As Sister Sam Woods Quits Soccer, Doubts Over Charlie Woods’s Golf Future Cleared by Close Source

Sam Woods is trading in her soccer cleats for Stanford, capping off an impressive high school career with a state championship title, a testament to her hard work and dedication to the sport. As she prepares to take her talents to the collegiate level, her family couldn’t be prouder. Meanwhile, her brother Charlie Woods is teeing up his own path. But when you are carrying that Woods surname on your back, it is never an easy path to travel as every unsuccessful venture will be seen as a question to the legacy. In April last year, Charlie failed in his first attempt to qualify for a U.S. Open, shooting a 9-over 81. He finished 61st among 74. Only the top-5 and two alternates advance further. In July, there was one more setback.

In the presence of his legendary father, 15-year-old Charlie shot a 10-over-80 and missed the cut at 22 over through two rounds at the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club. Now, this was bound to bring some comparison. Back in time, Tiger was also 15 when, as a student at Western High School in Anaheim, he became the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion. He would then go on to win the tournament in two back-to-back years, becoming the only player to win the tournament three times in a row. But despite all the scrutiny, the teenager is sticking to his path, as he just showed at the prestigious Valley Junior Invitational.

Charlie finished tied for 25th at the event with scores of 78, 73, 73, and 75, proving he’s got the skills to compete at a high level. Charlie finished at 11-over in the field of 36 in the boys. Charlie started off slow, turning in a 78 and finishing 6-over. His performance improved significantly in the following two days as he shot a 73 in the second and third rounds. On Saturday, he recovered from a bogey on the third hole and pulled off three birdies to finish 2-under halfway through the course. The backend presented challenges as Charlie came up with four bogeys and a double bogey. He shot a 75 and ended the day 3-over.

In the latest post by Skratch on Instagram, Dan Rapaport shared some insight into Charlie’s recent performance. “The media coverage of this tournament was lacking a little bit…I think the only clip I saw of the whole tournament was Charlie Woods starting his tournament,” Rapaport noted.

It’s surprising that the media didn’t give this tournament more attention, considering the caliber of talent participating. You’d think that with Charlie Woods’s name attached, there would be more buzz around the event. As the son of a golf legend, Charlie is already under the microscope, facing intense pressure to live up to his father’s iconic status. His recent performance at the 2024 PNC Championship was a testament to his growing skills.

College golf expert Brentley Romine believes Charlie is “absolutely on track to be a D1 recruit,” and his physical talent is undeniable. However, Romine also noted that Charlie has “room to grow mentally,” an area that was highlighted during the PNC Championship. Despite making his first-ever hole-in-one, Charlie and his father Tiger ultimately fell short, finishing as runners-up.

This near-miss underscores the importance of mental toughness in golf, an aspect of the game that Charlie will need to develop to reach his full potential. “He’s a sophomore right now, so we can start talking to college coaches in June. He’ll start taking visits in August. There’s a ton of talent right there, apparently, the word is he has room to grow mentally”, he said. His words can not be more true as Tiger himself had pointed out long back.

Back in 2021, in an exclusive interview with the Golf Digest, Tiger had revealed a flaw in Charlie’s attitude and his fix to address it. “So I’d watch him play and he’s going along great, he has one bad hole, he loses his temper, his temper carries him over to another shot and another shot and it compounds itself.

“I said, ‘Son, I don’t care how mad you get. Your head could blow off for all I care just as long as you’re 100 percent committed to the next shot. That’s all that matters. That next shot should be the most important shot in your life. It should be more important than breathing. Once you understand that concept, then I think you’ll get better.’ And as the rounds went on throughout the summer, he’s gotten so much better,” Tiger had said. And, astonishingly enough, training Charlie in this is exactly what his dad is focusing on.

Tiger Woods’s unconventional training methods for son Charlie

At the Hero World Challenge in December 2022, Tiger Woods revealed that he’s using some of the same unorthodox techniques his father, Earl, used on him to train his son Charlie. Earl was notorious for his creative methods, which included making loud noises during Woods’s swing to simulate distractions.

Woods confirmed that he’s employing similar tactics to strengthen Charlie’s mental fortitude, saying, “It’s nonstop… It’s trying to get him—if I can get into his head, that means someone else can get in his head.” Tiger’s goal is to prepare Charlie for the mental challenges he’ll face on the PGA Tour.

He recalled how players in his era would try to get inside each other’s heads with tactics like early walks and club banging. Woods believes that by exposing Charlie to these kinds of distractions, he’ll be better equipped to handle them when he turns pro. “Zing [Paul Azinger] can attest to this, he played in an era where certain players, and we’re not going to mention anybody by name, but certain players would do certain things with clubs and shoes and timing and trying to get in your head—the early walk—that was still prevalent when I came out here. And a lot of these guys don’t know about any of that stuff, but people did it,” Woods had said in a Golf Channel broadcast.

Given Woods’s own success – 15 major championships and 82 PGA Tour wins – it’s clear that Earl’s unconventional methods paid off. Will they have the same effect on Charlie? What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below!