Charlie Woods will be in a rush to forget this week’s Junior Invitational in South Carolina, after finishing dead last in the prestigious amateur golfing event
14:07, 15 Mar 2026Updated 14:32, 15 Mar 2026
Charlie Woods struggled at the Junior Invitational(Image: Getty Images)
Charlie Woods finished rock bottom of the Junior Invitational standings this week, in an outing he will hope to quickly put behind him. One of the most prestigious events in junior golf and dubbed the ‘Junior Masters’ due to its elite field, the son of Tiger Woods was well off his stride at Sage Valley, South Carolina.
Charlie finished dead last at the tournament, a staggering 10 strokes behind his nearest competitor in a 36-player field. The 17-year-old found himself at a whopping 26-over-par after four brutal rounds, with Miles Russell defending his title with a score of 15-under.
The writing was seemingly on the wall for Charlie after he recorded three-over 75 in round one, before registering a four-over 76 the following day. But it was the starlet’s third and fourth rounds in which he truly crumbled.
READ MORE: Rory McIlroy shoots down conspiracy theory about him at Players ChampionshipREAD MORE: Tommy Fleetwood stunned by Tiger Woods’ ban from competing at Players Championship
The teenage talent could only muster a mammoth 11-over 83 on moving day, while he hit a score of 80 in his final round. Charlie will have hoped to have joined a prestigious list of past winners at the Junior Invitational this week, including Scottie Scheffler, Joaquin Niemann and Akshay Bhatia.
However, he will instead be left to lick his wounds and recoup ahead of his next tournament. It comes as Tiger has been left with just one option should he hope to make his PGA Tour Champions debut and fine-tune his skills for the Masters.
The 15-time major champion is closing in on a return to the sport after injuries ruled him out of action for the entirety of 2025. For context, Tiger has not played competitively since the 2024 Open and had surgeries to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon and a bulging disk last year.
However, now that he has had the all-clear to return to action, the legend of the sport has hinted that he could make his grand return and participate at this year’s Masters, which starts on the famed greens and fairways of Augusta on April 9.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page
As a result of turning 50 in December, Tiger is also now eligible to play on the PGA Tour’s senior circuit, and he has shared his intentions to do so when his body is ready.
After a prolonged period of recovery, it has been thought that Woods could ideally play a tune-up event on the PGA Tour Champions ahead of the Masters rather than making his return at the first of the calendar’s four majors.
However, he has now missed the deadline to register for next week’s Cologuard Classic. This means that the Hoag Classic on March 27 is the only Champions Tour event he can play in ahead of the Masters.
Tiger Woods has not played competitive golf since the 2024 Open(Image: Getty Images)
While Tiger could also theoretically feature in one of the upcoming three PGA Tour events in the Valspar Championship, the Houston Open and the Texas Valero Open, he would require a sponsor’s exemption to do so.
He could also opt to play in the TGL play-offs next week, with his Jupiter Links team facing Boston Common on Wednesday.
However, a senior event seems to be the optimal place for Tiger to find his stride once more.