Charlie Woods, the 16-year-old son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, is officially out of the match-play portion of this week’s U.S. Junior Amateur Championship after posting a 14-over total across two rounds in Dallas. Despite a spirited Day 2 performance, Woods came up well short of the 36-hole cut, which only the top 64 of 264 players will advance through.
Woods opened Monday with a rough 11-over 81 at Brook Hollow, with his famous father in attendance. It was a round that quickly put him behind the cutline—and under a national spotlight. But to his credit, Charlie bounced back Tuesday at Trinity Forest, carding a three-over 74 after an even-par front nine and staying under par into the final two holes.
A bogey-double bogey stumble at the finish spoiled what could have been a redemptive round, but still marked a seven-shot improvement over his opening effort.
Second Straight Miss, But Promise Remains
This marks Charlie’s second consecutive missed cut at the U.S. Junior Amateur. Last year at Oakland Hills, he shot rounds of 82 and 80—numbers he noticeably bested this time around, particularly with his strong showing on Tuesday.
Woods had earned his place in the prestigious field by winning a playoff in Coral Springs, Florida, last month. And while this week ends in disappointment, it wasn’t long ago that Charlie was turning heads for all the right reasons.
In May, he fired a final-round 66 to win the AJGA’s Team TaylorMade Invitational at Streamsong Black. That win came over elite junior competition, including Miles Russell, a three-time PGA Tour participant, and Tyler Watts, who’s currently ranked top five in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
This week, both Russell and Watts are thriving. Watts is locked inside the match-play top 64 after consecutive 68s, while Russell sits comfortably at T-13 with rounds of 67 and 72. Luke Colton, another top-tier junior, is also trending inside the top 50.
For Charlie, the cutline will have to wait for another year. But as his game continues to develop—and his comfort on big stages grows—his day may yet come.
