Charlie Woods’s ‘Incredible’ Rival Wins Phil Mickelson’s Heart: ‘Amazing Accomplishment’

Phil Mickelson is in all praise of the lefty sensation. Left-handed golfers appear to be a dwindling tribe in Golf. Miles Russell, though, shows hopes of being the new lefty star. The 15-year-old set a record by becoming the youngest player to make the cut at any Korn Ferry Tour event.

It was ‘cool’, he admitted yesterday. But Russell didn’t rest on his laurels. The high-school freshman has been under par in all three rounds and currently sits at T31. An impressive KFT debut for an amateur, who, like another famous 15-year-old, Charlie Woods, is also a 2027 graduate. But Russell’s amateur resume is far better than Woods Jr. And, his latest feat has caught the attention of the most famous left-handed golfer.

Phil Mickelson feels Russell is an incredible golfer

Phil Mickelson knows what it means to stack up against pros as an amateur. After all, Lefty won the Northern Telecom Open in 1991 as an amateur. So, when Miles Russell made the KFT cut, the 45-time PGA Tour winner tweeted, “Miles Russell, a 15 year old left handed golfer made the cut in this week’s Korn Ferry event. This is an amazing accomplishment. It’s great to see a young lefty playing such incredible golf.” 

Notably, Russell became the youngest champion of the Junior PLAYERS Championship last September. Prior to that, he notched a seven-stroke victory at the Junior PGA Championship. Russell was also part of the Junior Ryder Cup team. On top of that, the high school freshman was the youngest ever to earn the AJGA Boys Rolex Junior Player of the Year Award. 

The record was previously held by 15-year-old Tiger Woods in 1991. Russell was ten months younger, however. Also of note, the AJGA No. 1 golfer has signed two NIL deals already, one with TaylorMade, which makes him the youngest golfer on the equipment giant’s roster. None of that is on Charlie Woods’s resume. 

In fact, Russell was also in the Cognizant Classic pre-qualifier field. Both crashed out but Russell was T21, carding 2-under 70. Whereas, Woods Jr. posted 86. Arguably, teenage Woods has a distance to cover. But Phil Mickelson has been generous with young and rising stars before. He has praised Charlie Woods as well.

Mickelson chose Woods Jr. over his close competitor? 

Back in 2021, the video of Charlie Woods and Tiger Woods swinging a club side-by-side went viral. Lefty though, liked teenage Woods’s swing better than his 15-time major champion pop. Phil Mickelson tweed, “I like Charlie’s recoil better,” with a laughing emoji. Actually, the three-time Masters winner has never shied away from encouraging the juniors.

When Nick Dunlap won the American Express, Mickelson was one of the first few LIV Golfers to congratulate the University of Alabama product. The 53-year-old tweeted, “Such an impressive performance by Nick Dunlap. Congratulations on an incredible win. This is just the beginning.”  

Lefties are a minority in the golf world. Mike Weir was the first left-handed golfer to win the Masters. Bubba Watson has two. And Lefty, of course, has the most decorated Augusta National resume among all three. Naturally, for Miles Russel, earning a thumbs up from the greatest left-handed golfer to ever play is a worthy recognition of his achievements.