Tiger Woods Watches Son Charlie Miss Cut at U.S. Junior Amateur
In a rare appearance, golf legend Tiger Woods watched his 15-year-old son Charlie shoot a 10-over 80 on Tuesday, missing the cut at the U.S. Junior Amateur. The tournament, held at Oakland Hills South Course in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, drew a large crowd, including police officers and fans taking photos with the golf great.
Charlie, who earned a spot in the 264-player field last month, finished near the bottom of the pack. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which begins on Wednesday, with the 36-hole championship match scheduled for Saturday.
Tiger, who was 14 when he qualified for his first U.S. Junior, became the only player to win the tournament three times in a row in the early 1990s. This week, he joined his son in suburban Detroit after matching his highest 36-hole score as a professional at the British Open, missing the cut for the third straight time in a major.
Charlie, who will soon start his sophomore year of high school in Florida, played his way into the tournament by shooting a 1-under 71 to win his qualifier. Tiger wore shorts, exposing his legs that were battered in a car crash three years ago, and was mostly expressionless whether his son hit an excellent or poor shot.
Woods got off to a solid start on Day 2, handling the challenge of teeing off in front of about 500 people standing between him and steel girders that will be part of a new clubhouse. His game, and the clubhouse, are under construction. Woods was 1 over through four holes when a storm stopped play for more than an hour. When play resumed, he closed the front nine by playing five holes in 8 over, including a triple bogey on the par-4 18th.
The junior amateur usually draws a few hundred fans toward the end of the six-day tournament, but Charlie and his famous father attracted a relatively large crowd. Tiger was surrounded by more people, including police officers, protecting him than were following most of the other groups on the course.
