Miles Russell Eliminated from U.S. Junior Amateur; Tyler Watts and Trevor Gutschewski to Face Off in Final

Miles Russell’s impressive journey in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship came to a dramatic end on Friday as he was eliminated after an intense match that stretched to the final hole. Russell, a 15-year-old golfer from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, who holds the top spot in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Rankings, faced a tough challenge in his quarterfinal match at the historic Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Russell, despite his considerable talent and recent success, found himself three holes down to Jay Leng of San Diego with only seven holes remaining. Leng, who will soon be starting his college golf career at Stanford, demonstrated resilience and skill throughout the match. Russell managed to mount a formidable comeback by securing victories on the 12th and 15th holes with pars. However, Leng matched Russell’s performance over the final three holes, ensuring his advancement to the semifinals.

In the semifinal round, Leng went up against Tyler Watts from Huntsville, Alabama. Watts, who entered the match play portion of the tournament as the No. 2 seed, continued his strong performance by defeating Leng with a score of 3 and 2. This victory secured Watts a place in the final match.

The other semifinal match saw Trevor Gutschewski from Omaha, Nebraska, competing against Xihuan Chang from China. Gutschewski, who had previously ousted stroke-play medalist Brian Blades in the second round, continued his successful run by winning his semifinal match against Chang with a score of 2 and 1. Gutschewski, a No. 33 seed, is the son of PGA Tour veteran Scott Gutschewski and will be attending the University of Florida this fall. Meanwhile, his father is currently competing at the 3M Open.

The championship final is scheduled for Saturday morning at 8 a.m. ET. The final will consist of 36 holes, with live coverage of the second 18 holes available on Peacock.

Miles Russell was the last Floridian standing in the tournament, making it to the third round and facing a series of challenging opponents. Notably, he competed against players who will be transitioning to college golf within the next month, including Leng (Stanford), CJ Winchenbaugh (Georgetown), and Billy Davis (Auburn). Despite the high level of competition, Russell’s performance throughout the tournament highlighted his significant potential and skill in the sport.