logo
Tiger Woods' son Charlie soars in junior golf rankings after first AJGA tournament victory

Tiger Woods' son Charlie soars in junior golf rankings after first AJGA tournament victory

USA Today03-06-2025
Charlie Woods' victory significantly improved his AJGA ranking, potentially qualifying him for The Junior PLAYERS Championship.
Woods defeated several top-ranked junior golfers to win the Team TaylorMade Invitational on May 28, his first AJGA event victory.
Charlie Woods is roaring up the junior golf rankings in the wake of his first career American Junior Golf Association victory.
Woods, a rising junior at the Benjamin School and the son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, 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.
Woods earned his first career AJGA win on May 28 with a three-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 like 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).
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle
Charlie Woods' next tournament
Woods currently does not appear in any fields for upcoming AJGA tournaments.
However, Woods' new ranking means he will potentially qualify to play The 2025 Junior PLAYERS Championship at historic TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The field includes the top 58 boys in the Rolex AJGA Rankings as of July 8, as well as 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.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Charlie Woods, Miles Russell headline invites for the Junior Players Championship
Charlie Woods, Miles Russell headline invites for the Junior Players Championship

USA Today

time13 hours ago

  • USA Today

Charlie Woods, Miles Russell headline invites for the Junior Players Championship

Miles Russell, a Jacksonville Beach resident and the American Junior Golf Association's top-ranked player, and Charlie Woods have officially earned invitations to the Junior Players Championship Aug. 28-31 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Russell won the Junior Players in 2023 and has gone on to earn AJGA Player of the Year, won the AJGA Tournament of Champions, the Junior PGA and the Sage Valley Invitational. He is competing in his third PGA Tour event this week at the ISCO Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. Russell, 16, verbally committed to play golf at Florida State beginning in the fall of 2027. The top 58 on the AJGA Rolex Rankings as of July 8 who are age-eligible earned an invitation to the Junior Players, which will be contested for the 19th year. The AJGA also extended invitations to top international junior players. There are 18 countries and 17 states represented on the invitation list, with players coming from as far away as China, Australia, South Africa, India and 10 European countries. Woods, the son of two-time Players Champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Tiger Woods, earned his spot by winning the AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational on May 28 at the Streamsong Resort. He jumped 585 spots on the rankings from 609th to 14th, and is currently 18th. Other local players invited are Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island (ninth on the AJGA rankings), a Vanderbilt commit who recently made the cut in the PGA Tour's RBC Canadian Open and has led Fleming Island to two FHSAA state championships in a row, Phillip Dunham of Ponte Vedra Beach (22nd) and Lucas Gimenez of Jacksonville (28th). Cameron Kuchar, the son of PGA Tour player Matt Kuchar, also earned an invitation. He is 15th on the current AJGA rankings. Defending champion Hamilton Coleman of Augusta, Ga., is ranked 12th. Coleman defeated Blades Brown in a playoff last year. If Woods and Kuchar commit, they will bring to four the number of sons of past Players Championship winners who have competed in the Junior Players. When will the Junior Players field be finalized? Players have until 3 p.m. on July 15 to commit to the Junior Players. What other sons of Players champions have competed in Junior Players?

Three-time PGA Tour winner's secret to success: 'Be obsessed'
Three-time PGA Tour winner's secret to success: 'Be obsessed'

USA Today

time2 days ago

  • USA Today

Three-time PGA Tour winner's secret to success: 'Be obsessed'

