Just days after his Florida State commitment, Charlie Woods is in another chapter of his junior golf career. And it’s one of the toughest tournaments on the junior golf calendar, the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. Tiger Woods’ son will play in the 15th edition of the event from March 11-14, 2026, in Graniteville, South Carolina.

Charlie Woods announced his college decision in February 2026. The Benjamin School junior has already been part of many high-school state title runs. This includes the final round of 68 to clinch Benjamin’s 2025 Class 1A state championship. Earlier this year, he also posted a T19 finish at the Junior Orange Bowl. However, the stakes are getting high now.

This year will be Woods’ second appearance at the Junior Invitational. Last year, he finished with an 11-over score in a 36-golfer field. With that score, he was able to post a solo 25th finish on the leaderboard.

Now, he is returning to the tournament with an even more challenging field. The Junior Invitational at Sage Valley is touted to be the most prestigious event in junior golf. Many professional elites have won it in their junior careers. Some of the reputed names include Scottie Scheffler, Joaquin Niemann, and Akshay Bhatia.

To top that up, the field for the 2026 Junior Invitational has expanded. And, standing true to its reputation, the field is certainly prestigious. It features all the top 10 from the Rolex AJGA rankings. And after that, there are 5 more from ranks 11 to 20.

Here’s the complete list of the top 20 AJGA rankers participating in the event:

• Miles Russell (1)
• Tyler Mawhinney (2)
• Jessy Huebner (3)
• Giuseppe Puebla (4)
• Luke Colton (5)
• Luke Ringkamp (6)
• Ronin Banerjee (7)
• Sam Carraher (8)
• Pennson Badgett (9)
• Ayden Fynaut(10)
• Chase Hughes (12)
• Evan Liu (14)
• Preston Hage (16)
• Lunden Esterline (18)
• Charlie Woods (20)

Miles Russell, the defending champion, will be the biggest competition for Charlie Woods. In fact, this is the AJGA No. 1’s first junior golf game after his 2026 Puerto Rico appearance.

The 17-year-old went head-to-head with professionals like Ricky Castillo, Matti Schmid, Blames Brown, Paul Peterson, and others. Not just that, he even made the cut. Russell carded rounds of 71-71-71-70 to score 5-under 283 and finish at T50. Russell has also committed to Florida State University. Thus, he and Charlie Woods will be teammates soon. But for now, they could pose the biggest challenges to one another.

Amid the challenging conditions, Charlie Woods will most likely have his father to support him.

Tiger Woods will be cheering for Charlie Woods at the 2026 Junior Invitational

The Big Cat has always had his son’s back, no matter what. In fact, he has also been present at many of Junior Woods’ matches to support him from the ropes. For instance, Woods was present as a spectator at the 2023 FHSAA Class A state championship. He was in all black, supporting his son as Benjamin School won the title. Charlie Woods scored 78-76 and played an important role in securing the win.

Tiger Woods has also gone to many Charlie Woods matches last year despite health concerns. He was spotted at the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 2025 AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational, and the 2025 Florida Amateur Championship.

During the recently concluded Junior Orange Bowl, when Charlie Woods nearly hit his face with his own bowl, the 82x PGA Tour winner was there showing amusement and pride at his shot. On the par‑4 11th hole, Charlie’s tee shot went far right and landed next to a hard tree root. However, the junior golfer tried to aggressively attack the green despite the situation.

As he hit the ball, it struck the tree’s roots and went straight up towards his face. This earned him a “Hell of a shot” comment from his father, who was watching his game.

While not confirmed, it is likely that Tiger Woods will once again be watching Charlie Woods from the ropes. Thus, he will have familiar support as he steps into one of the strongest junior fields of the year.