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It might be time to pump the brakes a little on the Charlie Woods hype train. Woods, who recently claimed his first major win in a national tournament, had a rough go of things in the opening round of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship on Monday.
In perhaps the largest field we’ve ever seen in a golf tournament, Woods sits in a tie for 241st out of 264 golfers after shooting an 11-over, 81 at Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas.
Charlie Woods Falls Apart On Back Nine At 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship
The opening nine for Woods wasn’t all that terrible. He got off on the wrong foot with a bogey at the 470-yard, Par 4 first hole before making a double bogey on the third. But he settled in from there. Woods made for consecutive pars before a bogey on the eighth hole and a bounce-back birdie on the ninth to shoot an opening-nine 38, which was just three over par.
However, things quickly fell apart on the back nine. Woods bogeyed both the 10th and 11th holes before a double on the 13th. He added a pair of bogeys on both the 15th and 16th, as well as another double bogey on the 17th. Woods did, however, finish on a high note with a birdie on the Par 4 18th hole.
Ultimately, it’s just one bad round. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything major for Woods’ golf future. But it’s also a reminder that Woods is just 16 years old, and he’s going to face these kinds of struggles.
The tournament’s current leader, Tyler Watts, sits at 5-under after the first day of competition. Watts finished fifth at the Team TaylorMade Invitational in May, an event that Woods won.
“Being able to say to myself that I won an absolutely amazing event and to say I performed under some high-pressure situations is just huge going forward,” Woods said after that victory.
Sure, Tiger Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur three consecutive times from 1991-1993. But expecting Charlie to be his dad was neither realistic nor fair. For now, it’s probably time to remember that he’s his own person, and if that person ends up being an incredible golfer as well, then more power to him.