Charlie Woods, son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, wrapped up his first round.
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Florida – Charlie Woods, son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, wrapped up his first round of the Class 1A Florida high school state championship on Tuesday at Howey-in-the-Hills.
Woods shot a 78, six shots over par, finishing with the 55th-best individual mark at states.
Defending state champion Benjamin golf, composed of Woods and teammates Pavel Tsar, Andrew Tsar, Brooks Colton, and Jake Valentine, ended the first day in a three-way tie for 9th place with Lake Mary Prep and Lake Highland Prep.
Woods made a birdie on the 14th hole, a par 5, while bogeying on holes 7, 8, and 15.
He ran into some trouble on the 5th and 17th holes and ended those with double bogeys.
Entering state play, Woods tied four golfers for sixth place with a 71 at the regional championship. He, along with the other Benjamin golfers, are back at states trying to defend their Class 1A state title, though the first day leaves the Buccaneers with some ground to make up on Wednesday.
Alex Peterman covers high school sports for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@gannett.com.
The Benjamin School boys golf team got off to a winning start in the 2024 FHSAA postseason this week.
Charlie Woods and the Benjamin School boys golf team got off to a winning start in the 2024 FHSAA postseason this week but it “wasn’t pretty” according to the team.
The Bucs won the District 13-1A championship at the Championship Club at Summerfield in Stuart on Tuesday with a team score of 291, two strokes better than West Palm Beach’s Oxbridge Academy.
“Wasn’t pretty but got the job done at districts,” Benjamin boys golf posted to its official team Instagram after the win. “Onto regionals.”
Woods, the son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, shot a 1-over 73 to take sixth individually while senior Pavel Tsar, The Post’s reigning boys golfer of the year, placed seventh with a 3-over 75.
Benjamin’s most valuable player was certainly Tsar’s younger brother Andrew, a sophomore who fired 3-under 69 to win the individual district title. Tsar’s round had “many lip-ins” and was “lucky” according to the team’s Instagram account.
Oxbridge Academy enjoyed a phenomenal afternoon in coming up just short of the upset district championship. Sophomores Joey Iaciofano (-2) and Ajax Lanasa (-1) made a run at the individual district title while junior AJ Colonna (E) helped round out the top 5 with three ThunderWolves.
Benjamin, the reigning state championship in Class 1A, and Oxbridge Academy advanced to the Region 4-1A championships next Monday at Miami Shores Golf Club.
“I wanted to redeem myself, and I feel great about how I played.”
Charlie Woods and Eva Lye won their respective divisions at the 2024 South Florida PGA Junior Cup.
Contested at the BallenIsles Country Club’s newly renovated East Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the event is simply known as “The Cup” and is one of the eight junior majors on the South Florida PGA Junior Tour.
Woods beat out 62 other junior boys golfers, while Lye bested a field of 25 girls. Woods was the only golfer in his division to finish under par after shooting scores of 73-68-73.
“I feel like it was a compilation of a lot of hard work this summer,” Woods told the PGA of America. “I wanted to redeem myself, and I feel great about how I played.”
Two weeks ago, Woods came up short of advancing to the match-play portion of the U.S. Junior Amateur. Only the top 64 earned a spot in that bracket.
“I wanted it so bad,” he said of his junior title. “I felt focused, and I knew what I had to do to get it done. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do better.”
As for Lye, she never led until the very end, posting a 1-under 71 to nudge past Abigail Sheldon.
“I didn’t want to give up even though I had a bad day yesterday,” said Lye of her second round 77.
Lye is the daughter of former PGA Tour player Mark Lye, 71, who won one PGA Tour event.
Charlie’s day began early Monday, playing Oakland Hills’ North Course with the South Course to come Tuesday. There are 256 players in the U.S. Junior field, and only 64 of them make the cut for match play set to begin Wednesday.
In the opening round, Charlie shot 12-over 82, and while he birdied both par 5s, four doubles were his undoing. The leaders are at 5 under after the opening wave. It got a little better Tuesday on the South Course, as he shot 10-over 80, but a 22-over mark was enough to miss the cut in his first USGA Championship.
Tiger was on hand Sunday walking with Charlie during the practice round. Tiger isn’t caddying, but he was following Charlie along with a big gallery during the first round Monday.
