The 16-year-old is overshadowed by another rising name in the sport.
Charlie Woods reached an important career milestone on May 28 when Tiger Woods’ son won his first junior title in the Team TaylorMade Invitational and climbed to 14th place in the Rolex AJGA rankings. But does he get the recognition he deserves?
Read: Manchester United may have missed out on their perfect striker transfer by stopping Bruno Fernandes’ £100m deal
Although he has only participated in four competitions so far, Charlie shows that he has what it takes to match the players in his age group. He improved on his previous best finish of tied 25th from the 2025 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.
Dad’s Career Highlights
Tiger Woods, Charlie’s father, is considered one of the greatest players in golf history with 15 major titles, including:
- 5 Masters victories (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019)
- 4 PGA Championship titles
- 3 US Open triumphs
- 3 British Open wins
A new star on the rise
Despite Charlie’s progress, many golf analysts have yet to fully recognize his talent compared to other young players such as 17-year-old Mason Howell, who has recently caused a stir with his consistent performances over the past year.
Read on Popidol: Wicked 2 reveals first clip from iconic song in new teaser ahead of trailer launch
Howell is yet to win a tournament but has shown remarkable consistency with top-10 finishes in seven of his last ten tournaments. This has led him to 8th place in the AJGA rankings – ahead of Woods.
“Keep an eye on this kid Mason Howell,” Ryan Lavner said on The Golf Podcast. “He is a 17-year-old who is going to the University of Georgia in 2026. He’s really good!”
Impressive performances
Howell excelled especially during the 76th minute. The United States Junior Amateur Championship where he finished tied for 33rd, while Woods was tied for 240th. He also impressed during qualifying for the 2025 U.S. Open at Piedmont Driving Club, where he and Jackson Buchanan led the field with identical rounds of 63
.
“He has tremendous punch,” Lavner continued. “The boy played bogey-free rounds of 63-63 as a 17-year-old.”
While some may believe Woods is being overlooked because of his father’s vast reputation, Howell’s achievements are hard to overlook — and suggest that he deserves his own recognition.
Why does Lavner favor Howell?
Howell and Buchanan outclassed the other qualifiers by seven strokes, including players like Jackson Koivun and Tyler Weaver, who all secured spots in the upcoming U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Lavner also pointed to other junor talents such as Miles Russell and Blades Brown, noting that even though Charlie is among the elite, Howell’s consistent play has made him more noticed.
With Tiger Woods’ legendary status as a backdrop, the golf world continues to keep a close eye on Charlie Woods’ development, but Mason Howell proves that there are several young talents vying for attention.
