Scheffler vs. McIlroy of Junior Golf: Russell and Colton Set for Epic Quarterfinal
The top two ranked junior golfers in the world are on a collision course at the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur, setting up what promises to be the marquee matchup of Friday’s quarterfinals at Trinity Forest in Dallas.
No. 1 Miles Russell and No. 2 Luke Colton will face off in a heavyweight battle that feels like the junior golf equivalent of Scottie Scheffler versus Rory McIlroy. Their 8:30 a.m. ET showdown headlines Friday’s quarterfinal action.
Russell, a 16-year-old lefty from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, survived a scare in Wednesday’s opening round of match play. He rallied from 2 down through three holes to win in extra holes. Thursday proved less dramatic as Russell dispatched Lucas Latimer 3 and 2 in the morning before taking down Miguel Garcia 4 and 2 in the afternoon.
Colton, the 18-year-old hometown favorite from nearby Frisco, has been equally impressive. He steamrolled Texas A&M signee Shiv Parmar 6 and 5 in the Round of 32, then eliminated 15-year-old Chase Bauer 3 and 1 to secure his spot in the quarters.
This isn’t the first time these two have squared off. They last met in the Round of 16 at the North and South Amateur in June, where Colton prevailed in a marathon 21-hole battle.
Just how evenly matched are these two? The numbers tell the story:
- In 48 common rounds since the start of 2024, they’re deadlocked at 21-21-6 against each other
- Both carry identical 70.1 scoring averages during that span
There’s more than just a semifinal berth at stake. This match could help decide the 10-man U.S. Walker Cup team that will compete at Cypress Point this September. Russell, currently No. 18 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, entered the week with the better chance, but Colton (ranked 26th) would significantly boost his case with a win over Russell and potentially the championship.
The other quarterfinal matchups feature plenty of intrigue too:
Hamilton Coleman of Augusta, Georgia, who won last year’s AJGA Junior Players in a playoff over Blades Brown, takes on Sohan Patel. Coleman showed his mettle by winning each of his last three holes against the red-hot Tyler Watts in a 2-and-1 Round of 16 victory. Patel joins Russell and Colton as lefties in the top half of the bracket, notable since only two southpaws have ever won this championship – Brian Harman (2003) and Cory Whitsett (2007).
England’s Ben Bolton faces China’s Qiyou Wu in another compelling matchup. No Englishman has ever claimed the U.S. Junior title, while Wu aims to become just the second champion from China, following Wenyi Ding in 2022. Wu needed 21 holes to eliminate Ronin Banerjee, who had tied a championship record with a 9-and-8 victory in Wednesday’s first round.
The final quarterfinal pits Nicholas Gross, a rising sophomore at Alabama, against Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Minh, the world’s 52nd-ranked amateur.
But all eyes will be on Russell and Colton. The way these two have been playing, their quarterfinal might just feel like a championship match.