PEKIN, Ill. — D.A. Points stood on the Pekin Country Club golf course Monday, not far from the home in which he grew up, remembering a squeaking screen door, practice swings in the dark and a passion that fueled his journey in golf. The 48-year-old Pekin native and PGA veteran returned to host the 2025 Renewal by Anderson D.A. Points Junior Open, an American Junior Golf Association tour event created with his backing to help young players make important progress in their dreams. "The greatest gift I had as a kid was living on this golf course," Points said. "Our house was on the No. 17 hole. I'd go out there every night after dinner and practice chips and putts right on into the dark. "We had this screen door that was so squeaky, I could hear my father open it from three holes away, and he'd yell at me to get going inside." He went on to win the IHSA Class AA state golf individual championship in 1993-94, and led Pekin High School to a team state championship. Then it was playing at the University of Illinois, and on to the PGA Tour and three event wins. Little things like that screen door and devoted parents in Steve and Mary Jo Points built core memories and a love of the game that D.A. Points remembers now, and his passion for passing along those experiences to those just starting out is as great as his passion to play. "To be great at this sport, to be great at anything, really, you kind of have to be obsessed with it," Points said. "The days of just being a naturally gifted athlete that can just walk up on the first tee and go out and shoot 65, those aren't really happening anymore. "Now there's great athletes and they are obsessed with it. To really be great at something, whether it's golf or journalism or TV, whatever it is, you've got to really want it. That's what I'm going to try to explain to these kids." He did that Monday, addressing the players ahead of a Junior/AM fundraising tournament event and followed by an evening dinner and reception. In between, he planned to join his old high school friends for some golf at Lick Creek Golf Course. "Our 30th high school reunion is coming up, but I won't be able to attend it," Points said. "So I'm going to golf with my buddies and this will be my reunion." D.A. Points on TV and radio Points has played in four Korn Ferry Tour events in 2025, while continuing a transition into a PGA broadcast analyst career. He is part of ESPN+ PGA Tour Live coverage, and was working the John Deere Classic last week. Points will work eight different PGA events this season. And he's scheduled for a SiriusXM stint this week — 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday — to discuss the Scottish Open. Golfing in Peoria area laid foundation for D.A. Points When Points was a kid, his mother, Mary Jo, kept a golf scorecard of Pekin Country Club on the family's refrigerator. "The goal was to keep improving on each hole, so she would check my card each time to see if I had set a new best score on one of the holes," Points said. "I had pars on some, then some birdies, and eventually I think I got the composite card down to a 54." When Points was 11 years old, his family connected him with teaching pro Rick Sellers in Bloomington-Normal, on the recommendation of D.A. Weibring. The first time they met, Sellers took out a notepad and began sketching figures. He had advised the Points family that because they weren't members at the club he worked, he could only meet with them one time. "He sketched a fade, a draw, a hook," and explained what they were," Points said, grinning. "He asked me if I wanted to try to shoot one. I asked, 'Which one? I can shoot all three of those.' "Sellers told my parents, 'OK, I can work regularly with him, I'll come to Peoria." And years later, the teaching pro stood up in D.A. Points' wedding. The birth of D.A. Points' tournament The AJGA reached out to Points eight years ago, seeking to increase its presence in Illinois. Points remembered having to travel to Flint, Michigan, to find an AJGA event as a teenager. He was quickly all in on bringing such an opportunity to central Illinois. "Energy, attitude, preparation, those are all things you can control," Points said as he prepared to address the players. "You can't control if you drive it down the middle of the fairway and it goes in a divot. But you can control how you react to it when you get there. "I said 'absolutely' when they asked if I wanted to do a tournament here. All these players from around the country, around the world, coming to Pekin. And a chance to talk to them, help them." The 60 boys in the 2025 field include players from 16 states, Japan, China, Thailand and Canada. There are boys as young as Evan Hofferkamp, a Class of 2029 player from The Woodlands, Texas, and Tiger YuanJun Liu, a Class of 2029 Chinese citizen based in Canada. The girls side of the field includes 36 players from eight states and Thailand, Canada, China, India and Hong Kong. The youngest in the field include Class of 2029 players Tiara Dhir, a citizen of India playing out of Frisco, Texas; Maya Fujisawa Keuling from Carmel, Indiana; Hailey Li from Los Gatos, California; Amy Tang from Auckland, New Zealand, and Arwen Wang of China. Hometown players Three Peoria area boys and one area girl are in the field: ● Notre Dame High School's Jack Coulter, Class of 2027, finished 21st at state last fall. ● Dunlap High School's Nolan Eccles, Class of 2027, finished seventh at state last fall. ● Pekin High School's Colin Kemp, Class of 2028. ● Dunlap High School's Sydney Hunt, Class of 2027, won medalist honors at the Mid-Illini Conference girls tournament, added a regional individual title and was named Journal Star girls golfing player of the year. Tournament headquarters is in the Pinehurst room of the Clubhouse at Pekin Country Club (310 Country Club Dr, Pekin). The tournament leaderboard and tee times can be found online daily. On Tuesday, Eccles tees at 8:20 a.m., Kemp at 10 a.m., Coulter tees at 10:10 a.m. and Hunt at 12:10 p.m. Pekin Country Club is a par 72, 6,549-yard challenge for the boys, and a par 72, 6,102-yard challenge for the girls. The three-day, 54-hole tournament is Tuesday through Thursday and includes a cut after 36 holes. It's open to boys and girls aged 12 to 19. Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@ Follow him on @icetimecleve.

