That was the disappointing end for 16-year-old Charlie Woods at this week’s U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. After struggling in his opening round, he ultimately missed the cut, finishing well outside the qualifying mark for match play.
Woods had a hand in launching the championship at Brook Hollow Golf Club on Monday. He had an impossible task, coming into the round shooting an 11-over 81. He battled like crazy to shoot a 1-under 71 on Tuesday at Trinity Forest Golf Club. He could only manage to card a 3-over 74, leaving him at 14-over 155 for the two days. To add insult to injury, this score left him well short of the cut line, which was 3-over par.
During the tournament, Woods received support from his father, Tiger Woods, who was spotted following him during play on Monday. The elder Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur three times from 1991 to 1993, cementing himself as one of the important figures in the sport. That made his presence not just unusual but particularly odd given the intense scrutiny on his son’s performance.
Charlie Woods was among the more than 200 other participants who exited the event early. Sadly, that wasn’t enough for him to make it to the next round of match play. Just the best 64 players made it into that round, which starts play on Wednesday. U of M’s Trevor Gutschewski, Miles Russell and Cameron Kuchar all made it through to match play successfully. Sadly, Woods did not make it to that milestone.
Aside from this unfortunate showing, Charlie Woods has been lights out on the junior golf circuit. He’s already earned a spot in the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur after putting his talents on full display back in the spring. In May, he won his first big title with the American Junior Golf Association. He did this by closing with a phenomenal 6-under 66.
The young golfer’s journey continues as he prepares for future competitions, including next year’s U.S. Junior Amateur. The results of this tournament were not what Woods was hoping for. He’s clearly made on this mission to be a better player and have more success on the course.
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