Lake Oswego’s Drew Woolworth works to sharpen his golf game

Published 4:56 pm Wednesday, July 30, 2025

There’s no doubt about it – Drew Woolworth is an LO boy.

Woolworth, an incoming senior at Lake Oswego High School and the two-time reigning Class 6A state champion in boys golf, is all about LO, all about his team and all about helping the Lakers defend the 6A team title they won two months ago.

That said, Woolworth has been golf’s version of the road warrior this summer.

Woolworth, 18 and a University of Georgia commit, has crisscrossed the country in recent months, playing in some of the most prestigious junior tournaments on some of the best golf courses in the nation.

The road warrior

Here’s a brief look at Woolworth’s many summer stops, his results and how far he traveled to get there and back.

• June 9-12: Wyndham Invitational at Sedgefield Country Club – Donald Ross Course, Greensboro, North Carolina. Woolworth tied for 39th after shooting 67-73-76-216. Miles traveled: 5,600
• June 16-19: Western Junior at The Harvester Club, Rhodes, Iowa. Woolworth shot 76-75-151 and missed the cut. Miles traveled (one way): 1,800
• June 23-27: RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic at Bethpage State Park Golf Course – Black Course, Farmingdale, New York. Woolworth went 1-2 in match play and did not advance to the quarterfinals. Miles traveled (from Iowa): 4,100
• July 21-26: U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Trinity Forest Golf Club, Dallas, Texas. Woolworth shot 71-73-144 to tie for 50th in stroke play, then went 0-1 in match play. Miles traveled: 4,100
• July 29-Aug. 1: Junior PGA at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, West Lafayette, Indiana. Woolworth’s results are still TK. Miles traveled: 4,400
• Aug. 28-31: The Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass – The Players Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Woolworth’s results are still TK. Miles traveled (TK): 6,000

Results and reactions

Now competing against the best young players in the country on some of the best golf courses in the nation, Woolworth is learning fast and learning a lot. While he hasn’t dominated play the way he does in Oregon, Woolworth is loving life and focused on getting better.

“I’ve had a super great time traveling this year, especially getting into the bigger and better tournaments where I can play these better golf courses and better players,” Woolworth said. “It hasn’t been an amazing summer. I’m not winning everything, but I’ve been playing in better tournaments against better players and I’ve been playing fairly well, but it’s mostly a learning experience this year, and hopefully, I can break through (at the Junior PGA) and play great.”

The courses

Woolworth said that every golf course he’s played this summer has been special, but there are some that have a little more history behind them. The Bethpage Black Course on Long Island, for example, previously hosted the 2002 U.S. Open, the 2009 U.S. Open and the 2019 PGA Championship. TPC Sawgrass, meanwhile, is the longtime site of The Players Championship and hosted the 1994 U.S. Amateur won by the then 18-year-old Tiger Woods.

“What I’ve learned is every golf course is super different. I haven’t played a golf course that’s got the same layout (as another),” Woolworth said. “They all play equally as hard because (of the) set-up, what you have to hit off the tee and what the greens are like. But no golf course I’ve played has been the same where I can … (say) ‘I played a golf course like this back at home.’”

Beyond that, however, playing and competing on these legendary golf courses is the just about best gift Woolworth could have asked for.

“I play (golf) to enjoy it. If you’re not enjoying it, it gets to be a little bit of a struggle,” he said. “I still think they’re super beautiful and I just take in the golf course and I’m just out there to have fun.”

It’s a third course, however, that Woolworth enjoyed most this summer – Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas.

“I love that golf course,” Woolworth said, noting Brook Hollow’s tough tee shots, thick rough, long par-3s and par-4s, and fast greens. “It was a little demanding, but it was such an amazingly built golf course. It just flowed nicely. It all looked really pure … and it was a really nice layout. So I’d probably say that was the most fun golf course to play.”

Golf lessons

As good as the golf courses are, the competition has been just as good – and both have taken turns teaching Woolworth some important lessons. Foremost among his summer instruction in that category is a pair of rounds Woolworth got to play with Miles Russell – the top-ranked junior player in the country – at the U.S. Junior Amateur.

“That was pretty memorable. He’s a really good dude,” Woolworth said. “It was pretty cool to play with him. He’s played on Korn Ferry (Tour) events and he’s won all these big junior events so just to see his game and how he went about it was pretty fun.”

The courses themselves have also played a role in Woolworth’s continuing golf education.

“(The key is) adapting to whatever (kind of grass) you’re playing on and what you’re trying to do off the tees and on the greens every week,” Woolworth said. “That’s kind of the fun part about it – it’s never really the same.”

The short game

Through it all, Woolworth has kept his focus on moving forward and honing his ever-important short game.

“I’ve used the time to practice … and really focus on my short game,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing that people stress on forever is 70 yards and in. I’ve been putting a lot, I’ve been chipping a lot and I’ve been improving everything. … It all comes down to putting and chipping. I feel like I’ve improved on it a lot.”

What’s ahead

In addition to his cross country summer exploits, Woolworth said he can’t wait for his senior season and expects the Lakers to be even better in 2026.

In addition to Woolworth, the Lakers return three other members of their 2025 state championship team, including incoming junior Nathan Pai (22nd at state) and incoming seniors Jimmy Keyser (45th) and Nate Cheriel (48th).

“We should have pretty much the same team and we should be better,” Woolworth said. “They’ve all had great summer seasons so I think we’ll be a lot better than we were this year. … I feel like we’ll have a really good shot at doing the same thing we did last year.”