Miles Russell is the next big thing in golf. Of Course, the caveat is that he continues to believe in the grind. But so far, it is looking good. Russell, who had started playing golf at the age of two, had a remarkable junior career. He won the Junior PGA Championship and the Junior Players Championship in 2023. And a day after his 15 birthday, he broke the legendary Tiger Woods’ record by becoming the youngest golfer to win the AJGA Boys Player of the Year award.
Now nearly one and a half years later, he is outshining another member of the Woods family, and this time on the course. The top-ranked junior laid his hands on the coveted 2025 Junior Invitational at the Sage Valley. The 16-year-old was trailing by four strokes at the end of day 3, but a brilliant last-day effort helped him outperform Joshua Bai to score 9 under and claim the bragging rights at a tournament previously won by the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Akshay Bhatia, and Joaquin Niemann.
On the other end, Charlie Woods had a very forgettable outing at the event. Despite just shooting 1 over on the last day, Woods could only finish T25 with a score of 8 over par in a field of 36 golfers. It will be a huge blow for the youngster, who is looking to carve a niche in the golfing world similar to his father.
🚨🚀🏆 #WINNER — 16-year old Miles Russell (-9 par) has won the Sage Valley Junior Invitational, one of the most prestigious Jr events in the U.S.
🗒️ Other notables
-Charlie Woods +11 (T25 out of 36 boys) – -Kai Trump +52 (24th out of 24 girls) pic.twitter.com/iFYSUJDFCQ— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) March 23, 2025
This will be a bit of a concern for Tiger Woods who enjoys seeing his kids have success. Very recently, he was seen in high spirits following his daughter Sam Woods’s soccer team’s comeback victory at the state championship. Sam Woods, who is the captain of Benjamin High School, won her school’s first state title and was at the receiving end of a warm hug from the legendary golfer post the victory against Lakeland Christian.
Kai Trump disappoints at Sage Valley
In the girls’ division, it was Canada’s Aphrodite Deng who won the event, finishing with a highly impressive 7-under. The 14-year-old was very dominant, having a six-stroke lead over her nearest competition, Yujie Liu. However, the shock of the event was with the last-placed finisher.
Kai Trump shot 83 in the final round to finish the tournament with a 35-over score and finishing 24 in a field of 24 golfers. She recorded eight bogeys and two double bogeys during her disappointing last day. It will be a huge learning experience for the young golfer as she is committed to playing college golf at the University of Miami for the upcoming season.
Charlie Woods will also need to treat this event as a learning experience. There is pressure and scrutiny on him as there are some big shoes that the youngster is expected to fill. But for that, he will need to put in work. It is not easy to make a difference in the world of professional golf.
