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NBC Sports
6 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Hamilton Coleman, Nguyen Anh Minh roll in U.S. Junior semifinals
It was an anticlimactic Friday afternoon at the U.S. Junior Amateur. Neither semifinal reached the 16th hole as Hamilton Coleman of Augusta, Georgia, and Vietnam's Nguyen Anh Minh easily advanced to Saturday's 36-hole final at Trinity Forest in Dallas. Coleman, the 17-year-old Georgia commit, took down Vanderbilt commit Luke Colton, 5 and 4. Showcasing great speed on Trinity's massive greens, Coleman made just one bogey while taking advantage of Colton's five bogeys. Coleman went 1 up with a par at the par-5 second and never looked back. A key moment was Coleman's birdie putt on the par-3 eighth, where Coleman lagged a 70-footer through multiple breaks to a couple feet to eventually win the hole after Colton couldn't get up and down. 'It's definitely hard because you feel like you can get away with things but you have to keep reminding yourself to keep the pedal down and not make silly mistakes because that's when the match can slip away from you,' Coleman said. 'So, I really just made sure I eliminated errors, and my caddie has been telling me the whole time, 'Quality golf shots.' It's hard to lose when you're hitting quality shots at your targets.' Colton, the second-ranked junior and 26th-ranked amateur in the world, was coming off a 4-and-3 win over No. 1 junior Miles Russell in the morning and had played his first 81 holes this week at Trinity in a combined 14 under with 26 birdies. But he only carded a single birdie against Coleman, and on the second hole, he injured his left wrist while playing his second shot from a bush and required medical attention. Coleman is trying to become the first player representing Georgia to win the U.S. Junior since Andy Shim, who rallied from 5 down through 18 holes to beat Jim Liu in the 2012 final. The last Georgia recruit to win this championship was Brian Harman in 2003. Waiting for Coleman in the championship match, which will begin at 8:45 a.m. ET Saturday, will be Minh, who would be the first winner from Vietnam. Minh, an incoming Oregon State freshman who is ranked No. 52 in WAGR, won five of the first six holes against China's Qiyou Wu, going 5 up in the process. He only lost one hole all match. 'I'll definitely have to keep myself in the present and hopefully just make putts,' Minh said of what it will take to win Saturday, where a berth in next year's U.S. Open will be on the line. 'It's definitely cool to have a chance to play in the U.S. Open, so that's going to be fun to play for,' Coleman said. 'And you know, I've watched this tournament a lot on TV throughout the years, and I didn't really know how far I'd get into this, but now I have a shot to live out my dreams.'
NBC Sports
6 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
In battle of top two juniors, Luke Colton beats Miles Russell to advance at U.S. Junior Amateur
It was a match fitting for a final, only it came two rounds earlier. Luke Colton, 18, from Frisco, Texas, and the second-ranked junior player in the country, took down top-ranked Miles Russell, 4 and 3, in Friday morning's quarterfinals of the U.S. Junior Amateur at Trinity Forest in Dallas. Colton collected seven birdies in 15 holes, including birdies at each of his final two to put away the 16-year-old Russell, who is also ranked No. 18 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Colton, No. 26 in WAGR, jumped on Russell early, making a long birdie putt from the fringe to win the par-3 third and go 2 up. Russell, who lipped out shots on each of his first two holes, would battle back, tying the match after six holes. After Russell drained a 30-footer for birdie at the par-4 ninth, Colton poured a 25-footer on top of him to tie the hole and turn at 1 up. He and Russell, both lefties, shot a best-ball, 6-under 30 on the front nine. To compare, the other three quarterfinals posted such marks of 33, 35 and 34. But Russell's putter would eventually cost him. He three-putted the par-3 11th from 12 feet for bogey to lose the hole and go 1 down. He later missed mid-range putts at Nos. 14 and 15 that could've extended the match. Colton now advances to Friday afternoon's semifinals, which start at 2 p.m. ET. He will face the winner of Hamilton Coleman and Sohan Patel; Coleman was 2 up through 16 holes. Texans have won eight of the last 25 U.S. Juniors with Noah Goodwin the most recent to do so, in 2017. Just two left-handers have won U.S. Junior titles – Brian Harman (2003) and Cory Whitsett (2007).
