For three rounds at the 49th Junior PGA Championship, Charlie Woods played himself into the national spotlight and into the conversation for a spot on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team. But after a final-round stumble on Friday, Woods fell just short of an automatic berth.

The 16-year-old from Jupiter, Florida, carded a 3-over 74 in the final round at Purdue University’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, finishing the championship at 9-under-par 276 and in a tie for ninth place. While it marked one of his best showings in a national event to date, it wasn’t enough to earn one of the two automatic Junior Ryder Cup spots awarded to the top American finishers in the Class of 2026 or younger.

Woods had surged into a tie for second after a 5-under 66 in Thursday’s third round, trailing only Lunden Esterline, the leader from Kansas. But Esterline stayed steady with a closing 71 to finish at 19-under, winning the championship by six shots. Woods, meanwhile, couldn’t replicate his earlier form, mixing two birdies, three bogeys, and a double bogey to fall down the leaderboard.

In a symbolic moment, Woods arrived Friday wearing his father’s iconic Sunday red and black, a nod to Tiger Woods’ legendary final-round uniform. But the day belonged to Esterline, who clinched the title and with it, a spot on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team. He’ll be joined by Giuseppe Puebla, who finished runner-up at 13-under, also earning automatic qualification.