Charlie Woods reached a key profession milestone on Could 28 because the the 16-year-old son of Tiger claimed his first Junior title on the Group TaylorMade Invitational, climbing to 14th place on the Rolex AJGA Rankings. But is he getting the popularity he deserves?
lthough nonetheless early in his aggressive profession, simply 4 occasions deep, Charlie is proving he has what it takes to match the gamers in his age group by surpassing his earlier better of tied twenty fifth on the 2025 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.
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However regardless of this progress, many golf analysts have but to completely acknowledge his rising expertise compared to different rising juniors such because the 17-year-old Mason Howell, who has just lately drawn appreciable consideration for his constant performances over the previous 12 months.
But to safe a match win however has demonstrated outstanding consistency, ending within the high 10 in seven of his ten occasions over the past 52 weeks. This regular play has propelled him to eighth place on the AJGA rankings, above Woods.
“Hold an eye fixed out for this child named Mason Howell,” Ryan Lavner instructed The Golf Podcast with Rex & Lav. “He is a 17-year-old rising Excessive College Senior. He’ll Georgia within the fall of 2026. This dude is nice!”
{The teenager}’s efficiency on the 76th United States Junior Novice Championship was particularly notable as he completed tied for thirty third, whereas Woods positioned tied for 240th in the identical competitors.
He additionally demonstrated his expertise once more through the 2025 U.S. Open Closing Qualifiers on the Piedmont Driving Membership, the place he and Jackson Buchanan led the sphere with similar rounds of 63.
“He is received a ton of firepower,” Lavner continued. “The child shot bogey-free rounds of 63-63 on the age of 17.”
So while some may argue Woods is being ignored by analysts, regardless of being the son of Tiger, Howell‘s report is difficult to show one’s nostril up and suggests he deserves his personal spherical of reward.
Why is Lavner backing Howell over Woods?
The seven-stroke margin by which Howell and Buchanan outpaced the remainder of the qualifiers, together with Jackson Koivun, Tyler Weaver, and Will Chandler as all of them went on to earn spots within the upcoming U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Lavner additionally acknowledged different junior standouts like Miles Russell, Blades Brown, and Tyler Watts, noting that whereas Charlie stays among the many elite juniors, Howell‘s sustained consistency has earned him elevated recognition.
It’s telling that Woods, regardless of his high-profile household title and up to date win, was not the primary junior golfer talked about by Lavner, though that is considerably clutching at straws to say it is a slight in opposition to the teen.
Whereas Charlie Woods celebrated the breakthrough of his first title, he objective stays motivated by the objective of reaching the skilled degree, the place he may probably play in opposition to his father within the US Open, the Masters, the British Open or the PGA Championship.
