Charlie Woods spent three consecutive years trying to qualify for the U.S. Open. This April, he came closer than ever, but it still was not enough, as he missed the final qualifying stage by one shot. So on Monday, he settled for the next best option. He walked 36 holes at BallenIsles Country Club, carrying the bag for his rival and future college teammate.

Brentley Romine of Golf Channel reported that Charlie is caddying for his direct competitor, Miles Russell, on the final day of the US Open qualifier. Russell, the AJGA’s top-ranked golfer, entered ‘golf’s longest day’ as one of the most-watched names, along with Matthieu Pavon, Kevin Tway, Luke Clanton, and Matt Kuchar.

In the first round of the final qualifier, Russell shot 71. He carded three birdies on the front nine and picked up two more on the back nine. With the second round still underway, it remains to be seen how Russell fares. But overall, it seems having Woods on the bag is helping Russell. It can also be seen as Charlie being near his peer and top junior golfer to allow him to hone his game to finally make it into the final qualification round.

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On Which Hole Jordan Spieth’s Ball Got Stuck Under a Trashcan?

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Just six weeks earlier, on April 28, Charlie Woods’ latest attempt to qualify for this event ended in an even-par 72 at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs.

The 17-year-old had opened the round with a bogey before settling in. He birdied the par-4 sixth to return to even par, but a costly double bogey on the par-3 seventh proved very difficult to overcome. Charlie made the turn in 38, continuing the round with birdies at the par 5-10th and the par 4-12th as he briefly put himself back into contention. Two holes later, another bogey interrupted the charge, but then a birdie on the 15th was helpful. He then parred his final three holes to finish 10th.

Before 2026, Woods’s previous two attempts at the US Open qualifying weren’t successful. In 2024, he shot 81 at the Legacy Golf & Tennis Club. A year later, he carded 75 at Wellington National Golf Club and was seven strokes off the required score.

Apart from this agonizing loss, Charlie’s 2026 season has been average. His best finish was a tie for 19th at the Junior Orange Bowl International in January. He later finished 68th at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship and then 36th at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. In fact, just weeks before the U.S. Open qualifying, Charlie Woods finished T42 at the Terracotta Invitational.

Earlier this month, he qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur for the third time. He shot a 3-under 68 and won the 3-for-2 playoff to get the qualifying spot from the Heathrow Country Club.

Now, as far as Russell’s run goes, he has already made history by becoming the youngest player to ever make a Korn Ferry Tour cut. A year before that, he broke Tiger Woods’ record as the youngest AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year. For him, this is one of the final hurdles to becoming one of the greatest young golfers.

Charlie Woods and Miles Russell are the unexpected duo on the ground

The two future Seminoles are well acquainted with competition against each other. They’ve played together at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where Russell finished 41 shots ahead of Charlie and walked away with the famous gold jacket. Charlie, who finished last, went straight to Instagram to congratulate his future teammate.

“What an honor to compete at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, a really incredible event. Huge congrats to my friend and future teammate, @milesrussellgolf, on the win,” he wrote.

The golf world tends to see them as rivals, but they are clearly friends, as Russell would not have trusted Charlie to be on the bag as the former chases his maiden US Open appearance. They were even seen practicing together in February 2026 and are set to play together next season.

Both of them have committed to Florida State’s golf program for the 2027 season. Their admission is giving FSU coach Trey Jones some of the best-ranked juniors in the country in the same recruiting class.

Now, whether Russell makes it through BallenIsles or not and punches his ticket to Shinnecock remains to be seen, but Charlie has shown how a disastrous loss can turn into a big opportunity if an individual knows how to use it to their advantage.