The 16-year-old son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, Charlie Woods, is poised to change the NIL landscape in college golf after winning his first American Junior Golf Association Tournament.

Not many collegiate golfers are making significant money for their Name, Image, and Likeness, with most of the funds going toward football and men’s and women’s basketball players. Charlie Woods, with his famous last name, boyish charm, and winning golf game, is in a unique position to capitalize on the pay-for-play era of college athletics.

“Charlie Woods has the opportunity to demand a large sum of NIL money given the marketability he would bring to a college due to his last name,” a sports attorney at Polsinelli Law Firm in Miami, Josh Goldberg, told The New York Sun. “Many institutions would likely pay high six figures to have Woods attend their school.”

The son of the 15-time major champion earned the most significant win of his young career last week, capturing the AJGA’s Team TaylorMade Invitational. Entering as the 604th-ranked amateur in the field, he won the tournament in Bowling Green, Florida, by three strokes after starting the final day tied for second. The win helped boost his ranking all the way to 14th. 

Charlie Woods’s development as a golfer has been monitored since he partnered with his father as an 11-year-old in the PNC Championship.  He also helped Benjamin High School win a Florida state championship. This past year, he made a hole-in-one at the PNC, a special moment captured on a video that went viral.

“He’s going to have the last name and he’s going to be part of the sport,” Tiger Woods once said of his son’s potential as a golfer. “But I just want him to be himself and just be your own person. That’s what we will always focus on.”

Tiger Woods attended Stanford for one year before turning professional in 1996, long before NIL was a thing. His first big check came from an endorsement deal with Nike. Charlie Woods could benefit from the traditional endorsement deals and money from a school’s NIL Collective.

“Charlie has the ability to attract sponsors, many who already work with his father, such as TaylorMade, Bridgestone, which could put his NIL valuation well over $1 million,” Mr. Goldberg said. “It’s also likely Charlie would continue to represent and endorse his father’s Sun Day Red clothing brand on the course as well.”

Unlike most college prospects his age, Charlie Woods doesn’t have a social media presence of his own.  He hasn’t needed one, given that he is constantly filmed whenever he is on a golf course. But a social media presence would add to his appeal for those looking to sign him to endorse their products.

“Should Woods create an Instagram account, his marketability and followers would likely skyrocket given Tiger’s loyal fanbase that has also been following Charlie’s junior career,” Mr. Goldberg said.

The son of basketball legend LeBron James, Bronny James, didn’t create an Instagram account until he was 14 years old.  He amassed more than 1 million followers in the 24 hours after his father posted his son’s account. “Charlie Woods could also see a similar mass following once he likely creates an Instagram account,” Mr. Goldberg said.

Whatever college Charlie Woods decides to attend is likely to find itself on television more than usual. Not many college golf tournaments outside the NCAA Championships are currently televised, but Charlie Woods could impact that space as well.

“Charlie’s presence would likely put a bigger spotlight on college golf if he continues to perform well on the course and has the trajectory to turn professional and follow his father’s footsteps,” Mr. Goldberg said. “There’s a chance certain TV networks would televise more collegiate golf tournaments that Charlie participates in.”

Tiger Woods, whose career is on pause while he recovers from injuries and the recent death of his mother, insists he has never pushed his son to pursue a career as a golfer. “I try to do the best I possibly can as a parent,” the elder Woods once said. “I’m always here for him. But at the end of the day, I just want him to be himself and have his own life.”