Although Charlie Woods emerged victorious in the qualifying round of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, Tiger Woods’ reaction to his score indicated that he was not content with it. The disappointment on his face was apparent upon hearing the final results announced.
Next month, Charlie Woods will participate in a competition held at Michigan’s Oakland Hills Country Club.
On Wednesday, at the Eagle Trace Golf Club in Florida, Woods achieved a 1-under 71 score during a qualifier for the U.S. Junior Amateur championship.
Fifteen-year-old Woods, son of famed golfer Tiger Woods, secured his spot in the upcoming July 22-27 tournament at Oakland Hills Country Club’s North and South courses by winning the qualifier with a one-shot lead.
Before the championship is settled, the top 264 golfers under 19 years old will compete in two rounds of stroke play on both courses. Afterward, only the best-performing 64 players move forward to match play on the South Course.
Seventy-eight players have already received an exemption into the field, which includes top-ranked amateur golfers from around the world. Among them is 15-year-old Miles Russell, who has been granted a sponsor exemption to participate in next week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club.
Additional players for the 264-player field will be selected from top qualifiers, such as Charlie Woods. He clinched victory by displaying an impressive performance with three consecutive birdies on holes 13 to 16 despite starting off poorly on the back nine with a bogey and double bogey.
On Tuesday, Jeff Judge, the Junior Amateur chairman and former president of Oakland Hills, expressed his excitement for witnessing the upcoming cohort of budding golf prodigies at Oakland Hills in July as they vie for one of junior golf’s most highly prized championships. He also proceeded to list some noteworthy exclusions from that group including Russell.
Woods aims to make his mark on the 108-year-old course’s illustrious history as it prepares to host top-tier competitions in future years. Beginning with the Junior Amateur, Oakland Hills will host eight USGA championships between 2024 and 2051, featuring four U.S. Opens among them.
“The partnership began a century ago, but with our recent collaboration and seven additional championships won since then – we aim for more in the future,” commented Rob Doone, Director of USGA Junior Amateur. He highlighted how Oakland Hills’ bond with governing bodies has resulted in an incredible platform to success showcasing renowned past champions achieving unbelievable feats through participation.”
After 20 years since his dad was part of the U.S. Ryder Cup team that suffered defeat against Europe at Oakland Hills, Woods will stroll through its slopes. Although Tiger Woods teamed up with Phil Mickelson once during their extensive Ryder Cup careers, they did not secure a victory in either match played; Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington, then Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood were victorious over them.
In Bloomfield Township, Tiger participated in another tournament – the 1996 U.S. Open. Being an amateur at that time, he scored a total of 294 (76-69-77-72) over four days and it also turned out to be his last U.S. Open as an amateur after winning three consecutive ones earlier that year. At just twenty years old during this competition, Tiger briefly held a share of the lead in round one before struggling on five concluding holes of the South Course where he finished nine over par.
Due to his remarkable triumph in the U.S. Open, he underwent knee surgery that abruptly concluded his season and prevented him from participating in the 2008 PGA Championship held at Oakland Hills.
From 1991 to 1996, Tiger Woods won six consecutive USGA championships: three Junior Amateur titles and three U.S. Amateur titles, totaling his major wins at fifteen.
