Following in a father’s footsteps is often difficult, but it’s even harder when that dad is Tiger Woods.
Charlie Woods likely knew as much when he started his golf career, and just a few weeks after announcing his commitment to Florida State, Charlie, a two-time state champion, suffered perhaps one of the more disappointing moments of his young career over the weekend.
The 17-year-old finished in last place in the 2026 Junior Invitational at the Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, South Carolina. The tournament is considered one of, if not the biggest tournament of the year for amateur golfers.
Charlie was a full 10 shots behind the 35th-place finisher, shooting 26 over par. Tournament winner Miles Russell, the No. 1-ranked player in the American Junior Golf Association rankings who shot 15-under, is also committed to Florida State.
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The No. 20-ranked player in the AJGA rankings, Charlie had a solid first round in the tournament, but things went downhill after that. He shot 4-over 76 in Round 2, but after shooting 11-over 83 in Round 3 he began to free fall in the standings before finishing with an 8-over 80 in the final round.
Despite the weekend setback, Charlie does have a couple notable tournament wins on his amateur resume including the 2025 Team TaylorMade Invitational and the 2024 SFPGA Jr. Cup.
As for Tiger, he’s still recovering from an Achilles injury suffered last year that cost him his entire 2025 season.
But the 50-year-old did tell reporters last month at the Genesis Invitational that he hasn’t ruled out playing in The Masters next month.