A 15-year-old stormed the Korn Ferry Tour and it wasn’t Charlie Woods. Miles Russell, a high school freshman like Woods Jr., made the record of being the youngest player to make the cut at any Korn Ferry Tour event. Russell’s success has also prompted the question: has Charlie Woods ever played in any KFT event? Or a PGA Tour-sanctioned event?
The first answer is no. Not yet, at least. But Woods Jr. has played at the PNC Championship, a Tour-sanctioned event, pairing up with his father. Not just that, Teenage Woods has already amassed a handful of titles under his belt despite not playing any Korn Ferry Tour event.
Woods Jr. has made impressive strides despite picking up interest late. He was more interested in soccer. In fact, Elin Nordegren was also spotted taking Charlie and Sam to soccer practice. However, Woods Jr. veered towards golf later, debuting with his pop at the 2020 PNC Championship.
Reportedly, Tiger Woods‘s 15-year-old son has a handicap of +3. Last year, Woods Jr. won the Notah Begay Hill Junior Golf Championship’s regional qualifier with his father looping for him. Although he couldn’t sniff victory at the National Championship, the teenager added another silverware a few months later.
Charlie Woods, in fact, one-upped his dad by netting the state championship victory with his school. He was part of the Benjamin Boys school team that won the Florida High School Athletic Association Class A state championship. Charlie shot 78 and 76, the fourth-best score on the five-man roster. This year, the 15-year-old has played only one Medalist Tour event so far, netting a T2 at Martin Downs.
In February, Charlie Woods made his American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) debut. Playing on a sponsor exemption, per TWLegion, the Benjamin School freshman carded 78, 81, and 78 in three rounds. He tied for the 31st spot, 28 shots off the lead. But before his AJGA debut, Woods Jr. made headlines for flirting with PGA Tour chances.
Charlie Woods tried his luck at the Florida pre-qualifier for the Cognizant Classic. His round went awry at par 4, 7th, where he carded a 12. Furthermore, the youngster was flooded with autograph and selfie requests, and fans stood way too close to the 15-year-old. Tiger Woods wasn’t present, as he was still recovering from influenza. Instead, Elin Nordegren accompanied her son.
Charlie Woods eventually carded an 86, missing the mark by 19 shots. His PGA Tour hopes were dashed. Should he want to qualify for a KFT event, he needs to target the eight slots available at the Monday qualifiers. Otherwise, a sponsor exemption will open the doors for him, as it did for Miles Russell.
