Charlie Woods Officially Signs With Florida State Golf as Tiger Woods Watches

Charlie Woods officially signed with Florida State men’s golf on Friday, November 6, 2026, at a national signing day ceremony at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The 17-year-old wore a white Seminoles cap as he put pen to paper, with his father, 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, watching nearby in a Florida State T-shirt. Charlie had verbally committed to the Seminoles back in February 2026, and the signing makes it official. He will join a Florida State recruiting class that already includes Miles Russell, the top-ranked junior golfer in the country.

Quick Facts

The Signing Day Ceremony

The ceremony took place at The Benjamin School, the private school in Palm Beach Gardens where Charlie has played his high school golf. National signing day is a big moment for any high school athlete, and the room was filled with family, coaches, and teammates who have watched Charlie grow up on the course. He sat at the table in a white Seminoles cap, signed the papers, and posed for photos with his father standing close by.

Tiger Woods kept the focus on his son. He wore a Florida State T-shirt, a simple and clear show of support for the school Charlie had chosen. It was a quiet moment for a golfer who has spent most of his life in front of cameras, and it said a lot about how he sees this step. The day belonged to Charlie, and his father was there as a parent, not as a star.

The signing is the formal end of a recruiting process that began long before Charlie was old enough to sign. College coaches have followed his junior career for years, and Florida State won the race when he gave his verbal commitment in February. The paperwork on Friday simply made official what had been true for nine months, but the ceremony still mattered, because it turned a promise into a signed commitment. Readers can also read our report on Sam Alexis Woods and the real story of Tiger Woods daughter, for more on the family behind the young golfer.

A Verbal Commitment Made Official

Charlie gave his verbal commitment to Florida State back in February 2026, and the news was widely reported at the time. A verbal commitment is a promise, not a contract, and it can change. The signing on November 6 is different, because it is binding. Charlie is now officially a future Seminole, and Florida State can now count him as part of its Class of 2027.

The choice of Florida State raised eyebrows when it was first announced, because his father played his college golf at Stanford. Tiger spent two years at Stanford before turning professional, and many people assumed his son might follow him there. Charlie made his own choice instead, picking a program that has been one of the strongest in college golf in recent years. That independence is a small but telling detail about a young player who is building his own path in the sport.

Florida State was a natural fit for other reasons too. The school is in Tallahassee, in the same state where Charlie grew up and learned the game, and its golf program has a track record of developing players who go on to professional careers. For a junior golfer looking for the best place to grow, the combination of a strong program, a warm climate, and a short trip from home is hard to beat.

Charlie Woods on the Course

Charlie is ranked 133rd in the American Junior Golf Association Rolex Rankings, which is the main ranking system for junior golfers in the United States. That ranking puts him among the better junior players in the country, and it reflects a steady record of results in big junior events. He is not the top-ranked junior in his class, but he has beaten strong fields and he has shown that he can win.

His biggest junior win came at the AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational in May 2025, a tournament that draws some of the best young players in the country. Winning an event like that takes more than talent, it takes four rounds of steady play under pressure, and Charlie delivered when it mattered. The win was a clear sign that his game was ready for the next level, and it helped put him firmly on the radar of college coaches.

His most recent result came earlier in the week of the signing, when he shot 1-under 70 to help The Benjamin School win a Florida regional championship at Miami Shores Country Club. Team events are a different kind of test, because a player has to deliver for his schoolmates as well as himself, and Charlie did exactly that. It was a fitting way to close out his high school season before the signing ceremony, and it showed that he is in good form as he heads toward college golf.

A Strong Florida State Class of 2027

Charlie will not be arriving at Florida State alone. He will join Miles Russell, the current No. 1 player in the AJGA Rolex Rankings, in the Seminoles Class of 2027. Russell is the most highly regarded junior golfer in the country, and pairing him with Charlie gives Florida State one of the strongest recruiting classes in college golf. Two players with that kind of junior record do not often end up at the same school in the same year.

The pairing will draw attention, and it will also push both players. Russell and Charlie have played in many of the same junior events, and they know each other’s games well. Practicing and competing together every day at Florida State should make both of them better, and it gives the Seminoles a foundation they can build around for four years. College golf is a team sport as well as an individual one, and a strong class can change a program for years.

There will also be pressure, because both players arrive with high expectations. Charlie carries one of the most famous names in golf, and Russell carries the No. 1 ranking. How they handle that pressure together will be one of the most watched stories in college golf over the next few seasons. For now, though, the focus is on the signing itself, and on two young golfers who have chosen to start their college careers side by side. Readers can also read our report on Caitlin Clark skipping the 2026 ANNIKA Pro-Am after two years as its biggest draw, another story about a young star shaping the future of a sport.

The Florida State Program He Is Joining

Florida State has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons, a run of consistency that few college golf programs can match. The Seminoles reached the final in 2024, finishing as runner-up, which was the best result in program history and a sign of how close the team is to a national title. Charlie is joining a program that is already competing at the highest level, not one that is trying to get there.

The program has also shown that it can develop players for the professional game. College golf is the main path to the professional tours for young American players, and Florida State has used its facilities, coaching, and schedule to prepare its golfers for that step. Charlie will get to play against the best college teams in the country, on courses that test every part of his game, and he will do it with a team around him.

Charlie also signed a name, image, and likeness deal with TaylorMade in September 2026, which means he will be able to earn money from his name and image while he is in college. NIL deals are now a normal part of college sports, and for a golfer with his profile, the TaylorMade deal is a natural fit. It also shows how much has changed since his father was in college, when players could not earn money from their name at all. Readers can also read our report on Stick Season 2 premiering on Apple TV with Owen Wilson chasing a golf comeback, a lighter look at golf on screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did Charlie Woods sign to play college golf?

Charlie Woods signed with Florida State University men’s golf on Friday, November 6, 2026, at a signing day ceremony at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He had verbally committed to Florida State back in February 2026.

Was Tiger Woods at the signing ceremony?

Yes, Tiger Woods was on hand for the ceremony, wearing a Florida State T-shirt. The 15-time major champion watched as his 17-year-old son signed with the Seminoles.

How is Charlie Woods ranked as a junior golfer?

Charlie Woods is ranked 133rd in the American Junior Golf Association Rolex Rankings. He won the AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational in May 2025 and recently shot 1-under 70 to help The Benjamin School win a Florida regional championship.

Who else is in Florida State’s Class of 2027?

Miles Russell, the current No. 1 player in the AJGA Rolex Rankings, is also part of Florida State’s Class of 2027. Florida State has reached the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2024.

Sources

• USA Today, Charlie Woods Signs With Florida State Men’s Golf
• Golfweek, Tiger Woods Applauds Charlie Woods in Florida State Cap
• Palm Beach Post, Charlie Woods Signs With Florida State at Benjamin School Ceremony

Final Thoughts

Charlie Woods signing with Florida State is a milestone, but it is also just a beginning. The ceremony at The Benjamin School was a proud day for a 17-year-old who has grown up in the public eye, and it was a quiet one too, with his father standing nearby in a Seminoles T-shirt. The hard work starts now, in college golf, where the fields are deeper, the courses are tougher, and the name on the bag does not win a single hole. Charlie has chosen a strong program, a strong classmate in Miles Russell, and his own path rather than his father’s. If he keeps improving the way he has, the signing day in Palm Beach Gardens will be remembered as the day his college career began, not the day it peaked.