Charlie Woods managed to grind out a finish of 28th at the Team TaylorMade Invitational in Florida at the weekend, competing without his famous father Tiger cheering him on.
The 17-year-old won the tournament last year but shot a three-over par final round, ending the competition on four-over and a whopping 17 shots behind the new champion, Luke Ringkamp.
The teenager was competing during a difficult time for his family away from the sport in which they made their name. His famous father, Tiger, returned to Switzerland that same weekend to continue his time rehab after an arrest for DUI in Florida in late March.
Woods, 50, had recently returned to the United States to reunite with girlfriend Vanessa Trump, who announced last week that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Woods, a 15-time Major winner, has been undergoing ‘intense’ psychological treatment at a rehabilitation center in Switzerland to help manage what has been characterized as his dependency on painkillers.
His son, Charlie, a Florida state golf commit, has been stepping up the pursuit of his own career in the sport in recent years, very often with Tiger by his side at the big events.
Charlie Woods, pictured in August last year, endured a torrid time at the Team TaylorMade Invitational in Florida at the weekend, managing to grind out a finish of 28th
The 17-year-old’s struggles come amid Tiger Woods’ latest setback in his bid to return to golf
He struggled for consistency in his recent outing. While carding 10 birdies, he also had seven bogeys, two double bogeys and a tripe bogey during his overall competition.
Last year’s triumph was a breakthrough victory in Charlie’s young career and catapulted him up the junior golf world rankings, where he is currently ranked at No. 13.
The 17-year-old’s torrid time in Florida comes shortly after reports claimed that his father, Tiger, had suffered yet another setback in his pursuit of a golfing comeback.
The 50-year-old has not teed it up at a major championship since the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 2024. Now, in the wake of his latest DUI arrest scandal, that drought is set to extend into yet another year.
The 15-time major winner, who was arrested after flipping his SUV in Jupiter Island, Florida in March, will miss all of the season’s majors for a second consecutive year, Bob Harig reported on Tuesday.
Having already missed the Masters and the PGA Championship this year, Woods will be ineligible to tee it up at Shinnecock Hills next month as he is no longer exempt for the US Open.
The golf legend also did not enter the field for the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale by close of entries last week, according to Harig. The R&A has yet to release the official field for the tournament.
Woods has been sidelined since October when he underwent back surgery – the seventh of his career. He also suffered a torn Achilles in March 2025, which ruled him out of last year’s major championships.
Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test in March
Woods was in rehab in Switzerland when Vanessa Trump received her breast cancer diagnosis
Since the 2021 horror car crash that almost cost him his leg, Woods has competed in just eight major championships, missing the cut in four and withdrawing from another.
After working his way back from his latest surgery, Woods had been widely expected to make a return to the major stage at the Masters earlier this year.
But any chance of a comeback at Augusta National was swiftly derailed when Woods was arrested for DUI on March 27 after flipping his SUV while trying to overtake a truck and trailer at high speed in the billionaire enclave of Jupiter Island.
A sheriff’s office report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket, and he showed signs of impairment after his SUV clipped a truck’s trailer and rolled onto its side.
Woods agreed to a breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test, authorities said.
Subsequently, the golf legend has been charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. Woods has pleaded not guilty.
