Charlie Woods and Miles Russell Aim to Win Tiger Woods Trophy at U.S. Junior Amateur

Miles Russell, who made the cut at the U.S. Open, is among the favorites to win the U.S. Junior Amateur. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Charlie Woods walks into the reception area at Saucon Valley Country Club for the U.S. Junior Amateur, he’ll be greeted by a wallpaper mural of colonial Pennsylvania and a photo of his father, Tiger Woods. 

The elder Woods won this event a record three straight times as a junior from 1991 to ’93, and the trophy awarded to the winner was renamed after him ahead of this year’s event. His son, Charlie, is playing for a chance to win the Tiger Woods Medal and hoist the Tiger Woods Trophy. The photo of a young Tiger holding the trophy is on a poster directly next to the receptionist's desk. 

The younger Woods is far from the favorite to win the U.S. Junior Am. He’s 174th in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) rankings. In his most recent tournament on July 15, he failed to qualify for the U.S. Amateur, shooting a 5-over 76 at the Ohio State University Golf Club. He’s competed in the U.S. Junior Am two previous times and failed to make the cut to match play after two rounds of stroke play both times. 

And yet, the possibility remains. Woods, 17, who is committed to play golf at Florida State in 2027, could put together two great rounds and give himself a shot in the 64-person match play bracket. That will be the top storyline as the Junior Am takes place from July 20-25 at Saucon Valley in Bethlehem, Pa. 

“It’s a pretty natural fit to name this the Tiger Woods Trophy because what he accomplished in the early 90s is never going to happen again, or likely will never happen again,” said Rob Doone, the Director of the U.S. Junior Amateur. “For his kid to have an opportunity to win his dad’s trophy is exciting. I’m sure there’s added pressure on him to perform. But he definitely has the game to do it.”

Woods isn’t the only one. Four players competing in the U.S. Junior Amateur also qualified for the U.S. Open this year: Miles Russell, Giuseppe Puebla, Hamilton Coleman and Jackson Ormond. Russell is also committed to Florida State. He and Woods are friends. Woods caddied for Russell when he qualified for the U.S. Open, where Russell made the cut and finished T39. 

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Russell, ranked No. 1 in the AGJA, is the player to beat. He lost in the quarterfinals the last two years of the event. 

That said, everyone in the Top 5 of the AJGA rankings is playing the event. It’s a stacked field and it's fair to expect many of these players to emerge as future stars of the game. Past winners include Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Min Woo Lee, Johnny Miller and David Duval. 

“It always amazes me how good they are,” Doone said. “I go around with hole locations and think ‘that’s going to be hard,’ and then they go out and make it look easy. It’s really impressive the talent level of these players. Our medalist last year went on to win the U.S. Amateur.” 

Saucon Valley most recently hosted the 2022 U.S. Senior Open, won by Padraig Harrington. It’s already tabbed to host the 2032 and 2042 U.S. Senior Opens, the 2038 U.S. Women's Amateur and the 2051 U.S. Amateur. The first two rounds of stroke play will be contested on the Old Course and the Grace Course. The match-play rounds will be played at the Old Course. 

“It’s a really special championship being able to come out and watch the future of the game,” Doone said. “The talent we’re going to see here is very, very high.”

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