Charlie Woods Signs With Florida State Golf as Tiger Woods Looks On

It is official. Charlie Woods will play college golf for Florida State.

The 17-year-old high school senior signed with Florida State men's golf on Friday during a National Signing Day ceremony at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach, Florida. He will join the Seminoles next fall as part of their Class of 2027.

Tiger Woods was in the room for it. According to the Palm Beach Post, the 15-time major champion was there with other family members, applauded Charlie and the other Benjamin athletes who signed, and gave his son a fist bump once the ceremony wrapped up.

Nine months in the making

Friday only made it formal. Woods announced his verbal commitment to Florida State on Instagram on Feb. 10, when he was a junior ranked 21st in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. He chose the Seminoles over offers from programs around the country, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Tiger, who played two years at Stanford, talked about the recruiting process at the Hero World Challenge last December. "It's been very different, the recruiting process," he told reporters, per ESPN. "It's just a different world. Not saying it's good or bad, it's just different."

What Charlie brings

Woods' breakthrough came in May 2025, when he won the AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational at 15-under 201 for his first AJGA title. That summer he tied for ninth at the Boys Junior PGA Championship, and in the fall he tied for 18th at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and shot a final-round 68 to help Benjamin win the FHSAA Class A state title.

He played in the U.S. Junior Amateur in July and signed an NIL deal with TaylorMade, his father's equipment partner, in September. His senior season has started well, too. He holed a 40-foot putt on the 18th hole to shoot 2-under 69 and win the individual district title on Oct. 27, then shot 1-under 70 on Monday to tie teammate Brooks Colton for the team lead as Benjamin won its regional at Miami Shores Country Club.

Golf fans know him best from the PNC Championship, where he and Tiger have been a regular pairing and finished runner-up in 2021.

Where he's headed

Florida State has been to the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons, finished runner-up in 2024 and placed ninth at the NCAA Championship last spring. Coach Trey Jones has sent Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger and Luke Clanton from Tallahassee to the pro ranks.

Woods won't be the only headliner in the class. He will be joined by Miles Russell, the No. 1 player in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, who committed to the Seminoles in June 2025.

The last word

Charlie Woods has grown up in front of cameras, from the PNC Championship to junior events that drew crowds most high school golfers never see. Next fall he gets a new stage in Tallahassee, alongside the best junior in the country, at a program with a track record of turning college players into tour players.

Sources: PGA TOUR, ESPN, USA TODAY Sports, the Palm Beach Post, Golfweek and Bleacher Report. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.