After a decent T19 finish at the 2026 Junior Orange Bowl International Championship, Charlie Woods had hoped to continue that momentum at the Junior Invitational. Yet, just two holes changed the entire tone of his opening day performance. The round only briefly hinted at stability, as things started going downhill for the junior golfer right from the 2nd hole. By the end of the round, Woods had hit 2 triple bogeys.

Fans and analysts see the 2026 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley as junior golf’s Masters. In fact, it is only a 20-minute drive away from the Augusta National. However, it’s not just the location. The prestigious event boasts one of the most competitive fields in junior golf.

In 2026, all the top 10 AJGA rankers were part of the 36-member field. Apart from that, those at ranks 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20, where Charlie Woods currently stands, are also participating. This competitive field is truly what makes the Junior Invitational worthy of the title of junior golf’s Masters. The winner gets a golden jacket, too, just like the iconic green jacket presented at the Masters.

Amid this tough competition, Charlie Woods arrived at the tee with a hope to make his mark at the most prestigious event on his playing circuit. However, holes 2 and 14 didn’t let him.

Woods started his round with a par-4 score on hole 1. But at par-4 hole 2, he ended up with a triple bogey. However, birdies on holes 4, 8, 10, and 13, and a bogey on hole 12 helped him reach a par score through 13 holes. At this point, things were looking quite steady for him, but then came another disastrous hole.

On hole 14, he again hit a triple bogey. He finished the round with a bogey and a birdie on holes 17 and 18, respectively. Thus, he finished with a score of 3-over 75 at the end of the round. This left him tied for 22nd on the leaderboard.

On the other hand, Miles Russell, Charlie Woods’ toughest competition and future teammate at Florida State University, hit a bogeyless round. It featured 8 birdies on holes 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, and 13. This helped him finish on top of the leaderboard, with a comfortable three-stroke lead over the runner-up, Tyler Watts.

Miles Russell is the defending champion. He won the golden jacket in 2025 and has already made a good start in his attempt to defend the title. Charlie Woods will now have to make a quick recovery in the upcoming rounds to bridge the 11-stroke gap between him and Russell.

This tough competition comes just days after Charlie Woods committed to college.

Charlie Woods’ verbal commitment to Florida State University

Charlie Woods has verbally committed to Florida State University (FSU) for college golf. This breaks the family tradition of attending Stanford. Tiger Woods attended Stanford from 1993 to 1996, and his sister Sam Woods is currently a freshman there. Many presumed that Charlie Woods would follow his father’s footsteps in this regard. However, the 17-year-old announced a different route on Instagram on February 10, 2026. He opted for the Seminoles over other Southeast schools like Alabama.

This will make him a teammate of the reigning AJGA No. 1, Miles Russell. The two are currently competing at the Junior Invitational 2026. However, when they join hands for team events at the college level, it will be worth watching.

Hall of Fame coach Trey Jones expects it to be among the strongest batches at the university. Many other professionals have also graduated from Florida State University (FSU). This includes names like Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger, and Luke Clanton.

When Charlie Woods announced his commitment, Tiger Woods congratulated him.

“Congratulations, Charlie. I’m so proud of you for entering this next chapter of your life,” the 82x PGA Tour winner said.

Kai Trump, who is committed to Miami University and shares school with Woods, also congratulated him.

Charlie Woods’ upcoming chapter at Florida State will place him alongside many talented golfers. But that’s something to cheer about later. For now, he needs to focus on recovering at the Junior Invitational after the poor start.