US Open Gets Its Next Young Star: Miles Russell Qualifies at 17 With Tiger Woods’ Son Along for the Ride
Miles Russell at the US Open 2026 final qualifying event in Florida with Charlie Woods as caddie.
Golf has always had a soft spot for teenage prodigies turning up at major championships and making the whole thing look easier than it should be, and Miles Russell)gave the sport another one of those moments on Monday when the 17-year-old from the United States earned his spot at the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills by surviving one of the most nerve-wracking qualifying formats in professional sport.
After Russell, ranked number 10 among amateur golfers in the world, secured the fourth and final qualifying spot from the Florida qualifier, surviving a bogey on the first play-off hole to get through and book his place at the 126th US Open scheduled for June 18 to 21 at Shinnecock Hills.
What made the whole story even more compelling was that Charlie Woods, Tiger Woods' son and one of Russell's close friends, caddied for him throughout the 36-hole qualifier, with the two teenagers sharing the same commercial agent and clearly a close bond that went well beyond just a one-day arrangement on a golf course.
Furthermore, to add When asked whether Charlie would also carry the bag at Shinnecock Hills, Russell smiled and kept things deliberately vague, saying only that it was yet to be determined and that they would see what Charlie was doing at the time.
Monday was described as golf's longest day with ten final qualifying events running simultaneously across the United States and Canada, with 715 players competing across all sites for 43 available spots in the field, and notable names including Tony Finau and Max Homa both failed to make it through their respective qualifiers, with Finau set to miss the US Open for the first time since 2017.
Sportscape feels that the Miles Russell qualifying for the US Open at 17 with Charlie Woods carrying his bag is the kind of story that writes itself, but what makes it genuinely interesting beyond the headline is what it signals about the next generation of professional golf two teenagers connected to the sport's biggest legacy, competing and working together at the highest level, suggesting the Woods name is going to stay relevant in professional golf long after Tiger's playing career has fully wound down.
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