Why Charlie Woods will not caddie for Miles Russell in U.S. Open debut

Charlie Woods will not be on the bag for golf's top-ranked junior player at next week's U.S. Open.

>Jacksonville Beach's Miles Russell announced his swing coach Ramon Bescansa would be his caddy at the 126th U.S. Open next week at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York in a teleconference on Friday, June 12

>Russell, the No. 1 junior golfer in the AJGA Rolex Rankings, survived a 3-for-2 sudden death playoff to qualify on "Golf's Longest Day" at BallenIsles Country Club's East course on June 8 in Palm Beach Gardens.

>Woods, a rising senior at the Benjamin School and son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, was Russell's caddie for the 36-hole event.

>Russell was complimentary of Woods' impact as caddie and initially said he hoped his friend and fellow Florida State commit would available on the bag at the U.S. Open.

>"We just walked and talked and laughed," Russell said. "We had a bunch of fun and he helped me the most probably just by staying calm, taking my mind off what was going on.

>"That's a pretty stressful day and if you have somebody on your bag that you don't want to spend all day with, it's going to make it that much harder."

>It was a common sentiment among the junior golfers in Monday's U.S. Open qualifier in Palm Beach Gardens.

>Royal Palm Beach's Giuseppe Puebla, 17, qualified for the U.S. Open and tied with PGA Tour veteran Ben Silverman for the day's best overall score. He selected his friend Hampton Beebe of West Palm Beach to man the bag.

>"It's such a long stressful day that I think you want a familiar face on the bag," Puebla said. "Just someone that you can rely on. If it's someone you don't know, you're kind of trucking the whole day and just trying to stay alive. To have someone who is close to you is pretty nice."

>Beebe, an Auburn golf signee and reigning FHSAA state champion, is unlikely to be available to caddie for Puebla at the U.S. Open due to his own playing schedule.

>As of Friday morning, Beebe and Woods are in the field as players at Florida's 109th Amateur Championship in Jupiter. Beebe shot 3-under in the first round and is tied for fourth place while shot 8-over and is tied for 112th.

>Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@usatodayco.com.

>This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Charlie Woods will not caddie at U.S. Open for friend Miles Russell