Charlie Woods, the 16-year-old son of Tiger Woods, entered the Junior PGA Championship tied for second place on Friday after shooting a 6-under 66 for his second consecutive round on Thursday. However, a final round score of 74 (+3) dropped him to a tie for ninth at 9 under. He struggled to maintain momentum at the Ackerman-Allen Course in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Woods sought automatic qualification for the Junior Ryder Cup, where the top two finishers at the Junior PGA Championship would earn spots on the team. Lunden Esterline, from Kansas, won the tournament with a score of -19, having secured a comfortable seven-shot lead going into the final round. Giuseppe Puebla and Tyler Mawhinney ended up in a tie for second at 13 under.

Despite missing out on the Junior Ryder Cup team, finishing in the top ten at the Junior PGA marks an impressive year for Woods in junior golf, solidifying his reputation as a promising up-and-coming player.

“My round was pretty up and down, and it gave me a heart attack out there,” Woods commented about his third round via the Lafayette Journal & Courier. “But nine birdies is pretty good. A couple of three putts, I made a few mistakes today but overall a solid round. It was a pretty good position going into tomorrow.”

Woods, ranked 20th in the latest American Junior Golf Association standings, displayed incredible focus and resilience following a two-hour delay of his tee time on Thursday due to weather. He managed to birdie the first hole and continued to play well throughout the round, concluding with a birdie that was set up by an approach shot landing just five feet from the hole.

As a native of Palm Beach, Florida, Woods captured his first significant title at the AJGA’s Team TaylorMade Invitational in May. In December, he made his first career hole-in-one while playing alongside his father in the PNC Championship, where the duo finished as runners-up to Bernard and Jason Langer.