Charlie Woods Falls Short of Junior Ryder Cup Bid Despite Strong Start
Charlie Woods wrapped up his run at the Junior PGA Championship tied for ninth place, dashing his hopes of clinching a qualifying spot for the US Junior Ryder Cup team on Friday.
The 16-year-old son of golf legend Tiger Woods made headlines with back-to-back 66s in the second and third rounds at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana, which had him sitting pretty in second place going into the final round.
But the final day told a different story. Competing on the Ackerman-Allen Course, Charlie carded a 74, marred by three bogeys and a double bogey in his last 10 holes—slipping him out of contention.
The Junior Ryder Cup is set for September 23–25 at Bethpage Black and Nassau Country Club, just before the main Ryder Cup showdown between Team USA and Team Europe that weekend.
While there's still a captain’s pick up for grabs, insiders say it’s unlikely Woods will snag that coveted slot.
Meanwhile, Lunden Esterline cruised to victory with a dominant 19-under-par 266, which included a jaw-dropping second-round 62.
Giuseppe Puebla fired off a final-round 64, catapulting him into a tie for second at 13 under alongside Tyler Mawhinney, who shot a 69. With that, Puebla secured the second automatic qualification spot for the Junior Ryder Cup.
Esterline, a 2027 Auburn commit from Andover, Kansas, and Puebla, an uncommitted standout from Royal Palm Beach, Florida, will represent Team USA this fall.
As for Charlie Woods, he closed out the championship at 9 under, 10 shots behind Esterline and four strokes shy of qualifying.