Tiger’s son step closer to Junior Ryder Cup spot

Charlie Woods remained in strong position Thursday to earn a spot on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team.

The 16-year-old son of Tiger Woods is tied for second place at the Junior PGA Championship after shooting a 5-under 66 in a rain-delayed third round at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex’s Ackerman-Allen Course in West Lafayette, Indiana.

He stands at 12-under 202 for the week.

The players are vying for two automatic spots on the Junior Ryder Cup team, which will take on Team Europe from Sept. 23-25 at Nassau Country Club and Bethpage Black in New York. There is also one captain’s pick, although Woods, who is ranked 20th in the latest American Junior Golf Association rankings, is unlikely to be selected for it.

Woods has never competed in the event.

He said after his round that he’s hoping to control his own destiny with a strong finish Friday.

“It was so much fun,” Woods said of his third round, according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier. “I had a pretty fun chip on 16, but I just enjoyed being out there, having fun and hopefully I have a good chance of winning tomorrow.”

Woods endured a mixed round Thursday. He had three runs of back-to-back birdies and made nine birdies altogether, but he mixed in four bogeys.

“My round was pretty up and down, and it gave me a heart attack out there,” Woods said, per 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.”

A rising junior at the Benjamin School in Palm Beach, Florida, Woods won the AJGA’s Team TaylorMade Invitational in May. He missed the cut at the recent U.S. Junior Amateur. He has not yet made a college commitment.

Lunden Esterline leads the Junior PGA at 19 under after carding a third-round 66. Esterline, from Andover, Kansas, is a 2027 Auburn commit.

Pennson Badgett is tied with Woods in second after shooting a 67 on Thursday. Badgett, from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, is a 2026 Tennessee commit.

Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.