Charlie Woods, the 16-year-old son of Tiger Woods, entered Friday tied for second place at the Junior PGA Championship after he shot a 6-under 66 for a second consecutive round on Thursday. However, a final round 74 (+3) dropped him back to tied for ninth at 9 under, as he couldn’t get much of anything going at the Ackerman-Allen Course in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Friday.
Woods had a chance to earn an automatic qualifying spot for the Junior Ryder Cup later this year, as the top two finishers at the Junior PGA Championship earned spots on the team. Lunden Esterline (-19) out of Kansas ended up winning, as he carried a seven-shot lead into the final round and was able to cruise to the victory. Giuseppe Puebla and Tyler Mawhinney finished in a tie for second at 13 under.
While Woods fell a bit short of the Junior Ryder Cup team, a top 10 at the Junior PGA continues what has been a sensational year for him on the competitive junior circuit, and he has asserted himself as a legitimate rising talent in the world of junior golf.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger Woods, wins playoff to return to U.S. Junior Amateur
Cody Nagel
“My round was pretty up and down and it gave me a heart attack out there,” Woods said of his third round via the Lafayette Journal & Courier. “But nine birdies is pretty good. A couple of three putts, I made a few mistakes today but overall pretty solid round. Pretty good position going into tomorrow.”
Woods, who is 20th in the latest American Junior Golf Association rankings, exhibited some of his dad’s legendary focus after his tee time was delayed on Thursday for two hours due to weather. Unfazed, Woods birdied the first hole and would proceed to play solid golf throughout the round. He finished his round the way he started it: with a birdie that was set up by an approach shot that landed five feet from the hole.
A Palm Beach, Florida, native, Woods captured the AJGA’s Team TaylorMade Invitational in May for his first big title. Last December, he made his first career hole-in-one while playing alongside his father in the PNC Championship.
The duo of Tiger and Charlie Woods finished runner-up in the event to Bernard and Jason Langer after Bernard hit an 18-foot eagle putt in a playoff. The younger Woods, who is entering his junior year of high school, qualified to compete in the U.S. Junior Amateur but missed the cut.