Tiger Woods' son struggles at first US Junior Amateur

Staff WritersAP
Camera IconCharlie Woods walks off the 18th green after a tough first US Junior Amateur Championship (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP

Charlie Woods, the 15-year-old son of Tiger Woods, covered his face with his cap after shaking hands with his playing partners on the 18th green at Oakland Hills North Course.

Woods shot a 12-over 82 on Monday in the US Junior Amateur, a tournament he played his way into.

"He still qualified," Tiger Woods said to his son's caddie after the rough round.

"That's what I keep telling him," caddie Luke Wise said.

Woods earned a spot in the field of top juniors from around the world when he shot a one-under 71 to win his qualifier last month in Coral Springs, Florida.

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Woods will require quite a turnaround on the South Course on Tuesday - which Ben Hogan called "The Monster" - to be among the low 64 scorers from a field that started with 264 players from 40 US states and 35 countries.

At an event that usually draws a few hundred people for the championship match, about 100 were waiting on the first tee to see Charlie play while his dad watched, and at least that many spectators followed them for hours.

Oakland Hills had six members assigned to assist with crowd control. That wasn't enough, and 10 more men were dispatched to hold ropes to give the players ? and Tiger ? some space.

But Charlie was visibly frustrated with his performance and his famous 15-time major winning father was relatively helpless as rules prevent parents from coaching their children during the tournament.

Charlie ended up with his first of five double bogeys at No. 4 to go with four bogeys and two birdies ? on both of the par 5s.

Tiger was 14 when he qualified for his first US Junior and reached the semifinals. He won his first US Junior a year later and went on to become the only player to win the tournament three times in a row.

He had travelled to Detroit from Scotland 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.

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