Tiger Woods’ Son Makes College Golf Commitment, and It's Not at His Dad’s Alma Mater

Charlie Woods is headed off to college, but it won’t be at his dad’s alma mater. 

The son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods is reportedly breaking from tradition, having committed himself to play golf for the Seminoles at Florida State University (FSU) and serve as a member of the 2027 recruiting class. It marks a notable departure from Tiger’s career-defining stint at California’s Stanford University; and from his sister, Sam, who’s currently a freshman at Stanford. Nonetheless, despite his son choosing a different university from himself, Tiger weighed in with his pride in the comments. “Congratulations, Charlie. I'm so proud of you on entering this next chapter of your life,” he wrote.

Charlie Has Risen Through the Ranks in Recent Years

Charlie, who is currently a senior at the Benjamin School in Palm Beach, FL, turned 17 on Sunday, Feb. 8. Just like his father, he’s already well on his way to greatness even at a young age. Last May, Charlie ascended the ranks and was named 21st in the Rolex American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) rankings after winning the Team TaylorMade Invitational with a 54-hole total. He had previously ranked 604th. He followed that up with a tied victory at the Boys Junior PGA Championship in July, and ranked 18th at November’s Rolex Tournament of Champions. Also in November, he took The Benjamin School to a Florida High School Athletic Association Class A state title in November, with a final-round score of 4-under 68.

Experts say that Charlie’s positioning at FSU is a prodigious start to his already-impressive career. Seminoles coach Trey Jones, in his 23rd season, has also recruited Florida’s Miles Russell, who’s currently ranked No. 1 in the Rolex AJGA rankings. FSU was also a runner-up at the 2024 NCAAs.

Tiger Called the Recruitment Process 'Very Different'

At the Hero World Challenge in December, Tiger gave some insight as to why Charlie passed over Stanford in favor of FSU while speaking about Sam’s college recruitment experience. "It's been very different, the recruiting process," he explained. "Now, you have cellphones. We didn't have cellphones. We would have written letters that would show up in the mailbox. It's just very different how fast coaches can communicate with the family members and the player that they're trying to recruit. It's just a different world. Not saying it's good or bad, it's just different."