“To have Tiger watching you, it’s crazy but it’s so much fun.”
DETROIT, Mich. — A championship crowd was present at Oakland Hills Country Club for the first round of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, but it only followed one group and it migrated around the North Course rather than the traditional championship South Course.
Instead, a large majority of the crowd stuck with one three-man group the entire way. The group consisted of Alabama golf commit Chase Kyes and incoming Baylor freshman Davis Ovard, both 18, and 15-year-old Charlie Woods, the main attraction, who was followed by his dad — 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods.
The crowd lived for every shot from the trio, including Kyes and Ovard, through all 18 holes, adding the expected soundtrack of tournament golf with cheers, claps and gasps for most shots.
“It was a lot of fun,” Ovard, who finished the first round with a 3-over 73, told the Free Press. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with Charlie. And to have Tiger watching you, it’s crazy but it’s so much fun. The first few holes, obviously I was nervous with this crowd but once I settled in and relaxed, it was just enjoying the moment.”
Chase Kyes takes a practice swing before teeing off at the No. 5 hole on the North Course at the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Photo: Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press)
For both Kyes and Ovard, this was their first taste of playing in front of a sizable crowd themselves. Once the nerves settled in after the first few holes, both settled into a rhythm while feeding off the energy from the crowd.
“It was cool because if you are playing in a different group and you hit a good shot, your dad is clapping,” said Kyes, who shot an even-par 70. “And then you hit a good shot in this group and you’ve got like 400 people clapping. It was a cool feeling for sure.”
Just 11 golfers who teed off during the morning rounds finished under par as both courses showed how difficult it can be for the field of top golfers under the age of 19. The greens rolled at major championship speeds while the rough was long and thick enough to camouflage golfers’ ankles during scrambles to accompany the vast bunkers and hills on each hole.
The group will play again tomorrow, teeing off in the afternoon on the 10th hole of the South Course, which will bring the same challenges while adding more distance to cover over the 18 holes, playing at 7,303 yards. The two Donald Ross-designed courses play similarly, Kyes said, so the game plan won’t change.
“Just hit fairways,” Kyes said. “And then if you get out of position, just get back into position. It is going to be a long week. The rough is super thick so just try to stay in the short grass.
Davis Ovard hits a shot toward the No. 9 green at the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Photo: Mandi Wright/ Detroit Free Press)
Ovard is looking to cut back on the mistakes that were the difference between shooting a 73 and finishing closer to even-par through 18. He said he thought he hit the ball well Monday, but struggled to convert that into scores while having a pair of double-bogeys that he said should’ve just been a bogey.
“I need to keep it in the fairway more, this rough is brutal,” Ovard said. “… The greens are a little more slopey on the other side so that’ll be fun. (I need) to keep it in the fairway and the middle of the green.”
Playing with Charlie means playing in front of Tiger
Kyes and Ovard praised Charlie Woods for his golf game and mental fortitude following the round. The college-bound golfers, three years his senior, said he was a good player with “all the talent in the world” as Kyes put it. Charlie Woods was visibly frustrated with himself as he struggled through the round to post a 12-over 82.
Charlie Woods hit the ball plenty far using his driver, 3-wood or a long iron, matching the distances of the others in his group. He struggled around the green with chipping and putting, leaving multiple chips out of the rough short or three-putting on the fast greens.
Charlie Woods reacts to missing his putt on hole No. 2 on the North Course at the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Photo: Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press)
“Charlie is a great player,” Kyes said. “I mean, he’s got all the talent in the world. He just didn’t have a good day.”
Ovard met Charlie Woods Sunday when the two played a practice round together before being grouped together in the tournament. Ovard said he does a good job handling the pressure surrounding him while still playing well.
“He’s a super nice kid,” Ovard said. “I mean, you see him on social media and all of this stuff and you don’t really get to see what he’s like but he’s super nice. He’s a really good player and the amount of pressure on him is crazy — I couldn’t imagine that. He does a really good job handling the pressure.”
Kyes and Ovard got a taste of that pressure from the crowd, along with playing in front of the most successful golfer of the last 40 years in Charlie’s dad.
“I tried to do my own thing,” Kyes said. “And then I looked over at him a few times but I tried not too much. There’s a lot of pressure with his name.”
