Charlie Woods, the son of golf legend Tiger Woods, had to duck to cover after a recovery shot nearly hit him in the face on the 11th hole of the Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship during Saturday’s first round of the tournament.
The Palm Beach Post reported that Woods hit a ball under a tree at the Biltmore Golf Course in Coral Gables, Fla., on Monday, with his father and mother Elin Nordegren watching, and as he tried to avoid it, the shot hit a root and came back.
Charlie Woods shoots from the fairway on the sixth hole of the Junior Orange Classic on January 3, 2026. Chet Peterman/Post Feature/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The ball almost hit the young Woods, and he had to drop the club and protect his face to avoid injury.
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Woods eventually managed to recover, hit the green and sunk a long putt for par.
Tiger Woods told his son, “That was a hell of a shot,” and joked with Charlie Woods about what happened on the hole, the Palm Beach Post reported.
Two days into the tournament, Woods is in 22nd place with a tournament total of 3 over.
He shot a 73 on Saturday and a 72 on Sunday, including a tough start to the day that included fighting back in the second run.
Woods has carved out his own path in the sport that his father helped improve during his legendary playing days.
Charlie Woods’ father, Tiger Woods, and mother, Elin Nordegren, are pictured in the Junior Orange Bowl gallery on January 3, 2026. Chet Peterman/Post Feature/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Tiger Woods checks Charlie Woods’ golf club to make sure it’s okay after it hits a clump of tree roots during the Junior Orange Bowl at Biltmore Golf Course on January 3, 2026. Chet Peterman/Post Feature/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Woods is currently ranked 13th in the United States Junior Golf Association rankings and has qualified for the U.S. First Team.
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This is Woods’ first appearance in the tournament this year, after helping the Benjamin School golf team win the state championship in November.
The Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship, won by Tiger Woods in 1991, will run through Tuesday, with the winner to be announced after the final day.
