Miles Russell's victorious stretch continues with come-from-behind win at Sage Valley
Miles Russell just keeps winning.
The 16-year-old phenom from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, captured the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley on Saturday in Graniteville, South Carolina. The victory marked Russell’s fourth straight against junior competition.
He’s also won in four out of his past five amateur starts, including the South Beach International Amateur. He was third at the Jones Cup during that stretch and hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in a non-pro tournament since last summer’s AJGA Junior Players, where he tied for 16th.
Russell began the final round at Sage Valley trailing leader Joshua Bai, a Florida signee from New Zealand, by four shots. And through nine holes, Russell was three back of Bai, who went out in 1-under 35. However, Bai bogeyed three of his first five holes on the back before double-bogeying two of his last three to fall back to solo third.
Jackson Byrd, the son of former PGA Tour player Jonathan Byrd, pushed to 13 under after four birdies in his first 13 holes and seemed to be on his way to slipping on the gold winner’s jacket. But Byrd, too, slipped up, playing Nos. 14-17 in a combined 6 over. He ended up two shots back of Russell, who carded just two bogeys in his final 36 holes; Russell bogeyed the last on Saturday but still shot a third straight 2-under 70 to finish at 9 under.
Charlie Woods, who received an invite into the 36-player field despite being ranked significantly worse in the two national junior rankings, posted a respectable T-25 finish at 11 over. He beat reigning U.S. Junior champion Trevor Gutschewski by six shots.
Canada’s Aphrodite Deng ran away with the girls division, beating China’s Yujie Liu by six shots at 7 under. Kai Trump, the granddaughter of President Donald Trump, finished 24th out of 24 competitors, 22 shots back of her closest opponent.
Russell’s victory, which puts him alongside past champions such as Scottie Scheffler, Joaquin Niemann, Akshay Bhatia and Austin Eckroat, further improves his chances to make Walker Cup history. Should Russell qualify for this year’s match at Cypress Point, he will become the event’s youngest competitor ever, breaking the record held by Scotland’s Connor Graham by four days. Russell is currently the 24th-ranked American in WAGR, though he has at least seven players ahead of him who are expected to turn pro this summer.
Ten players, including at least one mid-amateur, will earn places on captain Nathan Smith’s squad, which figures to already have at least two locks in Auburn’s Jackson Koivun and Virginia’s Ben James. Texas’ Tommy Morrison and mid-amateur Evan Beach have strong chances to make the team as well, while Vanderbilt’s Jackson Van Paris and Auburn’s Brendan Valdes, both seniors, attended last December’s practice session and would be candidates provided they remain amateur.
The last high-schooler to represent the Americans in a Walker Cup was Bhatia in 2019. Before that, it was Jordan Spieth and Patrick Rodgers in 2011.
Topics
-
Future Tiger Byrd looking to continue family's Aiken County success at Sage Valley
Mar. 20—GRANITEVILLE — Jackson Byrd knows his game is good enough to win the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. He has the speed and strength to create scoring opportunities. He has the ...Yahoo Sports - 4d -
Top-ranked Talley ready to defend title at Junior Invitational at Sage Valley
Mar. 18—GRANITEVILLE — There may have been some nerves for Asterisk Talley last spring at Sage Valley Golf Club, but not outwardly so for the then-15-year-old. Seemingly unbothered by any potential ...Yahoo Sports - 6d -
Bai, Deng hold leads heading into final round of Junior Invitational
Mar. 22—GRANITEVILLE — One title chase felt like a runaway, and the other felt very much like it was up for grabs late Friday afternoon at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. How quickly 45 ...Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Russell Henley surges ahead late to steal Arnold Palmer Invitational away from Collin Morikawa
Russell Henley picked up his first win in more than two years on Sunday afternoon.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 9 -
Arnold Palmer Invitational purse, payouts: How much did Russell Henley earn for his win at Bay Hill?
Russell Henley overtook Collin Morikawa late to grab the win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 9 -
Charlie Woods, Kai Trump next tournament: When will junior golfers tee it up again?
Benjamin School golfers Charlie Woods and Kai Trump played the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley last week. A look at their upcoming schedule.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Lewis Hamilton wins Chinese F1 sprint race for his first Ferrari victory
Lewis Hamilton has won his first race for Ferrari, securing Saturday’s Sprint victory from pole position following an early duel Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen at the Chinese Formula 1 Grand ...Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Lewis Hamilton wins Chinese F1 sprint race for his first Ferrari victory
Lewis Hamilton has won his first race for Ferrari, securing Saturday’s Sprint victory from pole position following an early duel Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen at the Chinese Formula 1 Grand PrixABC News - 3d -
Clemente no stranger to elite-level competition at Sage Valley, Augusta National
Mar. 19—GRANITEVILLE — Gianna Clemente is no stranger to the highest levels of junior and amateur golf. The 16-year-old Floridian burst onto the scene as a 14-year-old by Monday qualifying into ...Yahoo Sports - 5d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Former NFL GM has Colts making popular pick in latest 2025 mock draft
One former NFL GM has the Indianapolis Colts making a very popular pick in his latest 2025 mock draft.Yahoo Sports - 44m -
Rams add size and strength in NBC Sports mock draft
The Rams go big and bold with their first three picks in this mock draft by selecting a safety, tight end and linebacker.Yahoo Sports - 44m -
Full injury report for Tuesday's Thunder vs. Kings matchup
Full injury report for Tuesday's Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings matchup.Yahoo Sports - 46m -
The Ariel Helwani Show | Cain Velasquez reaction, Carlos Ulberg, Raul Rosas Jr., David Taylor, Steve Erceg, Artem Vakhitov and more
Ariel Helwani is back with a monster show featuring Carlos Ulberg, Raul Rosas Jr., David Taylor, Steve Erceg, Artem Vakhitov, plus reaction to the Cain Velasquez verdict and more.Yahoo Sports - 46m -
3 ex-Broncos quarterbacks playing in UFL this spring
Three former Broncos backup quarterbacks are suiting up in the UFL this spring.Yahoo Sports - 47m
More in Sports
-
2025 Houston Open free picks, odds, best bets: Golf model reveals top 3 predictions, including 55-1 longshot
SportsLine's model simulated the 2025 Houston Open 10,000 times and revealed its PGA Tour best bets for Memorial ParkCBS Sports - 39m -
2025 NCAA Tournament bracket: Sweet 16 predictions, March Madness second chance picks from proven model
SportsLine's college basketball model nailed 13 of 16 Sweet 16 teams this year and just revealed its second-chance NCAA bracket 2025 picksCBS Sports - 41m -
Former NFL GM has Colts making popular pick in latest 2025 mock draft
One former NFL GM has the Indianapolis Colts making a very popular pick in his latest 2025 mock draft.Yahoo Sports - 44m -
Rams add size and strength in NBC Sports mock draft
The Rams go big and bold with their first three picks in this mock draft by selecting a safety, tight end and linebacker.Yahoo Sports - 44m -
Full injury report for Tuesday's Thunder vs. Kings matchup
Full injury report for Tuesday's Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings matchup.Yahoo Sports - 46m