Charlie Reiter, an 18-year old playing on an exemption at a PGA Tour tournament, impressed Jon Rahm so much with his clubhead velocity that the Spaniard claimed he was expecting the lanky teen would hit it past him.
Rahm was then the third-ranked golfer in the world. He played with Reiter in Palm Desert’s Bighorn Golf Club. “He reminds of Brandon Hagy, another TrackMan wonder and Cal product. They’re both fit and have lots of power.”
Reiter’s average distance off the tee was 348.5 yards during the second round at the CareerBuilder Challenge 2018 (now known as the American Express). He smashed two of the longest drives in the first 54 holes of the event. On a windy afternoon, he averaged a distance of 332.5 yards in the third round on PGA West Stadium Course.
Reiter began consistently hitting the ball over 300 yards in his freshman year at high school. He was only 14 years old. The prodigy began his golf career in childhood. Mike, his father, who was a professional golfer and played on mini-tours used to place plastic clubs in Charlie’s crib. Reiter’s first tournament was won at age 4.
Trophies started to accumulate. Reiter competed at PGA West in the Golf Channel Amateur Tour National Championship when he was 10.
Charlie Reiter, an amateur golfer from La Quinta in California, reacts to the shot he hit on the TPC Stadium Course during the third round at the CareerBuilder Challenge. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images).
Reiter can now play on the professional golf tour — at least the rest of this year.
Reiter turned professional last fall, after spending the summer playing in the U.S. Open. Amateur rallied to beat a U.S. qualifying tournament for PGA Tour Canada. A final round of 3-under-par 69 was achieved at the Soboba Springs Golf Club, San Jacinto. Reiter will now be fully exempt from the Canada Tour, which begins in June.
Reiter, who has now been granted full status on the Canada circuit, said: “Now I’ve got a full summer schedule.” “I already know what my summer will look like.”
Reiter, who finished with a score of 15-under 283 and a 64 in the third day, edged Kyle Karazissis from La Quinta to win by one shot. Karazissis is a mini tour golfer and also a caddie at The Quarry, La Quinta. He will be exempt from the PGA Tour Canada’s first five events as a result of the first reshuffle in exemptions.
Reiter won the tournament after a swing of two shots on Friday’s final hole. Reiter had a great drive on the par-5 and was able to reach the green with two shots. Karazissis, however, had to lay up the ball and took three shots to get there. Reiter made a two-putt for his birdie from 20 feet. Karazissis, however, three-putted his putts from 35 feet.
Reiter won the qualifier after firing rounds of 70 and 70 and 64 and 69. He played college golf for both USC as well as the University of San Diego. Karazissis had a four-shot advantage over Reiter when the day began, but dropped to a score of 74 on Friday.
Reiter began his final round with three birdies in a straight line on the fourth hole, the fifth hole, and the sixth. He then followed this with three bogeys starting at the eighth.
The comeback began with a par on the 13th, and continued with a par-2 on the 16th. Reiter completed the comeback by birdieing the 18th hole.
Reiter always planned to qualify for the PGA Tour Canada in 2023, after he missed the signup dates for the Korn Ferry Tour last fall. He also struggled with the money since he was an amateur.
“I didn’t think about (Korn-Ferry qualifying) so quickly. Reiter explained that he was “just so confused with the U.S. Am” and other stuff. “I kind of forgot it.”
He has been playing in the Asher Tour this year, a mini tour based mostly in California. This is his preparation for PGA Tour Canada qualification.
Reiter, PGA Tour Canada’s qualifying manager, said: “This is the second little way.”
Reiter’s 2022 season included a win in the California State Amateur. He has played in PGA Tour events The American Express as an amateur three times, including while he was a Palm Desert High School senior.
The PGA Tour Canada has a schedule of 10 events, starting with the Royal Beach Victoria Open on June 15-18. The Fortinet Cup Championship will conclude the tour’s year in September. The Order of Merit champion will be eligible to join the PGA Tour’s Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental tour for the PGA Tour in 2024.
Reiter continued, “There are also other opportunities.” “I will be playing the Reno Open in Reno in May, and if you win, you can play the Barracuda (Championship of the PGA Tour) in July. “You never know.”
Reiter would be able to compete in other PGA Tour events if he won the Barracuda Championship.
Reiter stated that he would likely receive conditional status if he could play three or four consecutive events.
The 23-year old, who lives in San Diego currently, still has his sights set on the PGA Tour. His summer schedule will include U.S. Open qualification, which he completed last summer and allowed him to qualify for his first U.S. Open in June.
Reiter stated that the summer would be busy.
Brentley Romine, a former staffer of Reiter’s, provided some reporting for this article. )
