USA Today via Reuters
It is true that golf has seen very few golfers, if not none, like Tiger Woods. Therefore, for Charlie Woods, being his son comes with a great deal of baggage as well. However, jumpstarting his professional career remains for another time since the young athlete is currently playing golf at the high school level.
Yes, you read that right. The 15-year-old Woods is currently studying at the Benjamin High School situated in Palm Beach, Florida. What’s more, he is part of the school golf team known as the Benjamin Buccaneers, the team that received their State Championship rings recently!Charlie Woods’s run as part of the Benjamin Buccaneers
Back in November 2023, the young Woods, along with his teammates from the Benjamin School Golf team, emerged victorious at the Florida State High School Golf Championship, popularly known as the FHSAA Class A state championship. The event at Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida, saw the youngster score 78-76 in the two days of play to tie for 26th while pushing his team to victory at the same. Although the win marked the first win for the legend’s son as a Buccaneer, it was not so for the school team, which marked their fourth state title with the victory.
Anyhow, being a part of that team was all thanks to the performance the 15-time major champ’s son was able to dish out before that, despite not being part of any regional or district events. Woods Jr. had a scoring average of 74.3 last season and was quite a way behind the team leader’s figure of 70.4. But even so, he had proven to be an integral part of the group. Toby Harbeck, the head coach of the squad, was also all praise for the young athlete, who played in 12 of their team’s 16 events last season.
That’s not all. In the SFPGA’s West Coast High School tournament at Cypress Woods Golf and Country Club, which the school was invited to play in, the team picked Charlie Woods as the fifth player. The result? Well, the talented youngster went ahead to win the whole event as an individual, leading another team to win all the while shooting 65 on the first day.
Anyhow, even the head coach of the high school team couldn’t help but dish out compliments to the young golfer. Harbeck, in an interview, went ahead to divulge the reason why he picked Woods Jr. to be part of the state team.
Charlie Woods’s selection to the State Championship team
Charlie Woods’s previous performance at the El Campeon course at Mission Resort and Club did help him convince the head coach to choose him for the championship. A 71-66 in qualifying for an event in September 2023, along with an 80-68 in the same qualifier in 2022, when he was 13 years old, was more than enough to prove his mettle on the course.
“Here’s a kid who is not afraid of this golf course,” said the coach, as he added, “I mean, for you to break 72 on this golf course is saying something. That’s how hard it is.” What’s more, he was also impressed by the fact that the teenager got three to four rounds below par, as he mentioned, “I said, ‘You know what? I got to play him in the state finals.”
All in all, it seems the legend’s son is on the right track despite all the attention that is focused on the young golfer. With such good figures in tow, coupled with the proper guidance from the school as well as his legend of a father, it wouldn’t take long for him to leave a mark in the sport.
