Miles Russell is an easy winner in opening Junior Amateur match
· Yahoo Sports
Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach followed up his co-medalist in the U.S. Junior Amateur stroke-play qualifying with an easy victory in the first round of match play on July 22 at the Saucon Valley Country Club Old Course in Bethlehem, Pa.
Visit umafrika.club for more information.
Russell, who shot 69-66 in stroke play, routed Eli Wessel of Indianapolis, Ind., 6 and 5 to advance to the round of 32. Russell will play Evan Liu of Rancho Santa Fe., Calif., at 8:20 a.m. on July 23. Liu also won his first match by the same score, 6 and 5, over Paxton Lane of Benton, Ark.
The First Coast's other player in the match play phase of the tournament, Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island, was playing Rawlin Sutter of Cullman, Ala., in an afternoon match.
Russell, the second-seeded player in match play, put Wessel away with a front nine run, winning Nos. 6, 7 and 8. The two players turned and Russell then won Nos. 10 and 11, and ended the match with a birdie-3 on the 13th hole.
Wessel won only one hole, the 12th, and Russell had only one bogey, which halved the first hole.
Liu is the No. 40 player on the American Junior Golf rankings (Russell is first) and has verbally committed to play at North Carolina. Russell is a Florida State commit.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Miles Russell is an easy winner in opening Junior Amateur match