The U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club just got some significant 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 qualifier at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs, Florida. He was the only player under par among the 74 players who finished his qualifier. The top four earned tickets to Oakland Hills.
Woods won’t be the top-ranked golfer in the field, but he certainly will headline a field of 264 golfers who tee it up at Oakland Hills from July 22-27. The North and South courses will be used for stroke play over the first two days, with the legendary South Course being used for match play the final four days, with the 36-hole championship match set for July 27.
Charlie Woods has won multiple tournaments on the junior circuit in Florida in recent years, occasionally with his famous father caddying, and if not caddying, almost always in the gallery watching.
With Charlie Woods heading to Michigan next month, Tiger Woods is a near-lock to be in the gallery, at some point, his arrival depending on how he fares at his final tournament of the year, the British Open, set for July 18-21 at Royal Troon. Parents aren’t allowed to caddie for players in the U.S. Junior Amateur.
Charlie Woods carries a plus-3.4 handicap (that means he’s better than scratch), and his game has occasionally been on display for all the nation to see, 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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Other notables in the U.S. Junior Amateur field include Miles Russell, the 15-year-old phenom from Florida who made history in making a cut on the Korn Ferry Tour earlier this year, and then received a sponsor’s exemption into Detroit’s PGA Tour tournament, next week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, as well as New Zealand’s Joshua Bai, 18, the runner-up at last year’s U.S. Amateur.
Ann Arbor Skyline’s Ieuan Jones also is in the field, winning his qualifier in Omaha, Nebraska, in late May.
Tiger Woods played two competitive tournaments at Oakland Hills: the 1996 U.S. Open, where he tied for 82nd as an amateur, and the 2004 Ryder Cup, where Team USA got beaten badly by Team Europe. He didn’t play in the 2008 PGA Championship, recovering from leg surgery after his stunning win in a playoff over Rocco Mediate in the U.S. Open earlier that year.
The 76th U.S. Amateur is free for fans, as is parking at Bloomfield Hills High School, where there will be a shuttle.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984