Miles Russell advances to 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur final to face Noah Maclauchlan

The first-ever U.S. Junior Amateur semifinal to match two First Coast products was a heavyweight bout that featured punches, counterpunches and no give from either participant.

Perhaps Golf Channel commentator Emilia Doran was right when she said, "This was the championship match."

It's a long way from being over.

Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach has one more opponent and 36 holes to play, with less than 14 hours to recharge for the championship match against Noah Maclauchlan on Saturday, July 25, at the Saucon Valley Golf and Country Club Old Course in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, beginning at 8 a.m.

Russell beat Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island 2 and 1 on Friday, July 24, after he rolled in a delicate, downhill 12-foot birdie putt at No. 17 and Mawhinney barely missed on the low side for birdie from 10 feet.

The two combined for three eagles, 11 birdies and a flurry of memorable shots raining down on the gentle Pennsylvania landscape on a windless midsummer afternoon and evening.

Three holes were halved with birdies. Three required eagles to win. Before the two players bogeyed No. 16, they were each 8 under for the day and Russell's closing putt made him 9 under.

"Long day, but a lot of good golf," Russell told Golf Channel. "You don't get many of those back-to-back golf days ... very few. We take them where we can get them and try to keep that rolling into tomorrow."

Russell said he sees no need to change his game plan of relentlessly hitting fairways and greens, and conjuring short-game magic and clutch putts when he needs them.

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/K2FIuG0usw

— USGA (@USGA) July 24, 2026

"Kind of the same game plan," he said. "Play my game and see how it goes."

Russell will attempt to become the second First Coast native to win the U.S. Junior Amateur. David Duval of Jacksonville won in 1989 at Singing Hills Golf and Country Club in El Cajon, Calif.

Miles Russell's chip-in put him ahead to stay

The pivotal shot was Russell's pitch-in from heavy rough left of the green for an eagle-two at the short par-4 13th hole to his third and final lead of the day. Russell could have closed the match out at No. 16, but he missed a putt of less than 10 feet for the first time all day, with the ball circling the drain and spinning out of the hole from two paces for his only bogey.

They both hit the fairway and green at No. 17 and an official had to rule that Russell was away. His putter face barely touched the ball to send it on its downhill slide to the hole.

The championship seems like a mismatch. Russell is seventh on the World Amateur Golf Rankings and Mclauchlan is No. 2,047th. Russell is headed for ACC power Florida State in 2027 and Mclauchlan, from Moseley, Virginia, is going to Liberty.

But it's match play, where anything can happen and already has for Mclauchlan, whose victims this week include Brayden Jones, who tied Russell for medalist, and Andrew Scortino, the West Junior champion.

Russell had a quick start; Mawhinney answered

The highlights began on the first hole when Russell powered his second shot at the par-5 to within 4 feet, and made the putt for eagle. He then birdied the par-4 second from 4 feet for the only two-up lead of the day for either player.

Mawhinney didn't take long to respond. He hit it tight at No. 3 and won the hole with a 2-foot putt and made some magic of his own on a par-5, hitting a fairway wood to 4 feet and making the eagle putt at No. 6 to tie the match.

Russell won No. 7 with a par, but Mawhinney came right back with a 15-foot birdie putt at the eighth to square things again. After the two halved the par-3 ninth with birdies. Mawhinney took his only lead of the day on a short birdie putt at No. 10.

Mawhinney lost his lead at the par-3 11th when he was short of the green, pitched on and missed from 10 feet, setting the stage for Russell's hole-out at the 13th.

Both players beat significant foes in quarterfinals

Both players won their morning quarterfinal matches, setting up a long-awaited match-play between two of the most talented juniors in First Coast history. Russell routed Dylan Boenning of Washington State 6 and 5, a player entering his sophomore year in college and an All-Big West selection; and Mawhinney finally beat a nemesis in Sohan Patel of Weston, 1-up.

Patel eliminated Mawhinney from last year's Junior Amateur by the same 1-up score and has won the last two FSHAA Class 2A state individual titles, beating out Mawhinney both times.

Birdies (and eagles!) are already flying today at Saucon Valley!

Catch up on early highlights from Noah Maclauchlan vs. Cooper Moore and Miles Russell vs. Tyler Mawhinney. pic.twitter.com/KUh218lVWl

— USGA (@USGA) July 24, 2026

Oddly enough, the two will be Vanderbilt teammates. Mawhinney is set to enroll next month and Patel will enter next year.

For the day, Russell was 14-under par for 30 holes, had only one bogey, won 11 holes and lost four, all against Mawhinney.

In five matches entering the championship, Russell is 22-under for 77 holes and has won 28 holes and lost only 10.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Miles Russell advances to 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur final to face Noah Maclauchlan