Tiger Woods' Legendary Ex-Caddie Names Most Important Win of Career
Tiger Woods' Legendary Ex-Caddie Names Most Important Win of Career

Newsweek

time2 days ago

  • Newsweek

Tiger Woods' Legendary Ex-Caddie Names Most Important Win of Career

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After nearly 30 years as a professional golfer, more than 100 wins, and 15 major championship titles, it's difficult to pinpoint a specific turning point in Tiger Woods' career. However, there is no one better to do so than Steve Williams, the legendary caddie who worked with Woods during his most prolific years. At the launch of his book, "Together We Roared", in his native New Zealand, Williams surprised everyone by pointing out the title that might have been most important in building the life-long legacy Woods went on to build. And his assessment will very likely surprise you, until you understand the reasoning. Tiger Woods' Turning Point You were very likely thinking about one of his five Masters Tournament victories. But, you should know that Williams does not see it that way. "Winning your second major is probably the most difficult thing there is in golf," the legendary caddie said. "It's a lot of times you fall into the first one or you win it because you're not thinking of all the circumstances that go and how hard it is, but winning your second one is the hardest thing there is and for him it was no different." 15 Aug 1999: Tiger Woods poses with his trophy after winning the PGA Championships at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. 15 Aug 1999: Tiger Woods poses with his trophy after winning the PGA Championships at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Winning the 1999 PGA Championship title is the turning point of Woods' career, according to Williams. He explained it from the perspective of the morale boost it represents for any player. "If Tiger hadn't won the PGA [Championship] in '99, he would have entered the 2000 season still searching for that second major, and that would have been, you know, that might have been too much stress for him. He may not have had the career that he had," he said. Woods won at Medinah with a score of 11-under, one stroke ahead of Sergio Garcia. Williams was a first-row witness, having begun working with Tiger earlier that season. The veteran caddie illustrated his remarks with examples of how difficult it is to win a second major title: "Look at Adam Scott on Sunday [at this past U.S. Open}, look at Justin Rose in the last two majors. These are two guys that are desperately trying to get to their second major championship, it's just nearly impossible. It's not impossible, but it's hard to do." "Look at [2005 US Open winner, Kiwi] Michael Campbell, and the list goes on of how many players, and Tiger was no different." After winning the 1999 PGA Championship, Woods enjoyed the most successful period of his career, which ended in 2009 and included 60 of his 82 PGA Tour victories. Twelve of those titles were major championships. "Together We Roared" is a book written by Steve Williams and Evin Priest that chronicles the 15-time major winner's career during the 12 years Williams caddied for him. It was an impressive run that included no fewer than 13 major titles. Woods and Williams parted ways in 2011. The legendary player has also worked with other illustrious caddies, such as Mike "Fluff" Cowan and Joe LaCava. More Golf: PGA Tour pro give surprising impression of young Rory McIlroy

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store