Charlie Woods pumped his fists and looked relieved as his 15-foot birdie putt disappeared into the cup at the fifth hole Thursday at the Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.

Woods, the son of the most famous golfer on the planet, was rewarded for his first birdie of the day by having a sandwich wrapped in aluminum foil tossed at him by a family representative as he was walking off the green.

That sandwich was gone by the time Charlie stepped on the sixth box. What else would you expect from a hungry 15-year-old? Unfortunately, the fifth hole — and the sandwich — were the highlights of Charlie’s day.

Charlie finished his first attempt to advance in a U.S. Open qualifier with a 9-over 81. Tiger’s son is forging his own identity at such a young age — witness the group of about 20 people, many with iPhones rolling, standing by the range when Charlie was warming up at 8 a.m.; and about 100 fans at the first tee when he teed off for a qualifier where he carded three double bogeys, four bogeys and that birdie.

After Charlie hit his second shot on the par-5 second hole into the lake and while he was crouching down with his hands on his head, a women was heard saying, “Poor kid, I’ve been there.”

It almost got worse on his next shot. After taking a penalty, his shot landed short of the green and rolled back toward the water. If not for the seasonal drought, he would have had consecutive water balls. He did, though, card his first double bogey.

Yet, through it all, after swinging his putter in frustration at an off-line birdie putt on No. 9, and after uttering something about “worst round” to his caddie, fellow Benjamin School golfer Luke Wise, following a wayward approach shot on 14, Charlie’s demeanor never changed as he walked the fairways of this 7,023-yard course.

Tiger’s son shows remarkable poise in the spotlight

For a teenager living his life in a fishbowl as Tiger’s son, despite Tiger protecting his young as much as possible, Charlie has shown remarkable poise in these spotlight situations. Whether it’s helping The Benjamin School win a state title, teaming with his dad at the PNC Championship in Orlando, entering the Cognizant Classic pre-qualifier or looking to beat his father into a major by four years, Charlie is starting to draw crowds.

And it’s not easy when he has to be trailed by extra security beyond the muscular dude working for the family Thursday with the “don’t mess with me” vibe. For this event, the United States Golf Association worked closely with Legacy for about a month to make sure there was no repeat of two months ago, when a few over-anxious fans became the story during Charlie’s round in the pre-qualifying event for Cognizant.

Charlie’s group was guarded by two carts manned by USGA security, volunteers at every hole and that one guy who probably provided as much protection as all the others combined.

“We’ve been preparing intensely the last four weeks,” Legacy general manager Adam Horvit said. “But we started preparing the golf course and security and parameters about four or five months ago.”

Kris Kim might have been in seventh heaven when he made the cut and moved on to play the final two days at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Being the fifth youngest to play a PGA Tour event on its moving day is by no means, a simple feat. However,

while he managed to overcome many young golfers including the 15-year-old Charlie Woods to make his Tour debut, make a name for himself, and finish the same in style, it seems he still cannot escape the allure of everyday life.

The youngster finished at T65 after the fourth day of play at the event which saw Taylor Pendrith emerging victorious. While relishing his fame, Kim also went ahead to reveal what he would be looking forward to and was most excited about when he got back home!

Kris Kim – the normal teenager at heart

As soon as he was faced with the question of his plans of going back to school and seeing friends for the first time after his PGA Tour debut, he couldn’t help but mention his driver’s license. “I’ve got my driving license this year,” said the 16-year-old before hoping, “so I think that’s going to be pretty cool.” Who wouldn’t be, especially since his turning 16 makes him eligible for a provisional one!

Meanwhile, with scores of 68-67-70-73 over the four days of play, the young athlete was able to place himself at T65 with a figure of 6-under 278. He did so while carding a total of 17 birdies, 13 bogeys, and an eagle, the latter of which came at the par-5, 9th on the first round.

That’s not all. By making the cut at the event, he also managed to surpass Jordan Spieth’s mark of doing the same at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The American pro had done it back in 2010 when he was a few months older than the English amateur and finished the tournament with a score of 4-under 276 at T16.

Charlie Woods failed to advance out of local qualifying for the U.S. Open, shooting 9-over-par 81 on Thursday in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

The son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, Charlie, 15,

began his round at the Legacy Golf & Tennis Club with a double bogey. He was playing in a field of 84 players, with the top five set to advance to 36-hole final qualifying in June.

The U.S. Open will be played at Pinehurst No. 2.

The United States Golf Association, which runs the championship, announced last week that it received more than 10,000 entries for the tournament. Most of them were slated for local sites around the country that are taking place through May 20.

There will be 10 U.S. final qualifying sites and three international sites.

The older Woods, 48, won the U.S. Open three times, was not at the qualifier, according to the Palm Beach Post. He is not currently exempt for the U.S. Open—the first time since he turned pro in 1996 that he has not been fully exempt for a major championship. But he is expected to receive a special exemption from the USGA in the coming weeks.

