The Junior Players Championship
T1
Miles Russell
-4
68
T1
Nicholas Logis
-4
68
T3
Grayson Baucom
-3
69
T3
Phillip Dunham
-3
69
Selected Other
T36
Charlie Woods
+4
76
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Tiger Woods’ son Charlie Woods opened with a 4-over 76 in the first round of The Junior Players Championship at famed TPC Sawgrass.
Woods, 16, finds himself eight shots off the pace set by AJGA-ranked No.1 Miles Russell and Nicholas Logis.
Russell won this 54-hole tournament in 2023 when he became the youngest-ever winner aged 14.
Woods, ranked 13th in the AJGA, went out in a 4-over 40 but fared better coming home with a level-par 36.
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He was making his first start at TPC Sawgrass, scene of where his father Tiger Woods won The Players Championship on the PGA Tour in 2001 and 2013.
Woods made a par on the famous par-3 Island Green 17th during the first round.
The Island Green 17th at Sawgrass is one of the most feared holes in world golf.
Woods will tee off at 8.10am local time off the 10th in Saturday’s second round.
Matt Kuchar’s son Cameron fared a shot worse than Woods in the opening round with a 5-over 77.
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But he did record a stunning hole-in-one on the par-3 3rd.
He reportedly used a 9-iron from 178 yards.
Cameron’s father won The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in 2012.
Woods, who represents Benjamin School, was reportedly followed round the course by his mother Elin Nordegren.
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There was apparently no sign of his father and 15-time major champion Woods.
Charlie, who won his first AJGA event earlier this season at the Team TaylorMade Invitational. will graduate in 2027.
That is the same year as Russell, whose rise in the junior ranks has been phenomenal having already appeared on the PGA Tour.
Russell made his debut at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic and later played in the 2025 ISCO Championship.
But he would miss the cut both times.
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The Junior Players Championship has been contested for amateur players under the age of 19 at TPC Sawgrass ever since 2007.
Past winners of the tournament include Morgan Hoffmann (2007), Sam Horsfield (2014), Kevin Yu (2015) and Jeffrey Guan (2022), the latter who returned to golf this week just 11 months after a devastating eye injury that threatened to end his career.
Junior Players Championship:
Charlie Woods R1 Scorecard
Hole
Score
Strokes
1
Bogey
5
2
Bogey
6
3
Par
3
4
Birdie
3
5
Bogey
5
6
Par
4
7
Bogey
5
8
Bogey
4
9
Par
4
Out
—
40
10
Par
4
11
Birdie
4
12
Par
4
13
Par
3
14
Bogey
5
15
Birdie
3
16
Par
5
17
Par
3
18
Bogey
5
In
—
36
Total
—
76
One-day Total
—
40-36—76 (T43)
Past winners of The Junior Players Championship
Year
Winner
Country/State
Score
To Par
2024
Hamilton Coleman
United States (Georgia)
72-68-70=210
−6
2023
Miles Russell
United States (Florida)
70-66-71=207
−9
2022
Jeffrey Guan
Australia
67-69-64=200
−16
2021
Benjamin James
United States (Connecticut)
69-71-68=208
−8
2020
David Ford
United States (Georgia)
72-73-66=211
−5
2019
Jayden Schaper
South Africa
69-71-70=210
−6
2018
Travis Vick
United States (Texas)
70-68-70=208
−8
2017
Shuai Ming Wong
Hong Kong
71-71-70=212
−4
2016
Khavish Varadan
Malaysia
73-65-68=206
−10
2015
Kevin Yu
Taiwan
73-71-67=211
−5
2014
Sam Horsfield
England
71-69-73=213
−3
2013
Austen Truslow
United States (Florida)
71-67-75=213
−3
2012
Robby Shelton IV
United States (Alabama)
70-67-72=209
−7
2011
Gavin Hall
United States (New York)
72-64-75=211
−5
2010
Michael Johnson
United States (Alabama)
68-72-72=212
−4
2009
Bobby Wyatt
United States (Alabama)
66-73-71=210
−6
2008
Evan Beck
United States (Virginia)
70-69-70=209
−7
2007
Morgan Hoffmann
United States (New Jersey)
71-67-71=209
−7
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