Associated Press
Jul 23, 2024, 09:03 PM ET
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Tiger Woods watched his son, Charlie, shoot a 10-over 80 on Tuesday and miss the cut at 22 over through two rounds at the U.S. Junior Amateur.
The 15-year-old Woods, who earned a spot in the 264-player field last month, finished near the bottom of the pack.
The top 64 players advance to match play, which begins Wednesday. The 36-hole championship match is Saturday.
Woods did fare better on the Oakland Hills South Course, which Ben Hogan dubbed “The Monster,” than he did with an opening 12-over 82 on the North Course.
Woods got off to a solid start on Day 2, handling the challenge of teeing off in front of about 500 people standing between him and steel girders that will be part of a new clubhouse.
His game, and the clubhouse, are under construction.
Woods was 1 over through four holes when a storm stopped play for more than an hour.
When play resumed, he closed the front nine by playing five holes in 8 over, including a triple bogey on the par-4 18th, where he had two pitches land on an elevated green only to roll back down the hill. He finally got his fifth shot to stay on the green.
The junior amateur usually draws a few hundred fans toward the end of the six-day tournament, but Charlie and his famous father attracted a relatively large crowd.
Tiger was surrounded by more people, including police officers. He had his own gallery, which included fans taking photos of themselves with one of golf’s all-time greats in the background.
Hundreds of people walked behind Charlie on the fairway and completely circled the 10th green, his first hole of the day.
Charlie, who will soon start his sophomore year of high school in Florida, played his way into the tournament with many of world’s top juniors by shooting a 1-under 71 to win his qualifier.
Tiger, who was 14 when he qualified for his first U.S. Junior, became the only player to win the tournament three times in a row in the early 1990s.
He joined his son in suburban Detroit this week 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.
Tiger wore shorts, exposing his legs that were battered in a car crash three years ago, and was mostly expressionless whether his son hit an excellent or poor shot.