Since his birth, Charlie Woods has had the pressure of the golf world on his shoulders.
Growing up with his father, Tiger, considered by many as the greatest golfer who has ever lived, even before he picked up his first club, there were questions of how far he could go as his own player.
Those impossible expectations continued to rise when the media learned that Charlie had taken an interest in golf and was looking to follow in his father’s footsteps.
While other 12-year-old kids could shank drives at a practice course and laugh about it, every swing of the ball was under a worldwide microscope for Charlie. When he stumbled as a junior golfer, it became headline news; if he performed well, he was compared to his father and how quickly Tiger conquered the golf world.
And on Tuesday, Charlie took his next step toward becoming a professional golfer, choosing where he will play college golf.
Charlie will be playing for the Florida State Seminoles, joining fellow supernova Miles Russell on the team.
The freshman duo of Charlie and Russell might have more starpower than most PGA Tour events.
Russell broke Tiger Woods’s record as the youngest American Junior Golf Association Junior Player of the Year as a 15-year-old. The Florida native is considered one of the brightest prospects in the history of the game and is considered a future multi-time Major winner if he continues his development properly at Florida State.
Russell is head and shoulders above any other Junior boy in the current rankings. In comparison, Charlie is 21st in the AJGA rankings going into his freshman season.
As college sports have risen with the NIL program and the added money across all sports, 2026 might mark the start of collegiate golf contending with football and basketball.
The PGA Tour might not have to worry about LIV Golf stealing its television ratings and headlines.
But they should worry about the Seminoles with Woods and Russell.