“I wanted to win”: Charlie Woods cries after being disqualified from the U.S. Junior Amateur after a fierce battle…
I wanted to win: Charlie Woods cries after being disqualified from the U.S. Junior Amateur after a fierce battle…
Golf is a family affair for Tiger Woods, and now apparently something else is too: USGA Championships.
On Wednesday evening, Charlie Woods, the 15-year-old son of the 15-time major champion, became the second member of the Woods family to qualify for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. The younger Woods shot 71 in the qualifying tournament at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs, Fla., to earn medalist honors and one of 264 spots in junior competition’s most prestigious championship.
According to the USGA, Woods overcame a double bogey in the qualifying round to record five birdies in the final 16 holes and finish with a one-stroke lead. “I didn’t play very well the first two holes, but I played really well the last 16,” Woods said Wednesday. “I told myself not to take any more bogeys or doubles, and when I had chances for birdies, I took advantage of them.” Putting was my biggest strength today. I took a lot of shots when I needed to.”
Tiger’s only son has achieved cult-level fame among golf fans in the years since his debut at the PNC Fathers and Sons Championship. As his junior golf career continued to develop in South Florida, his fame only grew, but so did change: After Charlie’s brilliant (and oddly tigerish) debut brought attention to his golf game, the younger Woods retreated from the spotlight, spending his final months as his father’s swing coach. “I trust him with my swing and my game,” Tiger said at the U.S. Open last week. “He’s seen it more than anybody in the world. He saw how I hit more golf balls than anyone. Especially in my position, I tell him what to look for. He gave me some little tips today, which was great because I get so used to hitting certain shots on certain pins that I tend to forget some of the things I’m working on.
More than anything, the U.S. Junior Amateur serves as a reminder that the younger Woods’ sports career continues. Charlie has had a tough few months playing, including failing to qualify for his hometown PGA Tour event, the Cowlan Classic, on Monday. Late last year, his high school coach, Toby Harbeck, spoke about his development as a player: “Some icons you don’t want to chase, but he chases them all. When I can break it a little of that, he will become a much better player, “said Harbek, but …” He can bomb him there for more than 300 in an instant. He has another diet, so it’s good, it’s a good light swing, and sometimes he puts it on the ultra-director, and he can simply fly on it.
Now the main attention is about to move again in the Old Hills Cloud Club of Michigan, where young forests will play for the young lover of the United States, the same event as his father has won three times as than golf younger. Woods’ performance will be the subject of great attention during his first major event, and he says that this is how he likes it.
“It’s incredible to claim my first USGA championship,” he said. “USGA has a big meaning for me. I want to get a USGA championship.