Just a few days back, this 17-year-old phenom announced an important step in his young career, committing to the University of Florida. However, now Charlie Woods is battling adversity at one of junior golf’s biggest stages. He is currently competing in the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, aka the Juniors Masters, against an elite field. While he struggled to find his footing at the beginning of the tournament, he has been trying to make amends in the second round. However, the numbers on scoreboard are not in his favour as of now.

Tiger Woods’ son endured a difficult start that quickly placed him on the back foot against an elite field. In a field of 36 golfers, Charlie Woods currently stands at T27 with a total of 7 over par. His second round began with back-to-back five pars. In hole 14, he triple-bogeyed in round 1. But in round 2, he secured a par.

Charlie’s opening round turned into a roller coaster, highlighted by moments of promise but overshadowed by costly mistakes. He shot two triple bogeys early in the tournament, which turned out to be detrimental. Those early mistakes left him several strokes behind the leaders in a tightly contested 36-player field.

The event already boasts a list of names who have been champions in the greens of the Sage Valley and have then ruled the realm of golf. Scottie Scheffler, Joaquin Niemann, and Akshay Bhatia are a few names on that list. 

Now, his playing partner and defending champion, Miles Russell, is surging ahead with a near-flawless round. Additionally, he is also leading the scoreboard with a total of 10 under par after round 2. Meanwhile, young Charlie is facing the difficult task of regaining momentum.

Charlie Woods charts a path different from father Tiger Woods

Before Tiger Woods turned professional in 1996, he was committed to the University of Stanford. However, soon after turning professional and concentrating on building his career in the sport, he left Stanford University after two years. His daughter, Woods, too, chose Stanford University. However, decades later, his son, Charlie Woods, decided to choose Florida over Stanford.

“Excited to announce my commitment to play golf at Florida State University – go Noles!”, shared Charlie.

His proud father supported his choice as he commented, “Congratulations, Charlie. I’m so proud of you on entering this next chapter of your life.”

At the 2025 Hero World Challenge, Woods said, “It’s fun to be a part of the process with Charlie and go through it and see the opportunities he has that he has created for himself by playing better, places he could play, wants to play, ultimately will decide where he wants to go play.”

Players Group Management has signed a new deal with Charlie Woods. However, his father has long been in partnership with Excel Sports Management. Although his decisions differ from those of his father, the 15-time Major champion is supporting the decisions made by his son.