There have been only five players in history who have earned medalist honors in both the U.S. Junior Amateur and the Western Amateur. And only one of them has done it in the same year. That happens to be Miles Russell, the 17-year-old teen phenom, who did so this week. 

On Thursday at the Western Amateur, Russell shot 64-65, finishing at 21-under 263 in the stroke play, edging Josiah Gilbert by a single shot to claim medalist honors. Combined with his previous 36-hole scores (67-67), it made for the lowest score in 72 holes of qualifying since 1955, according to Golf Digest. He is also the second-youngest player to do so.

These results aren’t out of the blue for the guy who’s been shooting gorgeous shots. Russell has been at it for the last two weeks now, starting with sharing the medalist honors at the U.S. Junior Amateur (July 20 – July 25).

83% of our readers couldn't break par yesterday

Changing winds, tricky bunkers, and quirky breaks test every shot. Beat par, compare scores, and return tomorrow for a new challenge.

TEE OFF HERE↗

He first defeated Tyler Mawhinney after shooting 8-under 17 in the semifinals. In the finals, he faced the 2,047th-ranked Noah Maclauchlan, but lost 6 and 5. Still, he was the co-medalist.

Now, three days later, the world No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) is in the semifinals of the Western Amateur. He beat Boston Bracken 3 and 2 in the morning and Tyler Watts 3 and 1 in the afternoon. Now, he will face Jay Leng in the semifinals on August 1.

Russell, at 17 years, 8 months, and 29 days old, is the second-youngest medalist in the event’s Sweet 16 era — just four days older than C.T. Pan was when Pan earned the honor in 2009. Meanwhile, Russell has played 69 holes in two days and might have two match play matches on August 1. If he defeats Leng in the semifinals and heads to the finals, he will easily have played more than 100 holes in three days.

It’s been a stunning run for Russell in every sense of the word. He has, according to Jacksonville.com, played 249 total holes in 12 days. And if his statements are anything to go by, Russell is really looking forward to continuing it.

Miles Russell puts things into perspective after defeating fellow teammate

Miles Russell beat Tyler Watts in the afternoon at the Western Amateur. Of course, the other reason it stood out this much is that Watts is his teammate in the Walker Cup (September 5 – 6) against Great Britain/Ireland.

Talking about the same, Russell said, per Jacksonville.com, “You know, it’s tough to play against a buddy, and a teammate here in a few weeks.”

But Russell also said it was a lot of fun to play against Watts, adding, “To be able to play against another great player, it really kind of puts your game to the test.”

And he was paying attention to his game. Russell gained a 2-up lead over Watts after winning the fourth and seventh holes. The lead dropped once Watts birdied the 10th and the 1st holes of the back nine, but Russell kept it going.

“Where I got in trouble, I was able to get out of it and scrape around it towards the end once the weather rolled in,” Russell said following his Friday matches. 

A huge par save on the 15th, when he drained a 15-foot putt for par to halve the hole, helped his case. A birdie on the 17th against Watts sealed the deal. But Russell will need to be careful against Leng, the guy he lost to back in 2024 at Oakland Hills.

Win or lose Saturday, he’s already made history as the first player to claim medalist honors at both the U.S. Junior Amateur and the Western Amateur in the same year. What’s less certain is how much gas is left in the tank after 249 holes in 12 days, with the Western Amateur match play still to finish and the Walker Cup waiting at Lahinch in September. For now, though, Russell doesn’t look like a kid who’s tired.