Detroit, MI
Charlie Woods can’t measure up as U.S. Junior Amateur shifts to match play
Bloomfield Township — Charlie Woods’ round was long, and his exit was fast.
Woods, the 15-year-old son of Tiger Woods, struggled again Tuesday at Oakland Hills Country Club and missed the cut by a wide margin in his biggest tournament to date, the U.S. Junior Amateur.
Woods made two double-bogeys and a triple-bogey on his opening nine holes on the historic South Course, and posted a second-round 80 to finish the stroke-play portion of the United States Golf Association championship at 22 over par. He beat just 17 players in the 264-player field. Playing in front of the largest galleries on the course over his two days, including his famous father, who walked every step of the way over 36 holes, Woods missed the cut by 14 strokes. Tuesday’s round lasted more than 6 hours, because of a lengthy thunderstorm delay.
Following his round, Charlie Woods signed his scorecard and took photos with his playing partners, before jumping on the back of a waiting security cart, with Tiger Woods seated in the front. The cart, surrounding by more than a half-dozen police officers, peeled away and whisked the duo to their waiting SUV, which departed the parking lot within moments. Neither signed autographs nor spoke to the media, though they brought a lot of buzz to the tournament.
The tournament now moves into the match-play portion, starting Wednesday — though there’s work to do first. There will be a playoff in the morning, with 13 players competing for the final nine spots in the 64-player bracket. One of those players at 4 over par is Ann Arbor Skyline golfer Ieaun Jones.
Jones, 18, shot consecutive 72s, including Tuesday’s on the North Course, where he struck the well, but struggled on the greens. Jones missed a short birdie putt on No. 7, his 16th hole, but made a long one on No. 8, his 17th hole, to get inside the cut line for the playoff. The birdie on No. 8 snapped a string of nine consecutive pars.
“It was pretty frustrating, to be honest,” Jones said. “I had a lot of looks. I was hitting the ball great today. There’s not much you can do on the greens other than make the best strokes.
“I can definitely compete with the best. I hit it so good. And I was able to putt really poorly and still have a chance to make it tomorrow.
“We’ll see what happens.”
Making match play is most players’ goals entering the U.S. Junior Amateur, because from there, anything can happen.
The bracket will be finalized at the conclusion of the playoff, with the first round of match play set for Wednesday, two rounds Thursday, the quarterfinals and semifinals Friday, and the 36-hole championship match Saturday. The South Course will be used exclusively from here on out.
Jones is one of three Michigan men in the field, and the only one who can make mach play.
Lake Orion’s Connor Fox, 17, who go in by winning the Michigan Junior Amateur, finished 18 over par after a second-round 83 on the North Course that included a quadruple-bogey 9 on his second nine. With a dozen or more family members and friends watching, Fox didn’t play nearly as well as he wanted, but the Michigan State commitment learned a lot about what it takes to compete on his stage.
He also gets the memory of hitting the tournament’s first tee shot, Monday morning.
“I’ll remember that forever. I’ll never forget,” Fox said. “I’ve got four different angles of the video saved on my phone.”
Coldwater’s Ryker Ferguson, 18, who got into this week’s tournament as an alternate out of the qualifier at the Country Club of Lansing when another participant had to pull out because of the global travel issues, finished 30 over after a second-round 81 on the North Course.
To start the week, there were seven players in the field who were ranked in the top 120 of the world golf amateur rankings, and six of them advanced to match play.
That includes medalist Blades Brown (No. 103), a 16-year-old from Tennessee who was 6 under in stroke play, shooting a 2-under 68 on the South Course on Tuesday. Runner-up was Tyler Watts (No. 119), a 15-year-old from Alabama, who was at 5 under after a par-70 on the South. Also making the cut was 15-year-old Florida phenom Miles Russell (No. 116), the little left-hander who competed in last month’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, the PGA Tour stop in Detroit. Russell was 1 under after a 1-over 71 on the South Course, where he began his round with four birdies in his first five holes.
Not ranked is Mack Edwards, who tied for third in stroke play at 4 under, after a 70 on the North Course on Tuesday. The North Carolina 17-year-old, who opened Tuesday’s round with a bogey and double-bogey before righting the ship, might’ve surprised everyone but himself.
“Look, sure, I haven’t had the resume of Blades Brown and Tyler Watts, but hopefully this is the start of something good,” said Edwards, who walked off his final hole Tuesday afternoon with a big fist-pump after making a 5-footer for par. “I feel like I’ve played some pretty solid golf in the recent months, and it’s feeling good now. And if I can go out and play like this on these golf courses, it’s definitely a confidence boost.”
Edwards tied for third at 4 under with New Zealand’s Joshua Bai, 18, who was last year’s runner-up.
Also at 4 under was Lev Grinberg, a 16-year-old who was born in Ukraine, and Chase Kyes, an 18-year-old from Alabama who made the Sweet 16 in last year’s U.S. Amateur, before losing to eventual champion Bryan Kim.
The 2023 experience or Kyes certainly helped prepare him for the pressure cooker that is major-championship golf, but it probably still didn’t prepare him for what he’s experienced this week. He made match play while playing his stroke-play rounds with Charlie Woods, and in front of Tiger Woods and a big, old gallery.
