I’d love for both of them to play here, but I think for Tiger to want to do that, he wants to know that Charlie can earn it.”
The timing, however, could eventually line up.
Perhaps 2027 becomes the year Tiger finally tees it up at El Cardonal, with Charlie alongside him in the same field. It would bring significant attention to a fall event competing with football season and create one of the most compelling storylines on the Tour calendar.
For now, it’s only a hypothetical, but sometimes the most memorable moments in golf begin with an idea.
If it happens, few moments next season would generate more interest than Tiger and Charlie Woods competing together on a course designed by Tiger himself.
