The sun hadn’t been up two hours at Saucon Valley on Monday when Charlie Woods, playing in just his third U.S. Junior Amateur, watched his round unravel before it had a chance to begin. A bogey on the first. A triple bogey on the second. Bogeys on the fourth and fifth. Five holes in, he was six over par, a number that in most junior fields ends the tournament before it starts. What followed was a rocky Round 1 at the U.S. Junior Amateur that has already put Woods in a fight just to survive the cut.

That opening stretch is the story, not the twelve steady holes that came after it. Four bogeys and a triple bogey in five holes left Woods with a 76, ten shots behind leader Sohan Patel and three outside the cut line. The pressure surrounding that number is layered, and it comes straight from the man running the event.

“It’s a pretty natural fit to name this the Tiger Woods Trophy because what he accomplished in the early 90s is never going to happen again, or likely will never happen again. For his kid to have an opportunity to win his dad’s trophy is exciting. I’m sure there’s added pressure on him to perform. But he definitely has the game to do it,” said Rob Doone, Director of the U.S. Junior Amateur.

🤔 golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

How Many Kiwi Golfers Have Won a Major?

3451

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

PLAY GOLF TRIVIA

The trophy adds another layer to a season already trending the wrong way. Five days before Saucon Valley, Woods missed U.S. Amateur qualifying by six strokes at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course. His junior ranking has dropped from 13th to 174th since he committed to Florida State in February. Monday’s 76 fits that slide. The USGA renamed the event’s trophy the Tiger Woods Trophy this year, honoring the three straight titles Tiger won here from 1991 to 1993, a record still unmatched. Charlie is chasing a trophy with his own last name on it, at a tournament where he’s now shot 82, 81, and 76 in three tries, none good enough to make the cut.

His prior two years both ended the same way despite stronger second rounds, an 80 after the 82, a 74 after the 81. That history sets the number he’s chasing now.

Three Shots From Survival

Miles Russell, the field’s top-ranked player and Woods’ future Florida State teammate, sits comfortably inside the cut line at one-under. Defending champion Hamilton Coleman shot six-over on Monday, worse than Woods. He moves to the Grace Course for Round 2, a layout that played about three-quarters of a shot harder than the Old Course on Monday. The field cuts from 264 to 64 after 36 holes, with ties for the final spot settled by playoff.

Three shots stand between Woods and that number. The cut at this event usually falls close to even par, so he’ll likely need something in the two- or three-under range on Tuesday.