Charlie Woods Finishes T9 at Junior PGA, Just Misses Junior Ryder Cup Berth
For three rounds at the 49th Junior PGA Championship, Charlie Woods played himself into the national spotlight and into the conversation for a spot on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team. But after a final-round stumble on Friday, Woods fell just short of an automatic berth.
The 16-year-old from Jupiter, Florida, carded a 3-over 74 in the final round at Purdue University’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, finishing the championship at 9-under-par 276 and in a tie for ninth place. While it marked one of his best showings in a national event to date, it wasn’t enough to earn one of the two automatic Junior Ryder Cup spots awarded to the top American finishers in the Class of 2026 or younger.
Woods had surged into a tie for second after a 5-under 66 in Thursday’s third round, trailing only Lunden Esterline, the leader from Kansas. But Esterline stayed steady with a closing 71 to finish at 19-under, winning the championship by six shots. Woods, meanwhile, couldn’t replicate his earlier form, mixing two birdies, three bogeys, and a double bogey to fall down the leaderboard.
In a symbolic moment, Woods arrived Friday wearing his father’s iconic Sunday red and black, a nod to Tiger Woods’ legendary final-round uniform. But the day belonged to Esterline, who clinched the title and with it, a spot on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team. He’ll be joined by Giuseppe Puebla, who finished runner-up at 13-under, also earning automatic qualification.
Four of the six Junior Ryder Cup boys spots are likely locked in:
Lunden Esterline (Junior PGA winner)Giuseppe Puebla (Junior PGA runner-up)Hamilton Coleman (2025 U.S. Junior Amateur champion)Miles Russell and Tyler Mawhinney (currently sit atop the Junior Ryder Cup points list)
That leaves one final selection to be made, a captain’s pick still up for grabs. While Charlie Woods is not considered the front-runner for that sixth slot, his performance this week, combined with his rising status in the junior ranks, could make him a notable candidate.
Woods’ week in West Lafayette was highlighted by a bogey-free 66 in Round 2 and a gritty 66 in Round 3 that included a flurry of birdies and a dramatic par save from the woods on the ninth hole. After that round, Woods told the Lafayette Journal & Courier,
“I hit it about the same as I did in the first round, but the putter finally woke up today. It felt really good in my hands, and I was able to roll a few in after some solid iron shots.”
A rising junior at The Benjamin School, Woods continues to show that his game is progressing quickly, and his presence in elite junior fields is increasingly about performance, not pedigree.
Whether or not he earns the final Ryder Cup nod, Woods’ T9 finish in one of junior golf’s most prestigious championships adds another milestone to a growing resume, and keeps him squarely on the radar heading into the next phase of his development.
ABOUT THE
Boys Junior PGA
One of golf’s major championships for juniors, the
Boys
Junior PGA Championship is where the best in the
world get their start. Begun in 1976, at Walt Disney
World Resort in Orlando, the Championship has been
a
popular stop on the national junior circuit for many
of
today’s PGA touring professionals including Tiger
Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Pat Perez, who held the
record for 24 years until Akshay Bhatia shattered it
by
5 strokes in 2017. 72-hole, stroke-play
Championship, with a cut
after 36 holes to the low 70 plus ties. The Boys
Junior PGA
Championship is open to males who are no older
than 18 years of
age by the end of the tournament.
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