The headlines are brimming with the news of the legend’s son, Charlie Woods. Fascinatingly, he had decided to take part in the pre-qualifiers for an upcoming PGA Tour event, the Cognizant Classic. But even so, it’s not as if the journey for the young athlete until the main tournament would be an easy one. Why? Enter Miles Russell.
Who is he? Well, he is the only 15-year-old, apart from Tiger Woods’s son, who would be taking part in the pre-qualifiers. In the meantime, it is natural to get curious about the two athletes as they gear up to take part in the PGA Tour event.
Has Charlie Woods finally met his match in Miles Russell?
Russell was dubbed the ‘Boys Player of the Year‘ at the American Junior Golf Boys Association soon after turning 15, becoming the youngest player to be crowned so. Moreover, he was able to surpass the record of the 15-time major champ, who claimed the same in 1991, at the age of 15. Besides, the feat has made him join the legend in becoming the only two 15-year-olds who have won the award.
What’s more, in terms of ranking, the young golfer ranks 76th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, while being the first in the AJGA rankings, as opposed to Woods Jr., who is not ranked in either. This can be attributed to the reason being Mr. T’s son not having ever played for AJGA or qualified for a USGA amateur event.
That’s not all. Charlie’s nemesis has clinched the fourth position on the Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings (Boys) and the top place in the GW rankings. However, the 15-year-old Woods has his name ranked as low as T1300 in the former while being placed at T1148 in the latter standings. It appears the youngster has his game cut out for him for the week’s pre-qualifiers.
Charlie Woods isn't the only 15-year-old in a Cognizant pre-q.
Miles Russell surpassed Charlie's dad last year as youngest-ever AJGA Rolex Junior POY. How Miles' ranks compare to Charlie:
Russell
WAGR : 76
AJGA: 1
JGS: 4
GW: 1Woods
WAGR: NR
AJGA: NR
JGS: 1,300
GW: 1,148 pic.twitter.com/zg4cM7YwmL— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) February 21, 2024
Although the 82-time PGA Tour champ’s son is not ranked highly when compared with Russell, it’s not as if he is devoid of any achievements. Interestingly, over the past year, Charlie Woods has managed to rake in many wins and top finishes, one of which came alongside his father at the 2021 PNC Championship.
Woods Jr. and Russell, are not your average junior golfers
Aside from a T2 at the parent-child event, the young athlete was able to push his team from the Benjamin School to win the Florida High School State Championship. In addition, he won the Major Championship at Village Golf Course in Florida, along with qualifying for the Notah Begay III Junior Golf Championship with a victory at the Last Chance Florida Regional (Boys).
Now, coming back to Russell. At the age of 9, he was able to qualify for the Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals and became one of 10 players in the boys’ 7-9 age group. Besides, he was able to do so by finishing first in the driving portion of the regional finals while tying for second in putting and tying for third in chipping. What’s more, he had also won a local qualifier at TPC Sawgrass and emerged victorious at a sub-regional qualifier at the World Golf Village.
Well, although there is enough room for both of them to qualify, one can’t help but imagine both the youngsters duking it out against each other at the same. Anyhow, many eyes would be undoubtedly on the pre-qualifiers, the event where the legend’s son would battle it out against another golfer who broke the legend’s record!
