Young star:Charlie Woods one ups Tiger with high school state championship trophy
2 Min
The Woods family trophy cabinet expanded once again Wednesday, with Charlie Woods clinching a high school state golf championship gold medal. The Benjamin School’s boys team, with the freshman Woods posting a 78-76 over two days, secured the Florida High School Athletic Association Class A state championship at Mission Resort + Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida.
Charlie Woods, 14, finished in a tie for 26th as an individual. He was fourth among the Benjamin team’s five golfers. The Benjamin School, located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, claimed its fourth state golf title.
In attendance to support his son was Tiger Woods himself, who never won a state high school championship during his time at Western High School in Anaheim, California. While Tiger may have been limited by the fact that the California Interscholastic Federation did not award state championships during his time in high school, he will have to face the fact that Charlie has already done something in the game of golf he never did.
Instead, Tiger Woods won the CIF SoCal Regional in 1991 and claimed the Southern Section medalist title in 1991, 1993, and 1994. During this period, Tiger Woods became the then-youngest golfer to win the U.S. Junior Amateur, claiming the first of his three titles in 1991.
Charlie’s championship triumph occurred just days after Tiger, 47, served as his caddy at the Notah Begay III Junior Golf Championship in Louisiana. Charlie had earned his place in the Junior Golf Championship by securing an age group victory in the second round of the Last Chance Regional in September.
In a post-round interview following the victory, Charlie expressed his joy at having his father’s support on the golf course.
“We just stay in our own little world,” Charlie said at the time, acknowledging that his dad “puts me in my place” when needed. “I’ll talk about the next tee shot, and he’s like, ‘No. This is the shot we’re going to focus on. Focus up. This is what we’re gonna do.'”
Sophomore Jake Valentine played a pivotal role in the Benjamin team’s success, sealing the title with a 72-76 performance to tie for eighth place overall. The decisive moments included a crucial birdie on No. 17 and a putt on the final hole.
Tiger’s immediate future for his own game remains unknown, but fans will be able to see the 82-time PGA TOUR winner tee it up again in the TGL come January. Tiger can only hope that his TGL team, Jupiter Links GC, can have as much immediate success as Charlie.
