In 2025, Charlie Woods finished tied for 31st. Now, a year later, in 2026, he returns at TPC Sawgrass, the same venue where his father won the Players Championship twice (2001 and 2013). But that’s not the only reason Sawgrass is special for Woods Jr.
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Who could forget his hole-in-one on the par-3 third hole in front of a big crowd at TPC Sawgrass last year? Now, a year later, he’s back in the same AJGA invitational on a sponsor exemption. The 20th Junior Players (September 4-6, TPC Sawgrass) features 78 juniors, including 15 from the top 25 AJGA rankings. Charlie tees off Round 1 at 8:50 a.m. ET from the 10th. He’ll look to prove himself after a heartbreaking 2026 season.
So far this year, he has had several missed cuts. At the U.S. Junior Amateur, Charlie opened with a 76, then posted a 70, but lost a 14-for-2 playoff. The same happened at the 2026 Junior PGA Championship. After making the 36-hole cut with 75-70, he shot 77 in round three and missed the 54-hole cut.
Then came the Junior Invitational 2026, also known as the Junior Masters. In a field of 36 golfers, Charlie Woods finished last, 10 strokes behind second-to-last. Woods Jr. also missed qualifying for the U.S. Open. A few weeks later, he caddied for his future teammate Miles Russell, who secured a spot in the 2026 U.S. Open.
Overall, 2026 has been a sharp contrast to 2025, when Charlie Woods won the 2025 Team TaylorMade Invitational and also won the Florida 1A High School State Championship with the Benjamin Boys. So the Junior Players is quite significant for Tiger Woods’s young son. At TPC Sawgrass, he will have a morale boost this time around.
Charlie Woods’s mother is at TPC Sawgrass to cheer for the teenager
“Charlie Woods is playing in the Junior Players this week on a sponsor’s invite. Mom Elin [Nordegren] out following him today as he played with TaylorMade execs. Will be tough to top last year’s ace at No. 3,” Adam Schupak updated via an X post.
But Woods will face tough competition. He is one of two players whose dads are former Players champions. Matt Kuchar’s son, Cameron, will also tee off at Ponte Vedra. Miles Russell, on the other hand, finished T39 at the U.S. Open, earned Medalist honors at the Western Amateur, and played the 36-hole final at the U.S. Amateur. The 17-year-old also finished T50 at the Puerto Rico Open earlier this year.
For Charlie Woods, the Junior Players Championship presents another chance to turn his season around. After a series of disappointing results and missed opportunities, he will hope to rediscover the form that helped him finish tied for 31st last year.
A victory would mean a lot for any of the youngsters
The Junior Players Championship carries esteem. The list of former winners includes Sam Horsfield, Kevin Yu, Benjamin James, David Ford, and Walker Cuppers like Evan Beck, Bobby Watts, and others. According to a report on the Florida Times Union, 42 juniors who tee off at the Junior Players went on to win a combined 137 times on the PGA Tour and won 19 majors.
Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Wyndham Clark, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Cameron Young all played in Junior Players, but none won the event.
- In 2007, Koepka finished at T9.
- In 2008, Cantlay bagged a T6, while Justin Thomas finished T25.
- In 2010, Jordan Spieth was the runner-up (T2) with Emiliano Grillo.
- In 2011, Scheffler managed solo 5th.
- In 2013, Collin Morikawa bagged solo 5th while Scheffler finished at 6th.
- In 2014, Sam Burns tied for 5th.
- In 2015, Viktor Hovland was T9 while Joaquin Niemann was T11.
- In 2018, Akshay Bhatia managed a solo third.
- In 2021, Nick Dunlap was the runner-up.
Clearly, the field of the Junior Players Championship has always been loaded, and this time too, it’s no different. It remains to be seen how Charlie Woods fares this time around.