Charlie Woods, the son of golf legend Tiger Woods, had to duck and cover when a recovery shot on the 11th hole of the Orange Bowl Junior International Golf Championship nearly hit him in the face during a freak sequence during the tournament’s first round Saturday.
Woods, with his parents, Elin Nordegren, watching, had hit a ball under a tree on the 11th at the Biltmore Golf Course in Coral Gables, Fla., and was trying to get free when his shot hit a root and came back at him. according to the Palm Beach Post.
Charlie Woods shoots from the fairway while on hole 6 of the Junior Orange Classic on January 3, 2026. Chet Peterman / Special to The Post / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The ball almost hit young Woods, and he had to drop his club and protect his face to avoid injury.
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Woods eventually managed to recover, stepping onto the green and then making a long putt for par.
Tiger Woods told his son, “Hell of a shot,” and joked with Charlie Woods about what happened on the hole: reported the Palm Beach Post.
After two days of tournament play, Woods is three over par for the tournament and at T22.
He shot a 73 on Saturday and followed it up with a 72 on Sunday, which allowed him to fight on the second nine after a difficult start to the day.
Woods has carved his own path in the sport his father helped elevate during his years as a legendary player.
Charlie Woods’ father, Tiger Woods, and mother, Elin Nordegren, are pictured in the gallery at the Junior Orange Bowl on Jan. 3, 2026. Chet Peterman/Special to The Post/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Tiger Woods checks Charlie Woods’ golf club to make sure he is OK after hitting a clump of roots during the Junior Orange Bowl at Biltmore Golf Course on January 3, 2026. Chet Peterman / Special to The Post / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Woods is currently ranked 13th in the American Junior Golf Association standings and earned a first-team All-America nomination.
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This year is Woods’ first time competing in the tournament and comes after helping the Benjamin School golf team win another state championship in November.
The Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship, won by Tiger Woods in 1991, continues through Tuesday when it will announce the winner after the final day of action.
