Crowd walks 18th fairway behind Charlie (Logan Whitten/USGA Photo)
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.-- The weight of a legendary name can be a blessing and a burden.
At just 15, Charlie Woods, son of golf icon Tiger Woods, stepped onto the hallowed greens of Oakland Hills Country Club for the 2024 U.S. Junior Championship. It wasn't just another tournament; it was a spectacle. The world was watching, and the USGA braced for a phenomenon as the young Woods navigated the fame, swarmed by crowds and the shadow of his father's legacy. The atmosphere was electric, the expectations high, and the stage was set.
The younger Woods has already shown he can draw a crowd. At the Cognizant Classic Pre-Qualifier in February, tournament officials had to prepare for the uncharacteristically large gallery that Woods attracted. Without any rope to separate the gallery from the competitors, Woods was closely followed by fans who ignored the requests of the marshals and hounded him with autograph requests. A local Palm Beach grandmother even brought her granddaughter out to the event to garner attention from Woods.
Regardless of his talent, Charlie Woods would always play golf in a fishbowl.
On Monday, hundreds of spectators flocked to the first tee of the North Course at Oakland Hills Country Club. Burdened by the heady expectations of the golf world, Woods struggled to a 12-over-par 82 in the first round of his first USGA Championship, beating only a handful of players in the field. A poor round in a USGA event is never easy to stomach, and certainly not in front of hundreds who came to see you play.
Yet, the crowd returned in masses on Tuesday. Woods' group attracted a diverse array of spectators: fathers who had witnessed Tiger in his prime, eager to share the nostalgia with their children; young fans dreaming of a future in golf; seasoned golf enthusiasts curious to see if greatness runs in the family; casual observers intrigued by the buzz; local residents proud to host a future star; and media personnel, cameras poised to capture every swing, every emotion, and every moment of the unfolding story. Even workers on construction sites off tournament grounds would halt and watch Woods play.
“It's like the president of the United States is here,” a Bloomfield Hills Police Officer on security detail shared during Tuesday’s rain delay. “He has the crowd following him, and he’s got his own security and a separate room to himself to hide out in. It’s crazy.”
Whether spectators could see Woods or not, like his father, his presence was always known. As I walked between practice areas well before Woods’ tee time, it seemed every group of spectators was chatting about Charlie, speculating on his future in golf and his and Tiger’s whereabouts.
As competitors walked by Charlie on the driving range, most gave a quick glance. Just a couple of spots down on the range, a competitor took the tiger headcover off his driver. What’s it like to compete against the son of your greatest idol? Charlie’s competitors always knew what hole he was on—just look for the procession of spectators filling the fairways of Oakland Hills.
The USGA was prepared for the Woods circus, but adjustments needed to be made on the fly. Five marshals were assigned to Charlie’s group to begin Monday's round. By the end of the day and into Tuesday, that number was up to 15. Captained by USGA volunteer Nicholas Chapie, an efficient, no-nonsense attorney from Royal Oak, Michigan, the Woods security marshals followed closely behind, weaving in between people to protect Woods and his playing partners.
“We had no idea what to expect at first, especially with no ticket sales. We adjusted quickly to the size of the crowd and were well prepared now. We have a great system.” Armed with hundreds of feet of rope, the lone symbol of order amidst the chaotic crowd, a cadre of marshals directed around Woods's group. Each marshal shuffled rope to their neighboring marshal until the group was enveloped in a rope line, protected from the eager crowd. As Woods moved between holes, Chapin's mobile unit moved around him like a well-rehearsed ballet.
Woods was not the only player with a crowd, though he undoubtedly had the largest. High-level juniors like Miles Russell, Blades Brown, and Tyler Watts all played world-class golf but did not require the same security measures as Charlie’s group.
“There were a lot of people out there not watching me,” Watts shared with a laugh in an interview with the Detroit News.
It was not just the USGA that needed to adjust to Woods. As was the case when playing with his father, getting paired with Charlie makes for an energetic tournament experience. Players teeing off behind Charlie frequently had to wait for his gallery to clear, and players teeing off ahead of Charlie were tasked with a gallery of Woods fans forming around their group, only in preparation for Charlie's arrival rather than their own performance. Even those in his group were not immune to the gallery. On multiple occasions on Tuesday, most of the crowd relocated in preparation for Woods's next shot, forgetting that he had playing partners yet to hit.
Woods' playing partners embraced the moment. Davis Ovard, a rising Sophomore at Baylor, and Chase Kyes, a 2025 Alabama commit, both made match play. Kyes shot four under in stroke play to finish T3. “I’ve never played in front of a crowd like that before,” said Kyes. “But it was a great experience. Good for my future.”
According to the PGA Tour’s Paul Hodowanic, Kyes’s caddie, Jeff Curl, who caddied for Nick Dunlap in his U.S. Junior and U.S. Amateur victories, remarked that the crowd for Monday’s round was equivalent to the U.S. Amateur final between Nick Dunlap and Neal Shipley. “It had that feel, no doubt,” Curl said, “with the ropes and atmosphere.”
The attention Charlie brought to the event was palpable. One college coach in the gallery remarked that the “professional exemptions would start rolling in” if Charlie continues to draw these kinds of crowds. Though some spectators certainly came to catch a glimpse of Tiger, most came to see his son play golf. Charlie’s good shots produced a roar only heard from that group, and his misses, which were plentiful, brought a symphony of groans.
The crowd was pulling for Charlie, living and dying on each shot in the same way he was: animated, frustrated, and trying to learn how to navigate this unprecedented environment.
A common point of conversation amongst the gallery was, of course, how similar Charlie looks to Tiger, including comments like these:
“He complains the same way Tiger does.”
“Tiger had a lankier frame, but from behind they look identical. Look how he drops this wedge.”
“It’s just like watching the Big Cat. Little Cat.”
The comparisons of mannerisms can be overstated, but it's impossible not to notice when you watch Charlie play. Like his father, his facial expressions on the golf course are easy to read, and you can often tell the quality of the shot from the severity of the reaction. After a few bad misses, Charlie cursed himself in the third person, a trait undeniably picked up from his father.
Charlie improved his day-one score with a 10-over-par 80, including a one-over 36 on his final nine. He would miss the cut for match play by a large margin. If you came to watch him play flawless golf, you might have left the course with a tinge of disappointment, as Charlie certainly did himself. However, the magic of a Woods teeing it up in a USGA event transcends mere scorecards.
The galleries weren't there looking for a stellar round; they were there to be part of a legacy, to witness the continuation of a storied family tradition. Whether Charlie was sinking a long putt or recovering from a wayward drive, the crowd's collective heart skipped a beat. This wasn't just about golf—it was about being present for a small moment in golf history, cherishing the aura only a Woods can bring to the game. So, if you, like the rest of us, came to soak in the spectacle, you got precisely what you were looking for.
At just 15 years old, Charlie carries the weight of immense expectations from the public, who are eager to see glimpses of his father's greatness. These expectations, while flattering, are unreasonable for someone so young, still honing his skills and finding his place in the competitive world of junior golf.
The crowds that follow him are a testament to the enduring legacy of the Woods name—a peculiar phenomenon where the son’s every move is scrutinized and celebrated in equal measure. He’ll be better for it, but that doesn’t mean it's easy. The fishbowl will only grow larger.