Charlie Woods Misses Cut In US Junior Amateur Debut

The son of 15-time Major winner Tiger failed to make it through to the knockout stages of the prestigious Oakland Hills event

Charlie Woods in the US Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills
Charlie Woods missed the cut in his US Junior Amateur debut at Oakland Hills
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Charlie Woods failed to recover from a 12-over opening round at the US Junior Amateur as he missed the cut at the prestigious Oakland Hills event.

The son of 15-time Major champion Tiger had it all to do after an opening round that included three bogeys, five double bogeys and just two birdies on the North Course of the six-time US Open venue.

That left him needing a big turnaround in form to have a chance of reaching the knockout stages as he began the day outside the top 250, 10 shots adrifts of where he needed to be to make the top 64 and progress as he took on the South Course.

Starting on the 10th, he began promisingly enough, with pars in his opening two holes of the day, but a bogey on the par 5 12th will have dampened the expectations of the sizeable crowd following his as well his onlooking dad.

The youngster's third par of the day came on the 13th before another setback on the 14th with an all-too-familiar double bogey leaving his task looking forlorn.

His ordeal continued with another bogey on the 15th before his second double bogey of the day on the 17th was followed by a triple bogey to make the turn 21-over for the tournament.

By now playing for pride, Charlie recovered plenty of it over the remaining holes. He arrested the slide on the par 4 first, his 10th hole of the day, with a par, and he made that two in a row on the next hole before finally recording his first birdie of the day on the par 3 third. Three successive pars followed as his confidence appeared to come flooding back, before he finished bogey-par-bogey to leave him 22-over for the tournament at T240.

Charlie Woods lines up a putt at the US Junior Amateur

Charlie Woods has further chances to win the event in the upcoming years

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It was a different story for another emerging 15-year-old, Miles Russell. The American, who made his PGA Tour debut in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, progressed comfortably after the player, who occupies the No.1 spot in the American Junior Golf Association rankings, followed a two-under opening round with a one-over 71 on the second day to sit T12 on the leaderboard.

Elsewhere, 16-year-old Blades Brown, who made the cut on his PGA Tour debut in the Myrtle Beach Classic, did better still, finishing on six-under to top the leaderboard and reach the match play section. Tyler Watts finished second.

As for Woods, who reached his first US Junior Amateur after carding a one-under-par 71 to win his qualifier at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs, Florida last month, he can take comfort from a strong finish in his second round as well as the fact that, with eligibility until 18, he has three more years to try to win the tournament his dad famously triumphed at three years in a row between 1991 and 1993.

Earlier in the week, Tiger confirmed that he and Charlie would once again team up for December's PNC Championship at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.

Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.