“I’ve never played in front of a crowd like that before,” said Kyes, whose dad, Ryan, was Mr. Baseball in Michigan in 1997, posing a .551 career batting average at Detroit Country Day. “But it was a great experience. Good for my future.”
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers Get To Avoid One Part of Free Agency This Offseason
The Detroit Tigers have some interesting questions to answer in free agency, but none of them have to deal with players that have expiring contracts.
As Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report highlighted the top free agent that each MLB team needs to focus on re-signing, he pointed out that the Tigers have no one to bring back.
“Detroit literally has zero free agents. They traded both Jack Flaherty and Mark Canha—both of whom will be free agents this offseason—before going on a rather shocking run to the postseason,” said Kelly.
They decided to part ways with their expiring contracts at the deadline and focus on giving their young stars a chance to shine. And that is exactly what they did.
Now, they can focus solely on who to add to the roster, rather than examining how important a departing free agent was to the success.
General manager Jeff Greenberg and company in the front office aren’t expected to open up their checkbooks too much in free agency, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be interested in signing anyone.
While Juan Soto is going to be a conversation that every team has, the Tigers get to see which players compliment their burgeoning stars rather than bringing in a face of the franchise for hundreds of millions of dollars.
While they don’t have anyone directly leaving from the roster, a reunion with a previously traded player may make sense.
Detroit sent Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline. It was a win-win deal that led to the Tigers acquiring some valuable prospects and the Dodgers got a pitcher that was at least solid down the stretch of the regular season to set up their World Series run.
The problem with Flaherty’s future relationship with Los Angeles, was that he sort of crumbled once they got into the postseason.
He finished with a 7.36 ERA, giving up at least four runs twice and getting shelled for eight another time. While he didn’t ruin their chances to win, re-signing him won’t be too high of a priority.
Coming back to Detroit would make sense for Flaherty, as it seemed that he found something that worked for him. He posted a 2.95 ERA with 11.9 K/9 over 18 starts with the team.
The Tigers also clearly need more real starting pitching for a postseason run of its own. So a reunion of this type shouldn’t be ruled out of the equation.
Detroit, MI
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Detroit, MI
Predictions: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Nolan Bianchi, John Niyo, Richard Silva and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News offer predictions for Sunday’s Lions-Packers game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin (4:25 p.m., Fox/97.1).
▶ Nolan Bianchi: It’s not just the NFC North lead on the line this weekend; the Lions are also trying to protect their standing as the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Lambeau isn’t as scary as it once was. Case in point: Despite this being a matchup of two teams with six wins, the Lions are favorites despite this being their first outdoor game this season. The Lions should probably expect a slight regression in their recent offensive output (especially with some heavy rain in the forecast), but this offense was built to win in these conditions. Even with a battered and bruised defense, the Lions have been the definition of complementary football this season. I’m expecting them to find a win — be it by offense, defense, or special teams — when it counts. Pick: Lions, 23-20
▶ John Niyo: The Lions have won two in a row at Lambeau, including a cold-weather statement at the end of the 2022 season. But this will be their first outdoor game this season, and the rainy weather will be a factor. That shouldn’t be a huge problem for a Lions offense that’s built to win in the elements with a reliable — and explosive — run game. The Packers can run it, too, especially if it’s Malik Willis starting at quarterback for an injured Jordan Love. And there has been some slippage in the Lions’ run defense with all the injuries up front. Still, on a day where ball security may be the difference, the Lions probably have the edge. Green Bay and Detroit rank 1-2 in the NFL in takeaways, but the Lions have only committed five turnovers all season. Pick: Lions, 27-24
▶ Richard Silva: This is what it’s all about. Lambeau Field, divisional implications and a couple of historic franchises duking it out in November. In a contest where weather could be an issue — there’s rain in the forecast for Sunday — expect both teams to lean heavily on the run game. The Packers rank No. 5 in rush yards per game at 156.9, and the Lions aren’t too far behind at No. 6, with 156.7. Detroit does have a better run defense, however, which could make the difference. If Jared Goff continues to take care of the ball — he has a 12-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his last five games — the Lions should be in good shape. That won’t be easy, though, with Xavier McKinney and his NFL-high six interceptions roaming in the back end. Pick: Lions, 24-20
▶ Bob Wojnowski: These trips to Green Bay keep getting bigger and bigger, and this one is for control of the NFC North. The Packers (6-2) technically need it more than the Lions (6-1), but that never slows Dan Campbell’s bunch. Green Bay has roughed up Jared Goff, at times, and the Lions’ staunch offensive line has been a little leaky, allowing four sacks against the Titans. That’s all the incentive Goff, Ben Johnson and the rest of the NFL’s best offense need. With Green Bay’s offensive line and quarterback situation (Jordan Love? Malik Willis?) jumbled by injuries, the Lions will focus on powerful back Josh Jacobs, and feature their own powerful backs. It doesn’t take much to inspire David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, and on the wet (but unfrozen) tundra of Lambeau Field, running is always the best option. If they protect the ball — and Kalif Raymond unleashes another 90-yard punt return! — the Lions will avenge last year’s Thanksgiving loss and stay firmly atop the NFC. Pick: Lions, 27-20
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