Charlie Woods made five birdies in the final round of the Florida High School State Championship as dad Tiger watched, but it wasn't quite enough to help Benjamin School boys golf team retain the title.
Earlier in the month, Woods’ team earned the right to defend its title when it came through its Class 1A Region 4 tournament in the presence of Charlie’s legendary dad Tiger and mom Elin Nordegren.
With the team safely through after finishing in the second automatic qualifying spot behind Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest, the boys headed to Mission Resort & Club in Howey-In-The-Hills for this week’s two-day event, which began on Monday.
The team gave itself a solid platform to build from in the opening round as it ended the day T9 along with Lake Mary Prep and Lake Highland Prep. Charlie’s contribution to that effort was a six-over 78 that included a birdie on the 14th.
Per The Palm Beach Post’s Alexander Peterman, Charlie, who was watched by Tiger throughout, performed considerably better on Wednesday.
After two birdies on the front nine, he was even more impressive after the turn, where he made three more as he finished second of his teammates and 32nd individually in the tournament.
That wasn’t quite enough for the team to take the title for the second year running, but it ensured it finished in the top three to complete a highly satisfactory day for the 15-year-old.
At the 2023 event, Woods carded rounds of 78 and 76 to finish 26th as an individual and fourth among the five-player Benjamin School boys golf team on its way to its fourth state championship golf title. Remarkably, with that achievement, he got one over on Tiger, as it was a feat he never managed.