Canada News.Net
6 days ago
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Rehnoor Malik and Rakshit Dahiya win DGC Championships for girls, boys
New Delhi [India], July 25 (ANI): The 15th edition of the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) Junior/Sub-Junior Golf Tournament 2025 concluded at the iconic Delhi Golf Club (DGC) on Friday. Despite the rain playing spoilsport on Day 2, the prestigious WAGR tournament witnessed the sportsman spirit of over 180 young golfers, aged 6 years to 22 years, as they took to the Lodhi and Peacock courses to showcase their talent and tenacity. This tournament was very keenly contested and a rare one where there were playoffs in the two top categories - Category A Girls and DGC Championship Trophy for Boys. The tournament was presented by Usha. In the former, Rashi Misra and Yogya, both aged 15 years, were tied at 149 at the end of play, however, Rashi managed to edge out Yogya on the 2nd Hole in the playoffs. As for the boys, 18-year-olds Rakshit Dahiya and Sukhman Singh were tied at 141, but defending DGC champion Rakshit retained the title narrowly beating Sukhman at the 3rd Hole. The prestigious DGC Championship trophy for girls was won by 14-year-old Rehnoor Malik. Prizes were given across categories amongst much joy and excitement among participants. This year's tournament witnessed participation from some of India's most promising young golfers, two of who are ranked No. 1 & 3 in the IGU Order of Merit, and many other who are already making their mark on the international circuit. The tournament also reflects the growing popularity for the game of golf - from 90 entries in 2023 to over 180 participants this year. This year's competition also saw 12 sub-par rounds by players despite the challenging course conditions. In a first Delhi Golf Club awarded cash prizes to all players who delivered sub-par performances. Speaking at the award ceremony, Mala Bawa, Lady Captain at DGC, said, 'The passion, energy, and sportsmanship displayed by the participants this year has been truly uplifting. Usha's continued support plays a key role in shaping the landscape of golf in India. The growing participation each year, starting from as young as 6 years, signals a bright future for the sport.' Komal Mehra, Head of Sports Initiatives and Associations, said, 'Tournaments like this continue to celebrate the rising calibre of golf in India. By supporting such platforms, we remain committed to enhancing the sporting landscape through young athletes to pursue their aspirations to play and spread the culture of healthy and active living. Congratulations to all the participants for their inspiring performances and dedication to the game.' (ANI)
NBC Sports
23-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Top-ranked amateur Miles Russell survives upset bid in opening U.S. Junior match
The top-ranked player in junior golf was on the ropes Wednesday at the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur. Miles Russell, the hotshot 16-year-old from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, who is also ranked 18th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, drew Jackson Ormond in the opening round of match play at Trinity Forest in Dallas. It was Ormond, the 2026 Florida commit from Webster, New York, who an evening earlier had birdied his penultimate hole of stroke play to move the cut line and ensure that there would be no match-play playoff for the first time since 2008. That momentum carried over for Ormond, who jumped on Russell, a recent Florida State commit for 2027, taking a 2-up lead after just three holes. Russell trailed for much of the match, including 2 down with three holes remaining. He clawed back with a birdie at the par-5 16th and then drained a birdie bomb from nearly 40 feet at the par-4 18th to force extra holes. Two holes later, Russell was advancing to Thursday's Round of 32, where he'll face Lucas Latimer, an incoming freshman at D-III Mary Hardin-Baylor who was one of nine Texans to make match play this week. Texas claims eight of the last 25 U.S. Junior titles with its winners during that span including Jordan Spieth (twice), Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris. Two other Texans, Henry Guan and Luke Colton, won early matches on Wednesday. Guan, a reclassified 2025 signee for Oklahoma State, took down medalist Mason Howell, a Georgia commit, 1 up, ensuring that Matthew Rosenfeld, another Texan, is still the last medalist to go on to lift the U.S. Junior trophy (2000). Guan advances to meet Chase Bauer, a 15-year-old from Gotha, Florida, in the Round of 32. Bauer, a 2028 recruit, upset defending champion and incoming Florida freshman Trevor Gutschewski, 3 and 1; Bauer won a Florida Junior Tour major at the Gators' home club, Mark Bostick Golf Course, in January. Colton, a Vandy commit who is ranked 25th in WAGR, was 3 up through three holes before Jace Benson rallied to tie the match after 13 holes. Colton eventually won, 2 up, and will face yet another Texan, Texas A&M signee Shiv Parmar, in the next round. The third top-50 amateur in the field, Tyler Watts, made easy work of Indonesia's Rayhan Abdul Latief, who is ranked No. 118 in WAGR. Watts won, 8 and 7, to continue his hot summer, which has included a record-breaking win at the Sunnehanna Amateur, top-10 at the Northeast Amateur and runner-up at the North and South Amateur. Watts, a Tennessee commit for 2026, was runner-up to Gutschewski at last year's U.S. Junior. More than half of Wednesday's 32 matches are still undecided. Check back for updates...
USA Today
17-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Who will be the next amateur to earn an LPGA card through LEAP? The next month is crucial
Lottie Woad became the first amateur to graduate from the tour's new LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway (LEAP) program and will make her pro debut next week in Scotland. So, who's next? The LPGA designed the program with the idea that only amateurs with exceptional records would reach the threshold of 20 points. Last November, when the tour outlined the new program to its membership, officials noted that in the past 12 years, Lydia Ko, Leona Maguire and Rose Zhang were the only players who would've earned enough points to qualify for a card. The LPGA didn't want this to necessarily be an annual thing – more like every three to four years. Before Woad won the 2024 Augusta National Women's Amateur, she had only one LEAP point from the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup. She earned two points with the ANWA victory and that came with a host of major championship starts, which Woad took advantage of with top-25 finishes in the 2024 Chevron Championship and 2024 AIG Women's British Open. When she reached No. 1 amateur in the world, she earned another three points, and the 2024 Mark H. McCormack Medal garnered another four. In all, Woad earned 19 points in the span of 15 months. Woad turned professional this week, which means she'll drop off the rankings, as former No. 2 Mirabel Ting did after making her pro debut last week at Evian. The next month is crucial for accumulating points as the McCormack Medal will be decided after the U.S. Women's Amateur at Bandon Dunes, which ends Aug. 10. The medal comes with four points and exemptions into the U.S. Women's Open and AIG Women's British Open. A player could reach No. 1 for the first time and win the medal in short order, taking a total of seven LEAP points. Winning the U.S. Women's Amateur earns two points and a chance to play in four majors. Oregon's Kiara Romera currently ranks No. 2 in WAGR, but it's worth noting that her 2023 U.S. Girls' Junior title will soon roll off the two-year window. Two Spanish players who play for Stanford – Andrea Revuelta Goicoechea and Paula Martin Sampedro – are Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. Martin Sampedro has an exemption into the Women's British at Royal Portrush for her win at the 2025 Women's British Amateur. As for the current LEAP standings, Anna Davis now leads the way with nine points. Maria Jose Marin is second with eight and Jasmine Koo has seven. Kiara Romero, Rachel Heck (who has no intent on turning pro) and Catherine Park have six points. The window for earning LEAP points is any given year, plus the previous three calendar years.
