Charlie Woods is in the hunt at another top amateur golf tournament just over a week after picking up his first major junior victory.
Woods, a rising junior at the Benjamin School and the son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, fired 74 (2-over) in the first round of the 108th Amateur Championship hosted by the Florida State Golf Association on Thursday at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens.
He’ll enter the second round tied for 39th and eight shots back of leaders William Block (Plantation), Derek Busby (Palm Beach Gardens) and Santiago Navarro (Winter Garden) at 6-under par.
It was an up-and-down opening round for Woods, who never moved more than a stroke above or below par until his final hole as he oscillated with three birdies and five bogeys on the BallenIsles South Course.
Woods will begin his second round at 7:45 a.m. on Friday off No. 1 at the BallenIsles East Course. He will be paired with Vero Beach’s James Hassell and Orlando’s Palmer Haynes.
The 108th Amateur Championship is a 72-hole stroke play tournament which will be played June 5-8. The field will cut to the low 70 players with ties after the first 36 holes.
The tournament was first hosted in 1915 and is the oldest continuous sporting event in Florida. Former champions include 1976 U.S. Open winner Jerry Pate.
Woods enters the tournament with momentum after his victory at the Team TaylorMade Invitational on May 28, the first American Junior Golf Association event win of his junior golf career. His AJGA ranking rose more than 500 places to No. 14 overall.
Charlie Woods hole-by-hole scorecard
Hole — Score (Strokes)
No. 10 — Par (4)No. 11 — Bogey (4)No. 12 — Birdie (3)No. 13 — Par (4)No. 14 — Birdie (4)No. 15 — Bogey (5)No. 16 — Par (3)No. 17 — Par (5)No. 18 — Par (4)No. 1 — Birdie (3)No. 2 — Par (3)No. 3 — Bogey (5)No. 4 — Par (3)No. 5 — Par (4)No. 6 — Par (4)No. 7 — Bogey (6)No. 8 — Par (4)No. 9 — Bogey (6)
Final: In 36, Out 38, Total 74 (2-over)
Charlie Woods golf ranking
Woods soared in the junior golf rankings in the wake of his first career American Junior Golf Association victory.
He is ranked No. 14 in the latest edition of the AJGA boys rankings, more than 595 spots better than his previous ranking of No. 609.
Charlie Woods AJGA win
Woods earned his first career AJGA win on May 28 with a 3-stroke victory at the Team TaylorMade Invitational at Streamsong Resort’s Black Course in Bowling Green, Florida.
It was an individual breakthrough for Woods, whose previous best AJGA finish was a tie for 25th at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in South Carolina in March.
He shot a final round 66 (6-under) to close the tournament at 15-under overall, defeating top junior players such as Jacksonville Beach’s Miles Russell (No. 1 in the previous AJGA rankings) as well as Luke Colton (No. 5) and Alabama’s Tyler Watts (No. 7).
Charlie Woods next tournament
Woods has received an invitation to play in the Northeast Amateur from June 18-21 at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rhode Island.
One of seven events on the Elite Amateur Golf Series, the Northeast Amateur was established as an annual junior golf tournament in 1962. Its past winners include Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Luke Donald, David Duval and Nick Dunlap, who won the event in 2023 and turned pro with the PGA Tour in 2024.
Woods has yet to make a decision on his invitation according to the Rhode Island Golf Association’s official X account.
Woods’ new AJGA ranking also means he will potentially qualify to play 2025 The Junior Players Championship at historic TPC Sawgrass in late August in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The field comprises the top 58 boys in the Rolex AJGA Rankings as of July 8 as well a select group of international invitees and additional spots available at the tournament organizer’s discretion.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@gannett.com.
