Charlie Woods Avoids Ricochet in Junior Orange Bowl

Charlie Woods, the 16-year-old son of golf legend Tiger Woods, narrowly avoided injury during the first round of the Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship when his recovery shot on the 11th hole ricocheted back toward him at the Biltmore Golf Course in Coral Gables, Florida, on Saturday.

Playing under a tree after his tee shot veered right, Woods attempted to advance the ball toward the green. The club struck a hidden root, sending the ball sharply back in his direction. He quickly dropped his club and shielded his face, prompting gasps from the gallery as the ball passed close by without striking him. Composed despite the close call, Woods then executed a solid wedge shot to reach the green and sank a long putt to salvage par on the hole.

Tiger Woods and his former wife, Elin Nordegren, watched from nearby, offering support during the 62nd edition of the tournament, which features 48 boys and 36 girls competing over four rounds with no cut. "Hell of a shot," Tiger Woods told his son afterward, according to witnesses.

Woods opened the round strongly with birdies on the first two holes but encountered challenges later, carding bogeys on the seventh, eighth and 14th...