Tiger Woods' son Charlie claims huge win after bouncing back from US Open disappointment
Tiger Woods’ son Charlie won the US Junior Amateur qualifier in Florida with the teenager beating 75 rivals to emerge victorious.
On Wednesday, Charlie - who assisted Woods at last week's US Open - shot a one-under 71 at Eagle Trace Golf Club to win the qualifier by a single shot. He will now take part in the US Junior Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club’s North and restored South courses next month.
Charlie is set to compete in the 264-player field comprised of the premier youth golfers, who will play two rounds of stroke play on both courses. The top 64 will then enter match play on the South Course to settle the championship, with the winner earning an exemption into the 2025 US Open at Oakmont.
Charlie finished strong in the Florida qualifier, posting three birdies in four holes on the back nine to win. The 15-year-old had started slowly, posting a bogey on holes 3 and 10 as well as a double-bogey at 11.
“I didn’t play great my first two holes, but I played really good for the last 16,” Charlie said. “I just told myself not to make any more bogeys or doubles and I took advantage of some nice birdie looks when I had them.”
He added: “The USGA means a lot to me. I want to win USGA championships and hopefully one day the US Open.”
Now, Charlie will try to etch his name in the storied history of the 108-year-old course that will return to crowning champions in the coming years. On Tuesday, Junior Amateur chairman and former Oakland Hills president Jeff Judge said: "I look forward to seeing the next generation of future golf stars at Oakland Hills in July competing for the most coveted championship in junior golf."
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Tiger Woods used son Charlie as a swing coach ahead of the US Open
Woods was 14 when he first qualified for his US Junior, reaching the semifinals. The 15-time major champion won his first US Junior Amateur a year later at Bay Hill and became the only player to win the title three successive times.
Now, two decades after Woods was a member of the US Ryder Cup team that lost at Oakland Hills, his son Charlie will tee off on the iconic course. The 15-time major champion played alongside rival Phil Mickelson in the two's only Ryder Cup partnership together, but lost matches to Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington, then Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood.
Back in April, Charlie failed in his first attempt to qualify for a US Open. He shot a 9-over 81 at the Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, finishing 61st in a field of 74 when only the top-five finishers and two alternates advanced beyond local qualifying.
It is not the first tournament the teenager has played; Charlie, who won a state high school championship with his team in Florida last year, also failed to advance in qualifying for the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic as he shot a 16-over 86.
Back in December, Charlie joined Woods - who beamed with pride throughout - as the pair finished tied for fifth place in the 2023 PNC Championship, surging up the standings as the younger Woods didn’t miss a fairway on the final day.