Charlie Woods, son of golf legend Tiger Woods, is set to participate in the Press Thornton Future Masters tournament this summer in Dothan.

The 15-year-old Woods, with a listed hometown of Jupiter, Fla., is among 255 players entered in the 15-18 age group for the 75th annual tournament, which runs June 22-29 at Dothan Country Club. There are three other age groups: 13-14, 11-12 and 10-under, comprising nearly 500 golfers total.

Charlie Woods is the only son of Tiger Woods, the 15-time PGA Tour major champion.

Charlie Woods, son of golf legend Tiger Woods, is set to participate in the Press Thornton Future Masters tournament this summer in Dothan.

The 15-year-old Woods, with a listed hometown of Jupiter, Fla., is among 255 players entered in the 15-18 age group for the 75th annual tournament, which runs June 22-29 at Dothan Country Club. There are three other age groups: 13-14, 11-12 and 10-under, comprising nearly 500 golfers total.

Woods played in a U.S. Open qualifier last year, but failed to advance. He has played alongside his father in a number of events, including the 36-hole PNC championship each of the last four years.

The Future Masters has taken place every year since 1950, and bills itself as the “proving ground for future PGA champions.” Past winners in various age groups include U.S. Open champions Hubert Green and Jerry Pate, Masters champion Larry Mize and more recent standouts Stewart Cink, Robby Shelton and Nick Dunlap.

The new era of golf is not very far away. The future stars of the sport are already honing their skills to take over the pro golf greens. Among them, a few are ready to carry forward the legacy of their parents. Probably the most famous of them all would be Charlie Woods. Another prodigal teenager, Kris Kim, whose mother, Ji-Hyun Suh, graced the LPGA circuit back in the 90s, has been the talk of the golf town.

The two amateur golfers’ journeys to the PGA Tour differ a bit. On the one hand, Charlie Woods’s attempts to make his PGA Tour debut haven’t been fruitful, whereas Kris Kim is ready to tee up along with 156 players at TPC Craig Ranch. So who among the two young talents has faired better on the golf course?

Who played it better: Woods or Kim?

In February, Charlie Woods took his first step towards making his PGA Tour debut possible. The 15-year-old participated in the pre-qualifier for the Cognizant Classic. He shot par on 11 of the 18 holes but managed to card four bogeys and three double bogeys, going without a birdie, and ended with a score of 16-over-86,  Jr. Woods could not qualify for the event and his performance was also heavily scrutinized by the audience.

Woods made another attempt by competing at the U.S. Open qualifier. The 15-year-old once again met with disappointment as he failed to qualify. Woods carded one birdie, which was followed by four bogeys and three double bogeys in Florida, and finished with a score of 9 over 81 carded. Where only the top 5 players were to qualify for the championship, he was ranked 61 among a field of 74 golfers. According to the PGA Tour, he has a +3 handicap with the Florida State Golf Association

When it comes to Kris Kim, the 16-year-old has quite an impressive record on the greens. In 2023, Kim won the MacGregor Trophy and the Boys’ Amateur Championship. One other glorious win that grabbed the headlines was his outstanding debut performance at the Junior Ryder Cup 2023, which helped his team triumph over the US team that consisted of Miles Russell, another young talent to look out for.

Three years ago, his handicap score was +3.1. Now Kim will be getting a chance to test himself against other Pros at the CJ Cup with Byron Nelson. Kim also shared his feelings ahead of his PGA Tour debut and revealed what has got him excited about the Texas event.

Kris Kim shares excitement about making it on the PGA Tour

The 16-year-old Kris Kim became the first amateur to be sponsored by the CJ Group last year, in May. After a year, he has now gotten the privilege of receiving an invitation to play in Texas at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson ahead of his GCSE exams. He is all geared up to play with the pros. “I’m so excited to tee it up in Texas. It’s what you work towards all the time and it’s an amazing opportunity,” said Kim.

Kris Kim’s constant support has been his former LPGA Pro mother, Ji-Hyun Suh. After retiring, she took up teaching golf at a driving range in England and, of course, imparted her knowledge to her son as well. Now Kim is walking in her footsteps. She is the backbone of his strategic gameplay; as the Walton Heath player said, “She’s my coach and we talk about everything from dealing with nerves, taking one shot at a time, leaving bad shots behind, and keeping it simple right through to course strategy.” 

Kris Kim will be living his dream, not just playing on the PGA Tour but also getting an opportunity to play with the clubs that were signed by his heroes. “I’m a huge Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy fan so when they signed I desperately wanted to use their clubs too!” Now the question is, will the 16-year-old be able to keep up with the PGA Tour pros on the TPC Craig Ranch?  Stay tuned to find out!