Union Jack: England's Whaley Takes Title at Merion

It was a seminal moment for a Seminole.

Florida State University rising senior Jack Whaley, 22, of England, defeated Stanford University rising junior Jay Leng Jr., 20, of San Diego, Calif., 4 and 3, in Sunday’s 36-hole championship match of the 126th U.S. Amateur Championship at historic Merion Golf Club.

Whaley, who spent the first two years at NAIA Dalton (Ga.) State College before transferring last spring, became the first Florida State golfer to hoist the Havemeyer Trophy. Drew Kittleson (2008) and A. Downing Gray (1962) had reached the championship match.

By winning the title, Whaley, No. 90 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®, earns exemptions into the 2027 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links and The Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews as well as a likely invitation to the Masters Tournament next April. He also automatically earns one of the 10 spots on the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup Team that will take on the USA Sept. 5-6 at Lahinch, in the Republic of Ireland. That team will be announced on Monday by The R&A.

Whaley joins Harold Hilton (1910) and Matt Fitzpatrick (2013) as Englishmen to have claimed the Havemeyer Trophy. He’s also the first play since Tyler Strafaci in 2020 to trail after the morning 18 and win the title.

“I don't think it's sunk in yet,” said Whaley of joining the likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Bob Jones as a U.S. Amateur champion. “But it's definitely a huge honor to be able to be part of the names of all the famous people and unbelievable golfers that have come through this golf course and won. Yeah, I don't really have words for it right now.”

World No. 23 Leng Jr. also was among the final six players named to the USA Team on Sunday afternoon. A winner of the Western Amateur two weeks ago, Leng Jr. was bidding to join Tiger Woods and Lawson Little as U.S. Amateur champions from Stanford. He was the first player from the school to make a final since David Chung in 2010.

“Right now, it doesn't feel too great losing in the finals,” said Leng Jr., who also was the runner-up in the Northeast Amateur and tied for fifth in the Southern Amateur this summer. “But I'm sure I'll be okay in a few days.”

Whaley, meanwhile, followed the same script as the last player to win this championship at Merion, who also happened to be a European. Edoardo Molinari, of Italy, survived a 19-for-17 playoff after holing out a bunker shot on the par-3 ninth at Merion on his final hole of stroke play, then used that momentum to win six matches, including the final over Dillon Dougherty by the same 4-and-3 margin.

Early Wednesday morning, Whaley was part of a 16-for-11 playoff for the final match-play spots and nearly aced the par-3 13th hole to secure his place in the draw. He survived his opening-round match in 22 holes over 2026 U.S. Open qualifier Jackson Ormond and rolled from there, ending the championship match on the 15th green with a 10-foot birdie.

For the first time all week, a bit of fall enveloped Merion. Temperatures dropped into the 70s and the competitors encountered the stiffest wind. Rain also fell shortly after the start of the afternoon round, adding a further challenge to not only the players but the two caddies.

Whaley, being from England, was much more used to playing in such adverse conditions than the Southern Californian Leng Jr., who found himself switching out gloves every other hole just to keep the club from slipping out of his hands. He also had to put on raingear for the first time. After hitting his tee shot out of bounds on the 22nd hole, Whaley pulled out his black rain gloves very similar to the ones countryman Aaron Rai used to win this year’s PGA Championship down the road at Aronimink Golf Club.

That provided a better grip and Whaley, who trailed 2 down after the morning 18, began to slowly pull away from Leng, who lost his first head-to-head match since the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championships to Auburn’s Josiah Gilbert.

Whaley claimed four consecutive holes from the par-5 20th to take a 2-up lead. Leng got one back on the 24th, thanks to Whaley’s wayward tee shot. But when Whaley drained a 25-foot birdie on the 26th hole and a 15-footer at No. 28, his lead ballooned back to 3 up.

Knocking his approach shot on No. 29, the hole where Bob Jones closed out his 1930 U.S. Amateur win to complete the Grand Slam, into the penalty area wound up costing Whaley a hole, but he immediately recovered with a winning two-putt par on the 30th hole to regain his 3-up advantage. The match would end three holes later.

Whaley drew first blood to start the match, holing a chip shot left of the green for a birdie on the opening hole and registering a winning par at the third. In fact, he twice owned 2-up leads on the front nine, only to see Leng Jr. rally to tie the encounter with pars on Nos. 9 and 10.

The turning point of the morning session? Leng Jr. converting a 30-foot left-to-right sliding birdie putt on 12 to tie the match and then following with a 15-footer on the short par-3 13th to take a 1-up lead. He would go 2 up at 16 when Whaley three-putted from 45 feet, missing a 6-foot comebacker from above the hole.

