Charlie Woods may have missed the cut at this year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, but the 16-year-old continues to draw attention for all the right reasons-including praise from a highly respected name in golf.
Woods, who earned his spot in the prestigious tournament through qualifying, teed it up in Texas with hopes of echoing his father’s early success.
Tiger Woods, a three-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion, was a constant presence at Brook Hollow Golf Club, walking alongside his son throughout the tournament.
Encouragement Beyond the Scorecard
Despite a tough couple of rounds that saw Charlie finish at 14-over-par-11 strokes short of the cut line-his performance wasn’t without silver linings.
Among them was recognition from none other than Hank Haney, Tiger‘s former swing coach. A video clip showcasing Charlie‘s fluid swing made the rounds on social media, prompting Haney to post a brief but meaningful remark online.
“That’s a great golf swing,” Haney wrote on Twitter.
Coming from the coach who helped guide Tiger to six major wins, it was a notable endorsement-one that suggests Charlie‘s fundamentals are well ahead of his age group, even if the tournament didn’t go his way.
Charlie‘s 2025 season has been impressive overall. Earlier in the year, he clinched his first AJGA title, putting together a dominant performance that reflected his growing maturity and poise under pressure.
While his U.S. Junior Amateur appearance ended sooner than hoped, it marked another step in his development as a competitive golfer in his own right.
While Charlie was grinding through his rounds in Dallas, Tiger was on the sidelines-a position fans have become used to seeing.
The 15-time major winner has been sidelined since suffering an Achilles injury while preparing for the 2025 Masters. It marked yet another setback in what has been a challenging stretch of injuries for the 49-year-old, who hasn’t competed on the PGA Tour in over a year.
Though he missed this year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush, Tiger did get the chance to return to action late last year in a more relaxed setting: the PNC Championship.
Teaming up with Charlie, the father-son duo finished second, narrowly missing out on the title. However, the week was unforgettable for another reason-Charlie carded his first hole-in-one during the final round, a memory the elder Woods will never forget.
Though Charlie‘s journey is still in its early stages, he’s already proving that he’s more than just Tiger’s son.
With solid performances, visible growth, and praise from top-tier professionals like Haney, Charlie Woods is beginning to carve out his own space in the golf world-one swing at a time.
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