Charlie Woods has endured a nightmare in South Carolina at the most prestigious event in junior golf.
Tiger’s son finished dead last at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, a massive 10 shots behind his nearest competitor in the exclusive field of just 36 players.
The 17-year-old was 26-over par after four rounds, while defending champion Miles Russell recorded a three-shot victory on 15-under for the tournament.
The Junior Invitational boasts some impressive past winners from players who capitalized on success here to forge dominant careers – World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler won it once, as did Austin Eckroat, Joaquin Niemann and Akshay Bhatia.
But for Woods, the week was a sobering experience and while he was never in contention to win, it was his disastrous third and fourth rounds that sent him plummeting down the leaderboard.
Woods, who is ranked 53rd in the boys junior golf rankings, opened with a three-over par 75 and followed it with a four-over 76. Then, disaster truly struck.
Charlie Woods finished dead last at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley this week
Tiger’s son, who is only 17, was last by 10 shots in an elite field of just 36 junior players
The teenager carded a whopping 11-over 83 in round three and didn’t fare much better in his closing round with a score of 80.
The Junior Invitational is often considered as ‘the junior Masters’ due to its elite field. It is also just 20 miles away from Augusta, one of the most fabled venues in all of sports.
Charlie’s father is a five-time Masters winner there and currently has the world of golf holding its breath after hinting he could be teeing it up at the tournament in a few weeks.
Woods, 50, hasn’t played since the Open Championship in July 2024 and in that time, underwent a seventh back surgery last October. He is also recovering from a torn Achilles sustained last March.
But speaking in February at the Genesis Invitational, a tournament he hosts at Riviera Country Club in California, he refused to rule himself out of the event that starts on Thursday, April 9.
Asked if there is any chance he plays, Woods simply said: ‘There is.’
He also said at a press conference earlier that week: ‘I’m trying, put it that way.
‘The disc replacement has been one thing. I’ve had a fused back and now a disc replacement, so it’s challenging. And now I entered a new decade, so that number is starting to sink in.’
Earlier this year, Charlie committed to playing college golf at Florida State University
Tiger, meanwhile, has hinted that he could play at the Masters at the beginning of April
He is also considering whether to lead the USA as Ryder Cup captain at next year’s event in Ireland.
‘Yeah, they have asked me for my input on it, and I haven’t made my decision yet,’ Woods said. ‘I’m trying to figure out what we’re trying to do with our tour.
‘That’s been driving me hours upon hours every day and trying to figure out if I can actually do our team, our Team USA, and our players and everyone that’s going to be involved in the Ryder Cup, if I can do it justice with my time.’
Charlie, meanwhile, delivered some big news of his own back in February, committing to playing college golf at Florida State University as part of the 2027 recruiting class.
‘Excited to announce my commitment to play golf at Florida State University — go Noles!’ Woods wrote on Instagram, announcing his decision.
