The teenager endured a difficult start to the competition

THE son of golf legend Tiger Woods could be in contention for a spot on Team USA for the Junior Ryder Cup.

Charlie Woods, 16, has impressed at the Junior PGA Championship this week.

Charlie Woods is competing for a place on Team USA for the Junior Ryder CupCredit: Alamy

The 16-year-old is currently joint-second at the Junior PGA ChampionshipsCredit: Alamy

After a slow start where he ended the opening day of the competition 43rd out of 156 competitors with one-under 70, he bounced back on Wednesday.

The teenager jumped up the leaderboard to fourth with nine birdies and just three bogeys at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Then, after day three, he found himself joint-second after shooting five-under 66 following a rain-delayed round.

Charlie currently stands at 12-under 202 for the week, seven shots behind leader Lunden Esterline of Kansas.

He is now vying for one of two automatic qualification places on the US Junior Ryder Cup team.

The team will take on Team Europe from September 23-25 at Nassau Country Club and Bethpage Black in New York.

There is also one captain’s pick, although Charlie is unlikely to receive that given his current American Junior Golf Association ranking.

The 16-year-old is ranked 20th in the most recent standings.

He is yet to compete in the Junior Ryder Cup.

Following his third round at the Junior PGA Championship, Charlie said: “It was so much fun.

“I had a pretty fun chip on 16, but I just enjoyed being out there, having fun and hopefully I have a good chance of winning tomorrow.”

He continued: “My round was pretty up and down, and it gave me a heart attack out there.

“But nine birdies is pretty good. A couple of three-putts, I made a few mistakes today but overall pretty solid round. Pretty good position going into tomorrow.”