Charlie Woods will be competing at Oakland Hills Country Club next month. He recently shot a 1-under-par 71 at a U.S. Junior Amateur Championship qualifier at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Florida, winning by one shot. The tournament will take place from July 22-27 on both the North and restored South courses at Oakland Hills.
The 264-player field consists of top golfers under 19 who will play two rounds of stroke play on both courses before moving to match play on the South Course for the top 64 golfers. The winner will receive an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Among the top-ranked amateur golfers in the world who received an exemption is 15-year-old Miles Russell, who will be playing at the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club next week on a sponsor exemption. The remaining spots in the field will be filled by top finishers at qualifiers like Woods. Woods finished strong at the qualifier with three birdies between holes 13 and 16.
Oakland Hills will also host the Junior Amateur, marking the beginning of eight USGA championships at the course from 2024-51, including four U.S. Opens.
Tiger Woods has a history at Oakland Hills, having played there in the 2004 Ryder Cup and the 1996 U.S. Open. He was also a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team that lost to Europe at the course. Tiger, a 15-time major winner, has a strong history with the USGA, winning six straight championships: The Junior Amateur from 1991-93 and the U.S. Amateur from 1994-96.
Tiger Woods and Phil MIckelson at the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
