Jack Whaley wins US Amateur to book 2027 Open spot — SkimNews
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- Jack Whaley defeated American Jay Leng Jr 4&3 in the 36-hole final at Merion Golf Club to win the US Amateur Championship, booking spots at The Masters, US Open, and the 2027 Open at St Andrews.
- The Doncaster-born Florida State University student became only the third English golfer to win the title, joining Matt Fitzpatrick (2013, Brookline) and Harold Hilton (1911, Apawamis Club).
- World No. 90 Whaley took an early lead with a chip-in at the first hole, saw Leng Jr — ranked 23rd and the pre-match favorite — fight back to all square by the 12th and two up through 16, before reclaiming the lead on the 22nd hole.
- Whaley clinched the title with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 33rd hole, then turned to hug his caddie and father Andy and his mother, who ran onto the green in Pennsylvania's rainy conditions.
- Whaley credited his father — "My dad has helped me so much this week… just keep going, just keep playing" — and his match-play roots at Sheffield Union and county golf for his victory.
- Whaley now hopes the win earns him a captain's pick from Walker Cup skipper Dean Robertson for the September 5-6 tournament at which he said he proved he is "good at match play."
Why it matters: Whaley's win locks him into three of golf's four majors for 2027 — a career-altering haul for a 90th-ranked amateur — and gives him a shot at the Walker Cup squad. He joins a three-man list of English US Amateur winners that stood at two for over a century, with the previous English champion (Fitzpatrick) now a major winner himself.
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