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Is this talented toddler the next Tiger Woods?

He's three years old, has a silky-smooth golf swing and already boasts the catchy nickname "Baby James" - move over Tiger Woods, James Grimes is a star in the making.

Baby James hones his skills at Abita Springs Golf Club in southern Louisiana.

He first picked up a club at just 18 months old - almost the same age Tiger did.

Those close to the toddler believe Grimes could be a future PGA Tour star - not just because of his prodigious swing, but because his appetite for the game is "rare".

Mother Nicole said she drove her son to practice at least four times a week.

"He would start hitting the ball around the house while he was crawling," Nicole told US ABC News Nightline. "We'd just moved here and he started crawling it, hitting it."

Father James Grimes said practice wasn't enough for Baby James, who insisted on taking his clubs everywhere, even to restaurants.

"I guess we just kind of let him have fun with it and doing it, so then he would just do it all the time," Grimes Sr said.


Nicole was quick to downplay comparisons with the childhood status of 14-time major champion Woods.

"A lot of people do compare him with Tiger Woods. Of course Tiger Woods is an amazing golfer," she said. "That would be great if he went to the PGA tour. Who knows? He's so little. Who really knows?"

Baby James's coach, Michael Watts, told Nightline he thought his pupil had the makings of a PGA Tour pro.

"I've seen kids that can hit balls and have fun, but not the level he plays at," he said.

"And I guess what sets him apart is his focus and how he can come out every single day and practice."

Baby James recently competed in his first ever tournament and finished fourth out of eight competitors, of which he was the youngest.

"My dream for him is for him to be the best," Grimes Sr said.