Despite Starkly Different Realities, Charlie Woods Gets Rival Miles Russell's 6-Word Stamp of Approval
Two teenagers with hopes and dreams and one sport"”Golf! Charlie Woods, the young boy with a legacy to uphold, and Miles Russell "” working to create one. However, both are working towards finding a place in the world of golf. While Miles Russell has had a rather robust last few months where he has been making and breaking records. For instance, last year, Russell won the American Junior Golf Association Boys Player of the Year, leaving Tiger Woods behind and becoming the youngest golfer to do so. Charlie Woods, on the other hand, has experienced his fair share of ups and downs. Regardless, the two young guns have definitely shown a lot of promise, which has ignited the imagination of the golf community regarding whether a new iconic rivalry, like Woods vs. Mickelson, is in the making or not. The inquisitiveness around the two amateur golfers came up during the post-round interview at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, where Russell was asked about Charlie Woods and how familiar he is with him, as well as his thoughts about the 15-year-old fellow competitor. Miles Russell addressed all the questions in true sportsmanship spirit: "He was actually at my charity event I put on, the Florida Sunshine Cup, I played with him there. I haven't played with him in a while and it'll be good to see him." The lefty teenage golfer is, currently, the number one junior golfer in the world. Earlier this year, he got an exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour's LECOM Suncoast Classic. Although he couldn't win, he did well with an overall score of 14-under, finishing at T20. On the other hand, Woods Jr. hasn't made his PGA Tour debut yet as he failed to pass the qualifiers for both the Cognizant Classic and the US Open. However, the two will soon battle it out on the greens in the month of July.
Charlie Woods
The US Junior Amateur will take place at Oakland Hills in Michigan from July 22 to 27. Both youngsters will compete against each other there. When asked about the differences between the Michigan Greens, where Russell has played before, and the Detroit Greens, he shared his insights: "I think it might be a little firmer, a little faster, rough might be a little thicker, might be a little bit more of a championship-style course. I think the rough's going to be probably five, six inches and pretty thick. I think the key's going to be keeping it in the fairway." The AGJA No. 1 has already achieved so much at such a young age. Adding to the list is his participation at the Rocket Mortgage Classic through a special sponsorship exemption so how did the 15-year-old fair at the Motor City?
How was Miles Russell's experience at the Rocket Mortgage Classic?
Miles Russell scored 2 over 74 during the opening round of the event. He did show a drastic improvement on the very second day and scored 2 under 70. However, it was not enough for him to tee off on the moving day, as the cutline for the Rocket Mortgage classic was set to +4. After the first round, when asked if he had made any changes in his approach that made him perform better in the second round, he replied, "I don't think so. The game plan today was same as yesterday, just try to execute it better. Did that early, just couldn't get any putts to fall on that back side." This week in Detroit must have been a memorable one for the youngster, as it marked his first PGA Tour event. He tried to stay focused during the game, but something else caught his attention at the 18th hole. He received a hearty ovation from the fans. Reflecting on this experience, he said, "The fans here, especially in Detroit, have been great and I'm looking forward to coming back in a month or so. It was just a cool moment." Well, Russell seems to be going in the right direction. Do you think he will continue to do so in the upcoming US Junior Amateur? Will he be able to win?