US Junior Amateur Glory for Cooper’s Conqueror

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States: When the next World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) is published, Noah Maclauchlan won’t see the number 2,047 next to his name. Thanks to a stunning 6&5 victory over the much-heralded Miles Russell in the 36-hole final of the 78th US Junior Amateur Championship at Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course that figure will definitely make a sharp upward move. 

Originally an alternate into the field, Maclauchlan, an 18-year-old incoming Liberty University freshman from Moseley, Virginia, a Richmond suburb, put on a brilliant display of shot-making and putting to deny 17-year-old Russell, seventh in the WAGR who was recently named to the 2026 US Walker Cup Team, the one title missing from his remarkable résumé. 

Maclauchlan’s name now will be etched on the Tiger Woods Trophy with three-time champion Woods, two-time winner Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Johnny Miller, David Duval, Min Woo Lee, Will Zalatoris and Brian Harman. 

“I don’t really have words right now,” said Maclauchlan, conqueror of New Zealand’s Cooper Moore in the semi-finals. “It’s pretty surreal, pretty unbelievable to call myself a United States Junior champion. To have my name next to all the legends that have won this, including Tiger [Woods] and so many more, is so special.” 

Maclauchlan’s victory earned him an exemption into the 127th US Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links as well as spot in the next two US Amateurs, including next month’s championship at Merion Golf Club, about an hour south of Saucon Valley CC. He’s the second-lowest ranked player, according to WAGR, to win the US Junior Amateur, following 2024 winner Trevor Gutschewski, who was 3,570 when he defeated lefty Tyler Watts.

Maclauchlan now joins Major champion Harman (2003) and 2013 US Walker Cupper Cory Whitsett (2007) as southpaws to etch their names on the Tiger Woods Trophy. This was the first individual USGA amateur final featuring two left-handers; the 2024 US Amateur Four-Ball championship match had one southpaw and one righty on each side. 

Russell, the number two seed who finished tied for 39th in last month’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills and is a 2027 Florida State verbal commit, was bidding to become the first medallist/co-medallist to win the Junior Amateur since Spieth in 2009. But it wasn’t meant to be for the two-time US Junior Ryder Cup and 2024 US Junior Presidents Cup competitor. 

His other accomplishments: two-time American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year (2023, 2025), two-time Junior Players champ, two-time Junior Invitational at Sage Valley champion, 2023 PGA Junior winner and 2024 Rolex Tournament of Champions titlist. He also reached the quarter-finals of the 2025 US Amateur, and the four-time US Junior Amateur participant had reached the final eight the past two years. 

Maclauchlan’s portfolio isn’t nearly as impressive, although his year has included a third-place finish in the AJGA’s RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic, a match play event held at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, runner-up finishes in the VSGA Junior Stroke Play and Scott Robertson Memorial and a win in the AJGA’s Lanto Junior Championship. 

But the number 49 seed can thank a recent USGA decision for even getting a spot in the field. Starting with the 2014 championship season, the USGA handed out exemptions for the US Amateur, US Women’s Amateur, US Junior Amateur and US Girls’ Junior to winners of Allied Golf Association amateur/junior events. 

At the Portsmouth, Virginia qualifier, Maclauchlan wound up as the first alternate, while his younger brother, Liam, a 2027 University of Virginia verbal commit, was the medallist. One of the other qualifiers was Rawlin Sutter, who a few days later would repeat as the Alabama State Junior Boys champion to become fully exempt into the US Junior Amateur. That meant the site’s first alternate (Maclauchlan) was now in the 264-player field. 

But in the opening round, Maclauchlan struggled to a six-over 76 on the Grace Course, the stroke play co-host venue. He rallied with a 68 on the Old Course to qualify for match play. 

From there, he rode a wave of momentum that included knocking out two of the three co-medallists – number one seed Brayden Jones in the Round of 16 (2&1) and Russell – as well as 2026 Western Junior champion Andrew Sciortino in the Round of 32 (3&1), 2026 Northwestern signee Kuan Zhou in the quarters (4&2) and top Kiwi junior Moore in the semis (one-up). 

“I owe Rawlin Sutter a special thanks,” said Maclauchlan. “I’m sure I’ll text him later, probably give him a call. It was pretty surreal. Actually, he was at the qualifier that we all played in. Drove in the middle of the night with no sleep and then won the junior championship four days later. Pretty unreal stuff from the kid. But it hasn’t really sunk in. I knew I had kind of a 50-50 chance and [I] didn’t really expect much. So, to be here now as the champion [it] still hasn’t sunk in.” 

Equally impressive was how he progressed through the draw, especially in the final two rounds. Maclauchlan registered nine birdies in his semi-final victory. Against Russell he made six birdies in the morning 18, taking a one-up lead into the lunch break, and then posted seven more birdies against just one bogey in the afternoon round. 

The margin of victory was the third largest since the USGA switched to a 36-hole format for the championship match in 2005. Only Cameron Peck’s 10&8 win over Evan Beck (2008) and Whitsett’s 8&7 decision over Anthony Paolucci (2007) were larger. For the record, Beck, the 2024 US Mid-Amateur champion, was an alternate into that field at Shoal Creek. Maclauchlan is believed to be the first alternate to win this championship. 

Meanwhile, Russell struggled the entire day with his driver and playing approach shots from rough as deep as six inches on the Old Course is generally not a recipe for success. He only could muster five birdies over the match’s 31 holes. In comparison, he had five birdies and two eagles in his 2&1 semi-final win over US National Junior Team member and sixth seed Tyler Mawhinney and played seven-under golf in the 6&5 quarter-final win over Washington State rising sophomore Dylan Boenning.      

“It was a good match there the first 18, and kind of got my teeth kicked in there early [in the second 18],” said Russell, who is eligible try for a fifth and final time next year. “I gave it my all towards the end, and second 18 [I] just really couldn’t get anything going. [I] was thinking that I was going to be able to hit my driver a little better than I did in the morning and that just wasn’t the case. Just didn’t give myself that many chances.”