Jack Whaley became the second Englishman since 1911 to win the U.S. Amateur Championship, defeating American Jay Leng Jr. 4&3 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
Whaley's victory earns him exemptions into the 2027 Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship at St. Andrews. The 22-year-old, who attends Florida State University, entered the final as the underdog against Leng Jr., who held a higher world amateur golf ranking.
Leng Jr. led by two holes after the first 18 holes of the 36-hole final. However, Whaley mounted a strong comeback in the second round, making consecutive birdies on the second and third holes to win four holes in a row. He extended his lead after Leng Jr. missed a putt on the 12th hole, giving Whaley a three-hole advantage.
Whaley, from Doncaster, sealed his victory with a birdie putt on the 15th hole. He is the first English amateur to win the U.S. Amateur since Matt Fitzpatrick in 2013. Harold Hilton was the last Englishman to win the title in 1911. Richie Ramsay of Scotland won in 2006, marking the only other British winner since 1898.
Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the U.S. Amateur in 2013, went on to win the U.S. Open on the same course, The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 2022. Past U.S. Amateur champions include notable golfers such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau, and Viktor Hovland.