Charlie Woods won his first American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) title on Wednesday after winning the prestigious Team TaylorMade Invitational, which was held in Florida.
Woods entered the tournament ranked 606th in the AJGA standings, making his triumph all the more sweet given the strength of the field.
The Team TaylorMade Invitational featured 71 top junior golfers, including five of the top ten players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and the current No. 1, Miles Russell. It was amidst a stiff competition like this that the son of veteran Tiger Woods had to scale through for his first title.
His campaign began with a roller coaster opening round of 2-under-par 70, a scorecard that had eight birdies, one eagle, five bogeys, a triple bogey, and just three pars, all on par-3 holes.
Woods found his rhythm in the second round, posting a superb 7-under 65 that included nine birdies and only two bogeys, moving him into a tie for second place and just one shot off the lead.
The final round saw Woods start one stroke behind overnight leader Luke Colton. Rising to the occasion, Charlie carded an amazing 6-under 66, featuring eight birdies and two bogeys.
A stretch of seven birdies over 11 holes helped him surge ahead, and he remained composed down the stretch to finish at 15-under-par 201, three strokes clear of his closest challengers, Willie Gordon, Phillip Dunham, and Colton himself.
This victory is particularly notable considering Woods’ previous best AJGA finish was a tie for 25th. The younger Woods has now also joined his father as an AJGA title holder, as Woods won 8 during his time.
His breakthrough not only secures him exemptions into future AJGA invitationals but also likely propels him into contention for AJGA All-American honors and a spot on the Wyndham Cup team, the association’s annual Ryder Cup-style event.
