The American junior amateur from Oakland Hills Country Club just gained some serious star power.
Charlie Woods, the 15-year-old son of golf legend Tiger Woods, has qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, presented by the United States Golf Association, next month in Bloomfield Township.
Woods shot a 1-under 71 on Wednesday to win his qualifying match at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs, Florida. He was the only player under par among the 74 players who finished their qualification. The top four earned tickets to Oakland Hills.
Woods won’t be the highest-ranked golfer in the field, but he will headline a field of 264 golfers playing at Oakland Hills July 22-27. The North and South courses will be used for stroke play for the first two days, and the legendary South course will be used for matches for the final four days, with the 36-hole championship match scheduled for July 27.
Charlie Woods has won multiple tournaments on Florida’s junior circuit in recent years, occasionally with his famous father as caddy and, if not caddying, almost always watching from the gallery.
With Charlie Woods heading to Michigan next month, Tiger Woods is almost certain to be in the gallery, his arrival depending on how he does in his final tournament of the year, the British Open, scheduled for July 18-21 at Royal Troon. .
Charlie Woods has a 3.4 handicap and at times his game has been on display for the entire country, competing alongside Tiger Woods in the annual PNC Championship. They finished second in 2021, behind the Dalys, John and little John.
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Tiger Woods said before the US Open earlier this month that he has been relying on his son to help him with his putting.
Other notables in the US Junior Amateur field include Miles Russell, the 15-year-old phenom from Florida who made a cut on the Korn Ferry Tour earlier this year and earned a sponsor exemption for the PGA Tour tournament of Detroit, next week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. , as well as 18-year-old New Zealander Joshua Bai, runner-up in last year’s US Amateur.
Ann Arbor Skyline’s Ieuan Jones is also in the field, winning his heat in Omaha, Nebraska, in late May.
Tiger Woods played two competitive tournaments at Oakland Hills: the 1996 US Open, where he tied for 82nd as an amateur, and the 2004 Ryder Cup, where Team USA was badly beaten by Team Europe. He did not play in the 2008 PGA Championship, recovering from leg surgery after his surprising playoff victory over Rocco Mediate at the US Open earlier that year.
The 76th US Amateur will be free for fans, as will parking at Bloomfield Hills High School, where a shuttle will be available.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
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