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Charlie Woods made it to Wednesday at the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur, but that's where his run in the championship came to an end.
Woods was a part of a 14-for-2 playoff at Saucon Valley's Grace Course early Wednesday looking to punch his spot into match play, but a bogey on the first playoff hole ended Woods' hopes of making the match-play portion of the U.S. Junior for the first time.
Playing in the third group of the par-5 first, Woods striped his tee shot down the middle and had about 270 yards in for his second. He went for the green in two, but his approach came up short and left in the thick rough. He attempted to pitch his third on the green but it came up just short on the fringe. For his fourth, the birdie chip slid past the hole and ended his championship.
Eli Wessel, Hudson Kutchma and Leo Gao advanced to the second playoff hole after making birdies on the first. Every other competitor was eliminated. On the second playoff hole, Wessel and Kutchma made pars to advance to match play.
Woods had missed the cut in his first two appearances at the U.S. Junior and looked to be headed there early Monday, starting 6 over after his first five holes. He rebounded nicely, playing his next 31 holes in 1 under to tie for 63rd at 5 over, pushing him into the playoff.
There were roughly 100 spectators Wednesday morning in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half north of Philadelphia. That crowd would be stellar for a U.S. Amateur playoff, let alone one at the Junior.
Woods is set to be a senior in high school this fall. Come November, he's expected to sign with Florida State, where he'll join No. 1 junior Miles Russell in the Seminoles' 2027 recruiting class. Russell tied for medalist honors at Saucon Valley and is the No. 2 seed in match play. He's also set to make his debut on the Walker Cup team in two months at Lahinch in Ireland.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Charlie Woods’ run at U.S. Junior Amateur ends in playoff for match play spot
