Writing from Chicago / Evergreen Park, Illinois
Thursday, July 30, 2026
The final day of stroke-play qualifying in the Western Amateur presents three options for players, depending on where they stand as the 36-hole grind begins.
Those at the top can chase the honor of medalist and see their name engraved on the Cameron Eddy Trophy.
Those in 17th place and beyond can try to claw their way into the Sweet Sixteen and the match play portion of the grind, which commences Friday morning.
Those from about 10th place to 16th can, depending on their position of the moment, and their latest birdie or bogey, can pursue the Eddy from a distance or fight to stay within that select 16.
The double round makes for not only a long day physically, but mentally, especially for those in danger of elimination.
For Miles Russell, the mental strain was minimal. The 17-year-old high schooler from Jacksonville Beach, Fla., demolished Beverly Country Club’s course on Thursday, scoring 7-under 64 in the morning and 6-under 65 in the afternoon. His 72-hole total of 21-under 263 was merely a stroke ahead of runner-up Josiah Gilbert, an Australian who goes to Auburn, and surpassed the 14-under 270 posted by medalist Doug Ghim in 2014, the last time the Western Am played through Beverly, by seven strokes.
Those numbers indicate two things. First, elite golfers are more elite than ever, and there are more of them. The four-for-three playoff for the last three spots in the Sweet Sixteen was at 272.
Russell, runner-up in last week’s U.S. Junior Amateur, didn’t have to worry about that. The second-youngest medalist in Western Am history could put his feet up for a bit after the celebratory dinner.
“There was a lot of good out there and not too much bad,” Russell said after signing for the last of his 13 birdies on the day. “Still got a lot of golf left. Last week was a really long week, so I’ve got a feel of what this will be like by the end of it.”
Russell, should he advance to Saturday afternoon’s final, has 72 holes, more or less, to look forward to. As does Gilbert, now the leader of the Auburn squad with Jackson Koivun on and winning on the PGA Tour.
“Stroke play is something we take pride in, and now (in match play) we’ll try to ride that momentum,” Gilbert said. “You just play good golf, the rest takes care of itself."
Around Beverly
Illinois standout Max Herendeen played himself into the Sweet Sixteen with a final round 65 for 271. … Only C.T. Pan, the medalist in 1999, was younger than Russell, and then only by three days. ... The scoring average on the par 71 test was well under par each day. With lift-clean-and place in fact for the first 36 holes, the average was 70.92 for the first round and 70.74 for the second. Thursday, with the ball played down but only 45 players remaining from the original 156, the average plummeted to 68.96 in the morning, which was duplicated in the afternoon. … The Milt Woodard Trophy, incorrectly referenced in Wednesday’s story, goes to the winner of the Western Junior.
– Tim Cronin