Russell weathers the storm

Writing from Chicago / Evergreen Park, Illinois

Friday, July 31, 2026 

The beatings go on.

Unflappable top seed Miles Russell won both his matches Friday in the 124th Western Amateur, extending his quest to become the second-youngest winner of this grueling championship.

Russell will be a senior in high school in a few weeks. He’ll go to Florida State next fall. NIL money is headed his way or already in his pocket. He’ll be a pro soon enough. For now, he plays with the poise of a pro, not a 17-year-old who is too young to vote, have a beer or rent a car. And perhaps hasn’t shaved either.

He made two bogeys in 33 holes across his Sweet Sixteen and quarterfinal matches, both of them on the front nine in the morning, when he eventually defeated Boston Bracken of St. George, Utah, 3 and 2. He erred not at all in the afternoon quarterfinal against fellow left-hander Tyler Watts of Huntsville, Ala., when a rain-soaked gallery that grew to over 150 watched the soon-to-be Walker Cup teammates commit no errors until Watts’ bogey on the par-3 17th – a failed up and down from the left bunker – settled the issue, 3 and 1.

Russell made an eagle – conceded, but a 3 nonetheless at the par-5 second – and three birdies, including a clincher at the 16th hole, in vanquishing Bracken, then five birdies against Watts, who was 3-under for his first 16 holes himself. Then came the pulled tee shot on the 17th even as a baby cried. Watts and his caddie said they never heard the young’n yelp.

“Playing another great player puts your game to the test,” Russell said. “When I got in trouble I was able to get out of trouble, and was able to scrape in around towards the end when the weather came in.”

Come in it did. The last two holes of his match against Watts were played in a Scottish gale complete with sideways rain from the southwest.

So Russell, fifth in the world amateur rankings, moseys into Saturday morning’s semifinal against Jay Leng of San Diego, who scored a 1-up win over Dean Greyserman of Boca Raton, Fla., and took down Kayun Mudadana of Sydney, Australia., 4 and 3.

“I’ll just go home and get a lot of rest, then try to do it again tomorrow,” Russell said.

He took a 2-up lead on Watts via birdies on the fourth and seventh holes, lost the par-3 10th to a Watts birdie, won the 11th with a birdie of his own, lost the 12th to another bird, then won the 13th to go 2 up, where he stayed until the 17th. Watts made a great par save out of a greenside bunker on the 16th to keep the match alive, but at dormie 2, needed to win the 17th and 18th to force extra holes, and could not.

In the morning, while the lower seed won each of the eight matches, the last Sweet Sixteen match to finish was the best, Australia’s Kayud Mudadana outlasting 14th-seeded Will Hartman of North Carolina in 20 holes. Mudadana made a par on the par-5 second to get the job done. He fell in the quarterfinals, as did Jaden Dumdumaya, denying reporters the opportunity to tout a potential Dumdumaya-Mudadana title match.

Sweet Sixteen Results

1 Miles Russell, Jacksonville Beach, Fla., d. 16 Boston Bracken, St. George, Utah, 3 & 2

8 Tyler Watts, Huntsville, Ala., d. 9 Carson Bertagnole, Pinehurst, N.C., 5 & 4

4 Jaden Dumdumaya, Benicia, Calif., d. 13 Max Herendeen, Champaign, Ill., 5 & 4

5 Jay Leng, San Diego, Calif., d. 12 Dean Greyserman, Boca Raton, Fla., 1 up

2 Josiah Gilbert, Millbrook, Ala., d. 15 Baylor Larrabee, Ferndale, Wash., 1 up

7 Logan Reilly, Lovettsville, Va., d. 10 Daniel Bennett, Pretoria, South Africa, 1 up

3 Kayun Mududana, Sydney, Australia, d. 14 Will Hartman, Marvin, N.C., 20 holes

6 Michael Riebe, Encinitas, Calif., d. Zackary Stanwick, Napier, New Zealand, 2 & 1

Quarterfinal Results

Russell d. Watts, 3 & 1

Leng d. Dumdumya, 5 & 3

Reilly d. Gilbert, 4 & 3

Riebe d. Mududana, 4 & 3

Around Beverly

Galleries were strong even after the rain hit. The forecast is for showers Saturday as well. … Saturday’s semifinals start at 8 and 8:12 a.m., respectively, with the championship match set for 1 p.m. … ESPN+ coverage begins at 9 a.m. and resumes with the full championship match.

– Tim Cronin