Jack Whaley has won the US Amateur Championship, beating Jay Leng Jr 4&3 in the 36-hole final at Merion.
The victory makes Whaley only the second Englishman to win the title since 1911, after Matt Fitzpatrick’s triumph in 2013. It also secures the 22-year-old places in the 2027 Masters, US Open and The Open at St Andrews.
Whaley entered the final as the underdog against Leng, who was ranked 23rd in the world amateur rankings—67 places above the Doncaster golfer, who attends Florida State University.
He was two down after the opening 18 holes but responded strongly in the second round. Back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes helped him win four holes in succession and take control of the match.
With rain falling in Pennsylvania, Whaley built a three-hole advantage after Leng misread a putt at the 12th. He completed the win with a left-to-right birdie putt on the 15th.
Before Fitzpatrick and Whaley, Harold Hilton was the last English winner in 1911. Scotland’s Richie Ramsay, in 2006, is the only other British winner since 1898.
