Despite not performing their best at the Sage Valley Junior Invitational last week, Charlie Woods and Kai Trump saw a significant rise in their American Junior Golf Association rankings. However, the amateur golf world was fixated on one talent in particular. Charlie – the son of 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods – and Trump, granddaughter of President Donald Trump, were undoubtedly the star attractions at the Sage Valley event.
Their participation – along with the fact Tiger recently announced his romance with Kai’s mother, Vanessa – drew substantial attention to the tournament. The Irish Star reported how both young golfers struggled to find their top form, however. Woods, who has been seen at events with his 15-time major-winning father in recent years, finished 25th out of 36 players at Sage Valley. Despite looking set for a top-20 finish in the final round, the 16-year-old lost five shots over his last five holes in what turned out to be a challenging finish. Trump also had a tough time, finishing last out of 24 in her draw.
The 17-year-old ended the week 52-over-par with rounds of 79, 89 and 83, leaving her 22 shots behind at the bottom of the leaderboard. However, despite their struggles at one of golf’s most prestigious junior events, there was a silver lining.
Woods, the progeny of golfing royalty, saw his position in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) rankings soar a staggering 235 places as he rose to 603rd. Meanwhile, Trump enjoyed her own surge, ascending from 815th to 530th on the girls’ leaderboard despite a last-place finish.
This unexpected elevation came as a result of the Sage Valley tournament dishing out maximum points, even though it isn’t an official stop on the AJGA tour. Sage Valley boasts a history of illustrious winners, including Joaquin Niemann and the world’s reigning No1, Scottie Scheffler.
Joining this elite group of past champions is the young phenom Miles Russell, who triumphed in the boys’ competition at just 16 years of age. And it’s far from his first major win on a big stage.
Now perched atop the AJGA rankings, Russell kicked off with a dazzling three-under-par 69 and continued his impressive form with three back-to-back 70s to capture the crown. His stellar play even turned the head of left-handed legend and six-time major champion Phil Mickelson.
LIV star Mickelson took to social media earlier in the week to sing Russell’s praises. ‘Lefty’ earmarked him as one to watch as he wrote on X: “It’s going to be fun watching this young lefty’s career!”
