Charlie Woods Should Be Furious Over What Led to His Exit at U.S. Junior Amateur

Charlie Woods’ run at the U.S. Junior Amateur came to an end Wednesday. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Charlie Woods’s run at the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa., came to an Wednesday when he was knocked out of a playoff that had 14 players fighting for the final two spots in the 64-man match play bracket of the championship.

With that many people in the playoff, Woods’s odds of making it to the next round for the first time weren’t great. But what happened on his final hole should have left him feeling pretty darn angry on his long trip home back to Florida.

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Woods, the 17-year-old son of Tiger Woods, was playing the par-5, 584-yard first hole and knew he needed a birdie to stay alive since two players in the group in front of him had made fours. His second shot found the rough short and left of the green, so all he needed to do was get up and down for a birdie. But then on his difficult short third shot, a camera could be heard going off quite loudly right before he hit the ball. The distraction led to a bad shot that landed on the fringe of the green. He then missed his birdie attempt, went on to make a bogey and was eliminated.

“Really dude?,” Woods said after he dropped his club and looked back at the crowd standing behind him.

Here’s that third shot, with the sound of the camera being alarmingly loud.

🚨Charlie Woods playoff hole at 2026 U.S. Junior Championship at Saucon Valley C.C. phone camera clicks in backswing and misses cut 🚨 pic.twitter.com/1T709uo94y

— Trevor Keaton (@Trevor_Keaton) July 22, 2026

That was pretty brutal. Whoever was trying to get that photo should feel awful for what they did, especially since it happened during such a big moment for Woods. That’s just a crushing thing to have happen while in a playoff.

What makes things even worse is that if Woods was able to get through the playoff in the top spot he could have faced his good friend Miles Russell in the first round of the match play bracket. Woods served as Russell’s caddie at a U.S. Open qualifier in June, which Russell won to earn a spot in the field at Shinnecock and ended up finishing tied for 39th. Woods and Russell will be teammates at Florida State starting in 2027.

Charlie Woods’s history at the U.S. Junior Amateur

This was the third time that Woods has played in the U.S. Junior Amateur and it was the closest he’s come to making it to the match play tournament. Two years ago, he missed on it with rounds of 82-80 at Oakland Hills, and last year he was eliminated after rounds of 80-74 at Trinity Forest.

At this year’s championship, he opened with a 76 but then rebounded in his second round with an even-par 70.

Woods will be a senior in high school this year and has committed to play at Florida State starting in 2027. It seems like it was only yesterday that we were watching him tearing it up with his famous dad in his first appearance the PNC Championship in 2020 when he was just 11 years old.

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