Before the US Junior Amateur, teenager Miles Russell was already regarded as one of the brightest young talents in golf.
The 17-year-old, who is top of the AJGA rankings, has racked up a string of achievements, including several junior titles, PGA Tour appearances and a T39 at the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Now, he is in the final of one of the most prestigious amateur events in the game after edging out Tyler Mawhinney 2 and 1 at Saucon Valley Country Club on Friday.
Russell, who has verbally committed to Florida State for 2027, had his nose in front for much of the contest, going 2 up after the first two holes, before Fleming Island’s Mawhinney fought back to take a 1 up lead for the first time at the 10th.
The decisive moment came three holes later, when a moment of magic from Russell with a chip-in eagle from the greenside rough saw him restore his advantage, which he didn’t relinquish.
Are you kidding?! 🤯Miles Russell chops out... and holes it!He's 1 up thru 13. pic.twitter.com/RU4Yi0txZfJuly 24, 2026
At the 17th, Russell converted a 10-foot birdie putt to leave Mawhinney needing to match him to continue the fight. However, his effort drifted left and Russell took his place in the final for the first time.
WHAT A MATCH! 👏👏👏Miles Russell is moving on to the U.S. Junior Amateur championship match with a 2-and-1 victory over Tyler Mawhinney. pic.twitter.com/K2FIuG0uswJuly 24, 2026
Afterwards, he said: “Long day, but it was a lot of good golf. You don’t get many of those, that good of golf days a year, very few, and you’ve got to take them when you can get them, and just try to keep that rolling into tomorrow.”
His opponent in the 36-hole final will be Moseley, Virginia’s Noah Maclauchlan, after his 1-up win over New Zealander Cooper Moore.
Like Russell, Maclauchlan was 2 up after two, but he never lost his grip on proceedings, taking a 3-up lead at the sixth before being gradually pegged back.
Moore was just one behind after 16, when he made par as Maclauchlan slipped up with a double-bogey. Maclauchlan held on, though, halving the final two holes to reach the final.
While that is a stunning achievement for a player who made the field as an alternate, given his profile, there is no doubt most of the attention will be on Russell in the final.
The Jacksonville Beach star will begin the day as the strong favorite, too. He is currently seventh in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, while Maclauchlan is 2,047th in the rankings.
Earlier in the week, another player bound for Florida State in 2027, Charlie Woods, narrowly missed the cut after reaching a playoff, where someone in the crowd put him off during his backswing.
