When to start golf age
Is This 3-Year-Old Golf Prodigy the Next Tiger Woods? | Nightline | ABC News
when you think it's three-year-olds you
might think of learning to eat with a
fork and knife or maybe even riding a
tricycle but the toddler you're about to
meet is a little different his athletic
ability has led many to compare him to
one of the greatest athletes in the
world
ABC's Steve osunsami introduces us to
the little guy with the big swing known
as baby James
[Music]
eat the small fry with big talent they
call baby James
he's the pint-sized pride of southern
Louisiana and it just three years old
he's surprising everyone with mad skills
on the Golf Links just enjoy for a
little bit the pure natural talent
what's amazing is how often he connects
and how shots like this one are no
accident you've heard of soccer moms
while his mother Nicole is a
self-described golf mom it's a routine
course we just kind of make it a part of
our daily life with every team driving
her young prodigy to practice at two
nearby golf courses at least four times
a week there you go he would start
hitting the ball around the house while
he was crawling we just moved here and
he started crawling hitting it and I
called my dad and I was like I can't
believe you know he's just hitting the
ball making contact with it when he's
crawling hitting the ball before he's
even walking hard to believe he didn't
start walking until very late after 17
months even then he just couldn't get
enough of his plastic driving irons we
just kind of wanted my fun with it and
doing it he would just do it all the
time he wanted to bring them in
restaurants and we were going out to eat
when he has plastic clubs in his balls
and restaurants he showed such promise
it wasn't long before they bought him
real clubs as he tries to explain to me
himself this was for chili there's a
little baby okay now what happens when
you
you gotta get another one of those I'm
liking me Tiger Woods as parents say
they can't help but think that these
childhood images of a budding superstar
who appeared on the Mike Douglas show in
the 1970s you've seen that old video
Tiger Woods in his day a lot of people
do compare Tiger Woods of course Tiger
Woods is an amazing golfer Caren Tiger
will be getting baby James's autograph
what's your dream for him when it comes
to golfing that'd be great if he went
for the PGA Tour who knows he's so
little
who really knows Wow all right hit that
cameraman for me so many hard as you can
there you go his coach thinks it's
possible I've seen kids that can get hit
balls and have fun but not at the level
he plays that and I guess what sets him
apart is this focus and you know how he
can come out every single day and
practice let's go to the hole number one
okay let's see we went out with the
family one night to see what he's got he
found out I should do it again take a
flag up take the flag out okay
it was crazy hot he was hungry and he is
a three-year-old so he was feeling
playful say hi to everyone out there
hi and we just couldn't stop him from
hitting the ball here it is right here
oh yeah it's great we followed them to
Quincy Illinois for his first big
showing a tournament for children with
his gift he'll be the youngest there
most of the kids he'll be competing
against or at least two years older and
several inches taller he's three how old
are you we have lots of spectators today
any questions
all right if not James will start us off
baby James held his own making a par
four on the first hole of his second day
despite the stiff competition from the
older and bigger kids if mom is his
caddy
James is sitting in third place in the
final round I know they do straights
about five how's your game today they
make an X on the scorecard and parents
pop them into the car and a car seat and
a pacifier in their mouth and away they
go and I'm like wow these kids just
played in the golf tournament but at
just three years his concentration isn't
always fully there on the second-to-last
hole James shoots a 12 you're not
injured but he recovers nicely to finish
the round and with this last putt
[Applause]
James comes in fourth out of 8 and joins
all the other children got a medal and a
spot on the podium good job buddy his
dad told us as long as his son keeps
having fun
they'll keep bringing him to the lakes
mom is so proud of you
they just know this baby is a champion
or not yet I'm Steve osunsami in Abita
Springs Louisiana I can't wait to see
what the future has in store for that
little guy
