DETROIT, Mich. — A championship crowd was present at Oakland Hills Country Club for the first round of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, but it only followed one group and it migrated around the North Course rather than the traditional championship South Course.
Instead, a large majority of the crowd stuck with one three-man group the entire way. The group consisted of Alabama golf commit Chase Kyes and incoming Baylor freshman Davis Ovard, both 18, and 15-year-old Charlie Woods, the main attraction, who was followed by his dad — 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods.
The crowd lived for every shot from the trio, including Kyes and Ovard, through all 18 holes, adding the expected soundtrack of tournament golf with cheers, claps and gasps for most shots.
“It was a lot of fun,” Ovard, who finished the first round with a 3-over 73, told the Free Press. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with Charlie. And to have Tiger watching you, it’s crazy but it’s so much fun. The first few holes, obviously I was nervous with this crowd but once I settled in and relaxed, it was just enjoying the moment.”
For both Kyes and Ovard, this was their first taste of playing in front of a sizable crowd themselves. Once the nerves settled in after the first few holes, both settled into a rhythm while feeding off the energy from the crowd.
“It was cool because if you are playing in a different group and you hit a good shot, your dad is clapping,” said Kyes, who shot an even-par 70. “And then you hit a good shot in this group and you’ve got like 400 people clapping. It was a cool feeling for sure.”
Just 11 golfers who teed off during the morning rounds finished under par as both courses showed how difficult it can be for the field of top golfers under the age of 19. The greens rolled at major championship speeds while the rough was long and thick enough to camouflage golfers’ ankles during scrambles to accompany the vast bunkers and hills on each hole.
The group will play again tomorrow, teeing off in the afternoon on the 10th hole of the South Course, which will bring the same challenges while adding more distance to cover over the 18 holes, playing at 7,303 yards. The two Donald Ross-designed courses play similarly, Kyes said, so the game plan won’t change.
“Just hit fairways,” Kyes said. “And then if you get out of position, just get back into position. It is going to be a long week. The rough is super thick so just try to stay in the short grass.
Ovard is looking to cut back on the mistakes that were the difference between shooting a 73 and finishing closer to even-par through 18. He said he thought he hit the ball well Monday, but struggled to convert that into scores while having a pair of double-bogeys that he said should’ve just been a bogey.
“I need to keep it in the fairway more, this rough is brutal,” Ovard said. “… The greens are a little more slopey on the other side so that’ll be fun. (I need) to keep it in the fairway and the middle of the green.”
Playing with Charlie means playing in front of Tiger
Kyes and Ovard praised Charlie Woods for his golf game and mental fortitude following the round. The college-bound golfers, three years his senior, said he was a good player with “all the talent in the world” as Kyes put it. Charlie Woods was visibly frustrated with himself as he struggled through the round to post a 12-over 82.
Charlie Woods hit the ball plenty far using his driver, 3-wood or a long iron, matching the distances of the others in his group. He struggled around the green with chipping and putting, leaving multiple chips out of the rough short or three-putting on the fast greens.
“Charlie is a great player,” Kyes said. “I mean, he’s got all the talent in the world. He just didn’t have a good day.”
Ovard met Charlie Woods Sunday when the two played a practice round together before being grouped together in the tournament. Ovard said he does a good job handling the pressure surrounding him while still playing well.
“He’s a super nice kid,” Ovard said. “I mean, you see him on social media and all of this stuff and you don’t really get to see what he’s like but he’s super nice. He’s a really good player and the amount of pressure on him is crazy — I couldn’t imagine that. He does a really good job handling the pressure.”
Kyes and Ovard got a taste of that pressure from the crowd, along with playing in front of the most successful golfer of the last 40 years in Charlie’s dad.
“I tried to do my own thing,” Kyes said. “And then I looked over at him a few times but I tried not too much. There’s a lot of pressure with his name.”
To stay even-keeled, the Alabama golfer had a simple mantra repeating in his head to remind himself he wasn’t the main attraction for the fans or Tiger.
“I kept telling myself, they are here for (Charlie), not me,” Kyes said.