Golf fan’s shocking phone error leaves Charlie Woods devastated at U.S. Junior Amateur

Charlie Woods suffered one of the toughest breaks of his young career on Wednesday after viral footage appeared to show a spectator’s camera sound interrupting the teenager during his crucial U.S. Junior Amateur playoff moment.

The 17-year-old was fighting to keep his championship hopes alive during a huge 14-for-2 playoff at Saucon Valley Country Club on Wednesday morning when the incident occurred.

Needing a birdie on the first extra hole to advance, Woods found himself in a difficult position after missing the green and needing to get up and down from the rough.

With the pressure at its highest, the son of Tiger Woods prepared to play his third shot into the par-5 1st — arguably the most important shot he had faced all week.

But just as Woods reached the top of his backswing, an audible camera shutter could be heard from a nearby spectator.

The timing proved disastrous.

Woods appeared to lose foscus and struck his recovery attempt heavily from the rough, with the ball failing to reach the putting surface and finishing in the fringe.

Instead of leaving himself a realistic birdie chance, Woods was left with a long birdie attempt from the fringe, which he failed to make as he went on to make a bogey-six. 

The moment, captured on video by golf fan Trevor Keaton which you can watch below, quickly went viral on social media.

Woods certainly did not take kindly to the happy snapper, as he turned around and said "Dude..." 

Watch what happened here: 

Woods needed a birdie to keep championship hopes alive

The playoff situation left little room for error.

On Tuesday afternoon, a total of 14 players had finished tied for the final two match play positions at 5-over par (T63) after 36 holes of stroke play, creating a dramatic playoff for the remaining spots bright and early on Wednesday morning. 

Woods had earned his place after producing the best round of his three U.S. Junior Amateur appearances, recording a level-par 70 on the Grace Course.

With three players already making birdie in front of him on the opening hole of the playoff, Woods, who was in the third group of the playoff, needed to follow suit.

Instead, the unfortunate sequence involving the spectator’s camera ended his challenge, with Eli Wessel and Hudson Kutchma eventually securing the final match play places.

The incident adds to a difficult week of viral moments for Woods

The camera incident was not the only moment involving Woods to gain attention online during the championship.

During Tuesday’s second round, the Florida State commit was also filmed reacting in frustration after a tee shot on the par-3 11th.

After hitting his tee shot at the 175-yard hole, Woods dropped his club and shouted an expletive before kicking the club away in frustration.

The moment quickly spread across social media, but Woods responded impressively.

Watch Woods drop an F-bomb here: 

Rather than allowing the outburst to affect his round, he recovered almost immediately by producing one of the highlights of his tournament — holing out for an eagle-two on the par-4 13th.

The hole-out helped him settle into his round, eventually leading to his career-best U.S. Junior Amateur score.

A cruel ending after encouraging week

Despite the disappointing conclusion, Woods can take plenty of positives from his performance at Saucon Valley.

His level-par 70 was his lowest-ever score at the championship, while his tie for 63rd place represented his best finish in three appearances.

The U.S. Junior Amateur remains one of the most respected events in junior golf, with past champions including Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler.

Tiger Woods famously won three consecutive titles from 1991 to 1993, an achievement that later led to the championship trophy now being renamed the Tiger Woods Trophy.

For Charlie, the week ended in frustrating circumstances — but the viral footage of the spectator’s camera click will likely be remembered as one of the most unfortunate moments of his young career.