Dallas Drama: Tyler Mawhinney, Miles Russell win opening U.S. Junior Am matches on closing birdies

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Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island and Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach staged dramatic comebacks to win their first-round U.S. Junior Amateur matches on July 23 under broiling conditions in Dallas.
In both cases, the two birdied the 514-yard, par-4 18th hole at the Trinity Forest Golf Club to either win or extend their matches as the heat index climbed to more than 100 degrees.
Mawhinney lost a 2-up lead through six holes and trailed Lapassapon Heras-Gomez of Thailand 1-up with six to play. But Mawhinney won the 14th hole with a par, halved No. 17 with a birdie, then busted a 360-yard drive at the last, hit a wedge from 140 yards out to within 15 feet and made the putt for the victory.
Russell went two down to Ormond by the third hole, cut it to one hole four times, then tied the match with a 40-foot birdie putt at No. 18 and won with a 2-foot birdie putt on the 20th hole, the par-5 second.
Who do Tyler Mawhinney, Miles Russell play in the second round?
Mawhinney will face Stuart Boulware of Fairway, Kan., in the second round on July 24 at 9:15 a.m. (EDT). Both players have led their high school teams to a pair of state championships, Mawhinney at Fleming Island High in 2023 and 2024 and Boulware at Shawnee Mission East in 2022 and 2024.
Boulware defeated Anh Huy Ho of Vietnam 6 and 4 in the first round.
Russell will play Lucas Latimer of nearby Rockwell, Texas at 8:35 a.m.. Latimer defeated Peyton Smith of Lees Summit Mo., 3 and 2.
On paper, it's a mismatch: Russell is first on the American Junior Golf Polo Rankings, while Latimer is No. 1,829. Russell has verbally committed to play at Florida State, while Latimer will enroll at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
But match play can be the great equalizer and while Ormond has committed to play at Florida, he's ranked 45th on the AJGA and was on the brink of eliminating Russell.
If Russell and Mawhinney win, they will play another match in the afternoon.
Junior Players champion goes overtime
Russell's match wasn't the longest of the day under the oppressive heat. Defending Junior Players champion Hamilton Coleman of Augusta, Ga., defeated Isaiah Igo of Sundown, Texas, in 25 holes, with a par at the par-4 seventh hole. The two were tied 11 holes in a row.
It tied for the third-longest match in U.S. Junior Amateur history and was the longest since Casey Wittenberg defeated. Daniel Im in 26 holes in the third round in 2022, at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
The No. 1 seed from stroke play, Mason Howell of Thomasville, Ga., lost his first round match to Henry Guan 1-up, with Guan holding that slim lead over the final seven holes.
Cam Kuchar, the son of 2012 Players champion Matt Kuchar, lost his match to Kailer Stone of Alameda, Calif., 2 and 1.
How to watch the U.S. Junior Amateur
The tournament won't be televised until Friday's semifinal matches on Peacock from 3-5 p.m. Golf Channel will have a replay from 7:30-9:30 p.m.
The championship match will be aired on Golf Channel from 3-5 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tyler Mawhinney, Miles Russell win pulse-pounding U.S. Junior Am matches