The golf world has seen a lot of prodigies prove their mettle on the greens in spectacular fashion. The same has been the case with the son of Tiger Woods, as he strived to carry out his father’s legacy by proving his skills on the course each time he stepped foot on it. However, this time around, Charlie Woods was beaten by another golfer, Lucky Cruz.
Cruz managed to emerge victorious at the Notah Begay III Junior Golf Championship that took place not too long ago. However, one becomes naturally curious about the athlete who dealt a severe blow to the legend’s son, who has now become nothing short of a genius!
Cruz was able to propel himself to the leaderboard in the 14-15 division of the NB3 National Championship by registering 11-under 202 over the three rounds, three strokes ahead of the runner-up. The Texas native was able to overshadow Woods’ 14-year-old son, who finished at T17 with a score of 215 (+2).
Currently studying in the 10th grade in school, the aspiring athlete started playing the game at the age of 5 after his father introduced him to the sport. He became interested in the same after playing a ton of Tiger Woods video games, leading him to become the only player ever to make it to Coushatta in all four editions of the National Championship.
In an interview after the tournament, when asked about the win, the 14-year-old golfer expressed his excitement as he mentioned how “amazing” it feels, all the while pointing out how “hard it is” to get into the event in the first place. Continuing on his response, Cruz divulged the reason behind his coming back all these years to the championship as he said, “Competing against some of the best golfers in the U.S. and worldwide… you’re never gonna get any better than this,” all the while showcasing his competitive spirit.
Well, it does take a talented athlete to top the field of players, including golfers such as the 82X PGA Tour winner’s son. Moreover, it does pique the interest of the golf community in the other accolades that the young champ was able to pull off.
Cruz and his achievements
Cruz was able to qualify for all the televised golf events he played, including the Notah Begay III, the Faldo Series, and the Drive Chip & Putt Championship. In addition, he was able to participate in the Houston Open Qualifier and the PGA Pro & Jr. Am. Moreover, he was able to play with the likes of Clyde Drexler, Reggie Barclay, and Gary Carter, among others, in a bid to raise money for the teenager’s nonprofits, including LuckySwing.org and HeartSupport.
While the young genius was able to emerge triumphant in his age group, a lot of other golfers were able to claim victory in theirs. Under the 12-13 age division, Maverick Midthun was able to come out on top with 200 (-13), while Mykhailo Golod won in the 16-18 group, scoring 6 under 202. Kai Molina was able to top the leaderboard in the 10-11 range. Well, one thing is for sure: the future of golf is in good hands.