Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, carded another superb round on Thursday to move into a tie for second place at the Junior PGA Championship with just 18 holes remaining.
The younger Woods now has his sights set not only on winning the biggest title of his young career but also on the chance to make his debut defending the red, white, and blue.
The top two finishers at the Junior PGA Championship automatically qualify for the American team for the Junior Ryder Cup, which will be played Sept. 23-25 at Nassau Country Club and Bethpage Black. It would be Charlie’s first experience representing the United States, if he can maintain or improve his current position in the event.
The American team for the Junior Ryder Cup will feature four other boys. One of them is already secured by Hamilton Coleman, who won the US Junior Amateur.
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Two players will be selected from the team’s internal rankings, currently led by Miles Russell, while the sixth player will be selected by the captain.
The team will also feature six girls who will qualify and/or be selected following exactly the same criteria as the boys.
This way, Charlie could guarantee his presence on the team this Friday at Purdue University’s Ackerman-Allen Course. However, if he doesn’t finish in the top two at the Junior PGA Championship, he still has options, although they certainly look less tempting.
Depending on his result in this event and also on the performance of his rivals, Charlie could reach second place in the team’s internal rankings and earn his spot this way. He could also impress captain Suzy Whaley enough to decide to select him as her free pick.
The Junior PGA Championship is the last event before the team membership is unveiled. The 12 members will be named next Tuesday, August 5.
🚨🐯👀 #UPDATE — Charlie Woods birdies the 18th to shoot -5, 66 in the 3rd round of the Jr. PGA Championship. He currently sits T2 (7 back) and will have a legitimate opportunity to compete for a spot on the Jr. Ryder Cup team. Top 2 finishers qualify. pic.twitter.com/SGOFsnTE8I
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) August 1, 2025
There’s no doubt that Charlie has proven in recent days that he can play at the highest level. During the third round, he carded nine birdies and four bogeys for a 66, which brought his 36th-hole score to 12-under.
“My round was pretty up and down and it gave me a heart attack out there,” Woods told the Journal & Courier. “But nine birdies is pretty good. A couple of three-putts, I made a few mistakes today but overall, pretty solid round. Pretty good position going into tomorrow.”
Charlie is tied for second with Pennson Badgett. They are both seven strokes behind leader Lunden Esterline, who also posted a third-round 66 and has a more than comfortable cushion for the final round.
On the girls’ side, superstar Asterisk Talley now leads alone after a third-round 69. Talley holds a two-stroke lead over Zoe Cusack, who was co-leading the day before.
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