Tiger Woods‘ 15-year-old son Charlie had an off day at the opening round of the US Junior Amateur Open at Oakland Hills on Monday.
The younger Woods was plus-12 as he birdied both of the par 5s on the Oakland Hills North Course but struggled on the par 3s and 4s, carding five double bogeys and four bogeys.
Woods will have to have quite a turnaround Tuesday on the South Course, which Ben Hogan called ‘The Monster,’ to be among the low 64 scorers from a field that started with 264 players from 40 states and 35 countries.
At an event that usually draws a few hundred people for the championship match, about 100 people were waiting on the first tee to see Woods play and at least that many spectators followed him throughout his round.
Woods, who is from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was visibly frustrated with his round and his famous father was relatively helpless because rules prevent parents from coaching their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren during the tournament.
Woods’ 15-year-old son Charlie had an off day at the opening round of the US Junior Open
Tiger Woods watches his son Charlie tee off from No. 1 on the North Course on Monday
Charlie Woods walks off the 18th green during the first round of stroke play in Michigan
Charlie Woods covered his face with his cap after shaking hands with his playing partners on the 18th green and went on to sign a card from a round he may want to forget.
He earned a spot in the field last month with a 1-under 71 as the medalist from his qualifier at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs, Florida.
Tiger Woods was 14 when he qualified for his first U.S. Junior and reached the semifinals. Woods won his first U.S. Junior a year later and went on to become the only one to win the tournament three times in a row.
He traveled to suburban 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.
The elder Woods tied a personal record in the British Open on Friday, albeit one he could have done without.
Tiger Woods of the United States talks with spectators near the putting green on day one of the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship on the North Course
Woods matched his highest 36-hole score as a professional – 156 – to miss the cut for the third straight time in a major.
He tapped in for a routine par on the 18th hole at Royal Troon and signed for a 6-over 77, a round that got away from him early with a double bogey and never improved during the day.
‘It wasn’t very good,’ Woods said. ‘I made a double right out of the hopper when I needed to go the other way. Just was fighting it pretty much all day. I never really hit it close enough to make birdies and consequently made a lot of bogeys.’
That brought a short season to an abrupt end.
Woods said he won’t play again until December, possibly his unofficial Hero World Challenge with a 20-man field in the Bahamas.