To stay even-keeled, the Alabama golfer had a simple mantra repeating in his head to remind himself he wasn’t the main attraction for the fans or Tiger.
“I kept telling myself, they are here for (Charlie), not me,” Kyes said.
Charlie Woods is set to compete at Oakland Hills Country Club next month.
Charlie Woods is set to compete at Oakland Hills Country Club next month.
Woods shot a 1-under-par 71 at a U.S. Junior Amateur Championship qualifier at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Florida on Wednesday. Woods, the 15-year-old son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, won the qualifier by one shot and will take part in the July 22-27 tournament at Oakland Hills Country Club’s North and restored South courses.
The 264-player field comprised of the top golfers younger than 19 will play two rounds of stroke play on both courses before the top 64 enter match play on the South Course to settle the championship. The winner will get an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
There are already 78 players who received an exemption in the field as the top-ranked amateur golfers in the world, including one who’ll visit Metro Detroit next week: 15-year-old Miles Russell, on a sponsor exemption to the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. The rest of the 264-player field will be filled through top finishers at qualifiers, like Woods, who finished strong with three birdies between holes 13 and 16 to win after starting the back nine with a bogey and double bogey.
“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,” Junior Amateur chairman and former Oakland Hills president Jeff Judge said on Tuesday before listing some of the notable exemptions such as Russell.
Woods 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. The Junior Amateur will be the first of eight USGA championships at Oakland Hills from 2024-51, including four U.S. Opens.
“It started 100 years ago, but our kind of new partnership and then seven more championships and hopefully more to come after that,” USGA director of the Junior Amateur Rob Doone said on Oakland Hills’ relationship with golf’s governing body. “The Junior Amateur has become a pretty amazing pathway to great achievement. Numerous past champions have gone on to do unbelievable things.”
Tiger Woods and Phil MIckelson at the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Woods family history at Oakland Hills Country Club
Charlie will walk the slopes of Oakland Hills 20 years after his dad was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team that lost to Europe there. Woods played with Phil Mickelson in the two’s only partnership in a long Ryder Cup history together, but lost both matches they played to Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington, then Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood.
Tiger’s other tournament played in Bloomfield Township was the 1996 U.S. Open, in which he posted a 294 (76-69-77-72) over four days in his last U.S. Open as an amateur, just months after winning a record-setting third straight U.S. Amateur. Tiger, then 20 years old, briefly enjoyed a share of the lead in the first round, but played the final five holes of the South Course nine over par.
He missed the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills following season-ending knee surgery after his epic playoff victory in the U.S. Open.
Tiger, a 15-time major winner, won six straight USGA championships: The Junior Amateur (1991-93) and U.S. Amateur (1994-96).
“I trust him with my swing and my game. He’s seen it more than anybody else in the world.”
PINEHURST, N.C. — Fifteen-time major champion Tiger Woods has a 15-year-old as his eyes and ears this week at the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 – son Charlie.
“I think having Charlie out here is very special. 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,” Tiger said.
Charlie has been inside the ropes and on the range with a player support badge, making him the closest thing Tiger has to an official coach.
“As far as his responsibilities, it’s the same. 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,” Tiger explained of Charlie’s role. “I tell him what to look for, especially with putting. He gave me a couple little side bits today, which was great, because I get so entrenched in hitting certain putts to certain pins, I tend to forget some of the things I’m working on.”
Tiger, a three-time U.S. Open champion, played a practice round on Tuesday with Max Homa and 25-year-old Australian pro Min Woo Lee with Charlie by his side every step of the way.
“It’s neat for him to see the guys that he watches on TV and YouTube and TikTok, whatever the hell it is that they do,” Tiger said. “He was very excited today to watch Max and Min Woo and watch them hit golf balls. They’ve talked to him quite a bit, especially Min Woo and him. I think they’re closer in age than I am to anybody else. It’s great. It’s great for us to be able to share these moments together.”
Tiger, 48, hasn’t competed since missing the cut last month at the PGA Championship with a 36-hole total of 7-over 149. In his past 22 starts in majors, he has missed the cut 10 times and withdrawn twice. Still, he expressed confidence that his body is getting stronger from injuries suffered in February 2021 car crash and that he’s capable of contending this week.
“I do,” he said. “I feel like I have the strength to be able to do it. It’s just a matter of doing it.
