Charlie Woods’ bid for a spot in the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur match play bracket came to a close Wednesday after a bogey on the opening playoff hole knocked him out of contention.
The 17-year-old, who is the son of golf icon Tiger Woods, fell just short of advancing at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Woods was one of 14 players battling for only two available match play spots in the playoff. The Florida State commit finished stroke play at 76-70, marking a clear improvement over his prior showings of 80-74 in 2025 and 82-80 in 2024.
His second round had a rocky start — Woods was 6-over-par through his first five holes on Monday — but he steadied himself considerably, playing the following 31 holes at 1-under-par.
When the playoff arrived Wednesday, Woods hit his tee shot on the par-5 opening hole squarely down the middle of the fairway, leaving roughly 270 yards to the pin. With two competitors already having posted birdies ahead of him, he attempted to reach the green in two shots but instead landed in thick rough. His pitch came to rest on the fringe, and his birdie chip rolled past the cup, ending his tournament.
Eli Wessel, Hudson Kutchma, and Leo Gao all made birdies to move to a second playoff hole, where Wessel and Kutchma ultimately parred their way into the match play bracket.
Woods is preparing for his senior year of high school and is expected to sign with Florida State, where he will join top-ranked junior Miles Russell in the 2027 recruiting class. Russell shared medalist honors at this week’s event and entered match play as the No. 2 seed.
Heading into the tournament, Woods held a No. 174 ranking with the American Junior Golf Association.
