Tiger Woods' son, Charlie Woods, impressively bounced back from a disappointing debut in the United States Junior Amateur, winning the South Florida Jr. PGA Cup in his native Florida on Thursday.
“The Cup” is one of the South Florida PGA Junior Tour’s eight majors. The 54-hole event featured 88 of the top junior golfers in the world.
Last week, Charlie missed the cut at the U.S. Junior Am at Oakland Hills. The 15-year old shot 22-over at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan — a course that repeatedly plagued his dad back in the day. (Charlie's appearance was somewhat mired by unruly fan behavior, prompting Tiger and extra police personnel to get involved.)
Woods finished 240th of 264 players at Oakland Hills. Trevor Gutschewski, son of PGA Tour veteran Scott Gutschewski (who missed the cut at the 3M Open), took first place in his Junior Am debut. The Nebraska native entered ranked No. 3,570 in the world — the lowest-ranked champion in the storied history of the tournament. Afterward, Gutschewski was asked which past champion's name stood out on the trophy.
“Probably this Tiger Woods guy,” said the elated teenager.
This week, at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach, Charlie found himself four strokes behind the lead after the first 18 holes. But Woods stormed back with a second-round 68, including five birdies. He closer with a final-round 73, highlighted by dagger birdies on Nos. 10 and 12 as he fended off his playing partners, Brooks Hansen and Trey Farnsworth. (Eva Lye triumphed on the girls' side.)
“I wanted it so bad,” Charlie said, via the tournament's official page. “I felt focused. I knew what I had to do to get it done. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do better.”
Charlie booked a place in the Junior Am — an event his dad won three times, from 1991-1993 — with a first-place result (out of 86 golfers) at a qualifying event in Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs, Florida, in June.
Charlie carded a 9-over 81 in a U.S. Open qualifier in April. A few weeks later, he was helping his dad prep for a major at Pinehurst No. 2.
“I think having Charlie out here is very special,” Tiger said ahead of the 2024 U.S. Open. “To have the father-son relationship that we have and to extend it into this part of both of our lives, he’s playing a lot of junior golf, and I’m still playing out here.
“I trust him with my swing and my game. He’s seen it more than anybody else in the world. He’s seen me hit more golf balls than anyone.”
The Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in August. The field has not yet been formalized.
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