“This golf course is going to test every single aspect of your game, especially mentally, and just the mental discipline that it takes to play this particular golf course, it’s going to take a lot.”
Woods finished T-3 at Pinehurst in 1999 and second in 2005 but missed the 2014 U.S. Open here. He said this is the first time he’s been back since the famed Donald Ross layout underwent a restoration by Coore-Crenshaw ahead of the 2014 Open won by Martin Kaymer. In preparation for the course’s turtleback greens, Woods has been spending extra time at home with his putter but said that can only do so much.
“Nothing can simulate what we have here this particular week, the amount of little shots and the knobs and run-offs, and either using wedges or long irons or woods around the greens or even putter,” he said. “There’s so many different shots that you really can’t simulate unless you get on the property. That’s one of the reasons I came up here last Tuesday.”
How challenging will the greens be? “It depends how severe the USGA wants to make this and how close they want to get us up to those sides,” he said. “But I foresee just like in ’05 watching some of the guys play ping-pong back and forth. It could happen.”
Woods also will be receiving the USGA’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award, during a ceremony on Tuesday evening. Tiger and Jones both won nine USGA titles, sharing the record for the most USGA championships. Tiger would like nothing more than to break that tie and become the first to reach double digits.
“I think anytime you’re in association with Mr. Jones, it’s always incredible,” Tiger said. “What he did in his amateur career, winning the Ams and the Opens and then obviously creating Augusta National, the fact that I get a chance to be honored with his award tonight, it’s very special.”
Tiger Woods missed the cut at the 2024 PGA Championship a few weeks ago, but his focus this week wasn’t on his game, but his son’s. On Wednesday, Woods and CBS’ Trevor Immelman were in Lake Worth, Florida, watching their sons, Charlie and Jacob, play in the UNIQLO/Adam Scott Junior Championship on the AJGA.
The tournament at The Falls Club of the Palm Beaches wrapped up on Thursday, with Pennson Badgett from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, taking home the title at 11 under (68,65).
Charlie Woods finished in a tie for 27th at 2 over after consecutive rounds of 73, while Jacob Immelman grabbed a share of 32nd thanks to rounds of 76 and 71. (There were 47 players in the field.)
🚨📸🐅 #PHOTOS — Tiger Woods and Trevor Immelman watched their sons compete together today at the Adam Scott Junior Invitational down in South Florida. (Via @AJGAGolf) pic.twitter.com/vsgcqTgZG9
Charlie Woods is going to have to wait to play in the U.S. Open.
Charlie Woods is going to have to wait to play in the U.S. Open.
The 15-year-old son of Tiger Woods played Thursday in local qualifying for the United States Golf Association’s national championship, set for June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. Charlie played at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and he shot 9-over 81.
Charlie’s round featured a bogey on his opening hole, the par-4 first. He then doubled the par-5 second. A pair of pars followed before his lone birdie on the front, but another double the next hole, the par-4 sixth, had him turn in 4-over 40.
On the back nine, he had another double, three bogeys and five pars for a 41.
Only the top-five placers and two alternates will advance out of local qualifying.
Charlie Woods on the third hole at the 2024 U.S. Open qualifying at the Legacy Golf and Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo: Eric Hasert/Treasure Coast News)
With his appearance in the PGA Tour pre-qualifier and U.S. Open local qualifying, it shouldn’t be surprising to see the young Woods attempt to qualify for the U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills or the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine later this summer. His dad won both events three times.
The Benjamin boys team won for the fourth time in program history — the first time since 2009
Tiger Woods and his ex-wife Elin Nordegren were among those on hand during a presentation on Tuesday as the Benjamin School golf team members received their state championship rings. The school is located in Palm Beach, Florida.
The Benjamin boys team, led by longtime coach Toby Harbeck, won for the fourth time in program history — the first time since 2009. The squad captured the Class 1A title at Mission Inn Resort and Club.
While Charlie Woods is the team’s most famous member, others on the squad include Brooks Colton, Pavel Tsar, Jake Valentine, Charlie Woods, and Tyler Bruneau.
After winning the title, Charlie Woods teamed with his dad to take fifth place at the PNC Championship in Orlando.
Greg Lovett and Emilee Smarr of the Palm Beach Post contributed to this post.
