S. Junior Amateur championship match.
Key Point
- Russell crushed Dylan Boenning 6 and 5 in the quarterfinals, then held off Vanderbilt’s Tyler Mawhinney 2 and 1 in the semis after a birdie on hole 17.
- Mawhinney played his own brilliant round, finishing seven under par, but it still wasn’t enough against Russell’s relentless scoring.
- Russell will face Noah Maclauchlan, a tournament alternate who edged Cooper Moore 1 up in the other semifinal.
- At 17, Russell has already made the cut at a professional major, finishing T39 at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Russell’s Dominant Friday at Saucon Valley
The No. 1 junior amateur in the world shot 14 under across 30 holes on Friday, winning two matches to reach the U. S. Junior Amateur final at Saucon Valley Country Club. He dispatched Washington State’s Dylan Boenning 6 and 5 in the morning quarterfinal, a margin that understated how one-sided things felt.
The afternoon semifinal was a different animal through and through.
Tyler Mawhinney, who plays college golf at Vanderbilt, matched Russell shot for shot through much of the round. Now flip that around. Mawhinney posted seven under par on his own card. That score wins almost any other match here. But Russell birdied the 17th hole to close it out, 2 and 1.
“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.”
Russell, 17, has committed to play college golf at Florida State. Kind of surprising, right? Though his resume already reads like a veteran’s, and s. Open at Shinnecock Hills with Charlie Woods carrying his bag as caddie. He made the cut and finished T39, remarkable for any amateur.
What to Expect in Saturday’s Golf Final
| Match | Result | Notable Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinal: Russell vs. Boenning | 6 and 5 | Russell dominated from the start |
| Semifinal: Russell vs. Mawhinney | 2 and 1 | Mawhinney shot 7 under but lost |
| Semifinal: Maclauchlan vs. Moore | 1 up | Maclauchlan entered as an alternate |
Under normal conditions, maclauchlan’s path adds an unlikely subplot. He entered as an alternate and survived a tight 1-up semifinal against Cooper Moore.
This week produced no shortage of drama. Plus, a high school player was disqualified Monday for multiple breaches of a recently adopted rule. In a playoff, charlie Woods nearly reached match play in; or at least, the event his father won three times, only to fall.
Our Final Opinion
Russell enters Saturday’s final as the clear favorite. Going 14 under in a single day of match play is extraordinary. Separating from a seven-under opponent hints that composure most professionals would envy.
Here’s the counter, match play is unpredictable. Maclauchlan already defied expectations by reaching this stage as an alternate.
What’s the main point? One bad hole could swing the whole match, and golf rewards consistency, but a single-day final demands mental toughness as much as shot-making.
The trophy is his to lose. If russell plays anywhere near his Friday form.
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