Right now, Charlie Woods is having the time of his life. His exceptional performance in the past few months at the high school state golf championship and the Notah Begay III golf championship was a marvelous display of his skills. One thing that topped the young star’s experience was having his father by his side as his mentor, guide, and caddie. Tiger Woods, the golf legend, is hugely invested in shaping Charlie’s career.

And it is not just Woods, but the entire golf fandom who wants to see the young prodigy take the reigns of his father’s glory and take it upwards and onwards. But when would he be able to do so?

When can Charlie Woods turn professional?

It is the dream of every amateur golfer to one day turn into a professional golfer and lead a successful career. Tiger Woods himself made his professional debut at the age of 20. At the time, Woods was pursuing his bachelor’s degree from the prestigious Stanford University. But after two years of education, he chose golf over his studies.

So in 1996, Woods dropped out of college to focus full-time on his career. And though Woods has enjoyed an unmatched career, dropping out of college is one of his biggest regrets. And chances are high that Woods will make sure that his son gets a degree before turning pro. What Charlie needs to do to reach his goal of becoming a pro is enroll himself in the PGA Tour’s Q School.

The Q school has four stages: the pre-qualifying stage, the first stage, the second stage, and the final stage. After he successfully manages to clear all rounds of the qualifying school and ends up in the top five, he could earn a card for the PGA Tour. He could also earn his PGA Tour card by playing on the Korn Ferry Tour and scoring one of the 30 cards given to the top finishers. But for that as well, he needs to qualify for the Q School. He could also win a PGA Tour event to get the Tour’s membership card. Woods Jr. could also earn a sponsor’s exemption and win enough points for the card.

The fans could see this happening in the next 6–7 years. It means that Junior Woods could be predicted to turn pro by the age of 20 or 21 after he gets a degree and earns his PGA Tour card. Tiger is the driving force in Charlie’s career. It is only natural that Woods would like his son to keep his options open and not have the same regret as he does.

The five-time Masters champ would not want his son to share the same regrets

Once reflecting upon his regrets in life Woods said in an interview, “The only regret I have in my life is not spending another year at Stanford. I wish I would have done one more year.”  He continued, “All the things I’ve been through are tough. Yes, they have been tough. But they have been great for me. But I wish I had gone one more year at Stanford.” Woods enrolled at Stanford in 1994, and by 1996, he had won three consecutive US amateur titles and the collegiate title.

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After that, he left college and went on to become one of the biggest names in golf. Stanford is the go-to university for big names in the golf world. Like his father, Charlie too could enroll himself there to opt for higher studies. He could choose to turn pro while studying like his father or maybe after he is done studying!

Watch this story, “The Kid Is 14?”: Charlie Woods Steals Hearts as His Uncanny Resemblance to Tiger Woods Resurfaces Ahead of the PNC Championship