Charlie Woods, the 15-year-old son of golfing legend Tiger Woods, faced a tough challenge in the first round of the US Junior Amateur championship on Monday, recording a 12-over-par 82.
The event, held at Oakland Hills Country Club near Detroit, saw Tiger Woods walking the course to support his son, though tournament regulations prevented him from acting as Charlie’s caddie.
Despite the setback, Charlie managed to birdie both par-5 holes but struggled with consistency, making four bogeys and five double bogeys on the North Course. On Tuesday afternoon, he will tackle the South Course, aiming to improve his position. Charlie’s performance placed him near the bottom in a field of 264 participants, who will play 36 holes of stroke play to vie for 64 spots in the match-play segment starting Wednesday.
Notable performances from other players included Tyler Watts at 5-under, Blades Brown at 4-under, and Lev Grinberg at 3-under. The winner of Saturday’s 36-hole final will earn a place in the 2025 US Open at Oakmont.
Tiger Woods himself has a storied history in the US Junior Amateur, having won the title in 1991, 1992, and 1993. He and Charlie have also competed together at the PNC Championship for the past four years, finishing as runners-up in 2021.
Recently, Tiger missed the cut at The Open Championship and also failed to advance past the cut at the US Open and PGA Championship earlier this year. However, he did make it to the weekend at The Masters, where he finished 60th.