“I was kind of a little bit shocked that I managed to lose that many holes coming in. I got off to a good start, and I was up, and then I was just like, what just happened?” said Whaley. “Jay just made a 20-foot putt, a 30-foot putt and then another 20-foot putt, and I'm like, well, that was out of nowhere and I'm kind of scraping my pars and he's just making birdies out of nowhere. He played unbelievable this morning coming down the stretch.

“During the break, it was kind of just reset, recoup and get ready for the afternoon. I knew 2-down wasn't too much for me to handle. Going into it, it was just be confident and let things happen.”

Leng Jr., however, was unable to keep his momentum going following the 90-minute lunch break.

“I didn't really do anything different,” said Leng Jr. “He just got off to a really hot start. He birdied 2, birdied 3. I just couldn't really do anything about it. I tried to reset, and then he just made a few more birdies, and that's that.”

Outside of a wayward tee shot on the 24th hole and a porous approach at No. 30, Whaley played steady, solid golf over the last 15 holes. That final 10-footer at the 33rd hole sent off a wild celebration that included an emotional hug with his father/caddie Andy Whaley, his mom (Kerry), girlfriend (Sara Burger, transferred from Dalton State to Middle Tennessee State for golf), and coaches at both Florida State and Dalton State College, where he won the 2025 NAIA Championship and was named the Jack Nicklaus Award recipient for that level.

“It's just off the charts. I'm not very emotional as a rule, but this is a very emotional,” said Andy Whaley. “Never in our wildest dreams did we think that this was possible. Jack has just achieved the impossible, frankly. That's what this is about. I just can't be proud enough of the guy.”

England now has another U.S. Amateur champion. Merion put on another great show.

A seminal moment for sure.

What the Champion Receives

• The inaugural Tiger Woods Medal
• Custody of the Havemeyer Trophy for the ensuing year
• Exemption into the 127th U.S. Open Championship at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links
• Exemptions into the next 10 U.S. Amateur Championships
• Exemption into The Open Championship next July at the Old Course at St. Andrews (must be an amateur)
• Likely invitation to the 2027 Masters Tournament (must be an amateur)
• Named engraved on the 2026 USGA Champions’ plaque that resides in the Hall of Champions inside the USGA Museum & Library, in Liberty Corner, N.J.

Notable

• Runner-up Jay Leng Jr. received a silver medal, an exemption into the 2027 U.S. Open (must be an amateur), exemptions into the next three U.S. Amateurs and a likely invitation to the 2027 Masters Tournament (must be an amateur).
  
  
• Three of the last four U.S. Amateurs contested at Merion have been claimed by international players: Gary Cowan (Canada, 1966); Edoardo Molinari (Italy, 2005) and Jack Whaley (England, 2026). In 1989, Clemson standout Chris Patton claimed the title.
  
  
• Englishmen have claimed the last two USGA championships – the 2022 Curtis Cup not withstanding – held at Merion. Justin Rose, of England, won the 2013 U.S. Open.
  
  
• Before going to Lahinch with the USA Walker Cup Team, Jay Leng Jr. and his Stanford teammates are headed to the Emerald Isle for a school-sponsored golf trip. Royal County Down, site of the 2007 Walker Cup Match, is one of the venues the Cardinal will be playing.
  
  
• As per USGA tradition in amateur competitions featuring 36-championship matches, the two finalists get to choose their lunch. Jay Leng Jr. went with a ribeye steak medium rare with white rice and some vegetables and fruit. Jack Whaley chose chicken and pasta.
  
  
• Florida State men’s golf coach Trey Jones flew up Sunday morning to support rising senior Jack Whaley. Jones’ son, Drew, also a member of the team, came up from Tallahassee as well. FSU assistants Brandon Smith and Matt Walton also were in the crowd, the former having played at Texas A&M with 2022 U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett. He also briefly caddied for Bennett on the Korn Ferry Tour.
  
  
• Ben Rickett, who coached Jack Whaley at NAIA Dalton (Ga.) State College, also came in for the championship. The Englishman was the assistant coach at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga when Steven Fox won the 2012 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills C.C. as the No. 63 seed. He jumped on Fox’s bag for the second 18 as Fox defeated Michael Weaver in 37 holes.
  
  
• Stanford coach Conrad Ray also flew in from California to support Jay Leng Jr. Ray also played for Stanford when three-time U.S. Amateur champion Tiger Woods was on the team, along with Casey Martin (current Oregon head coach) and Notah Begay III. Ray also competed in the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
  
  
• Among those following the match were Graham and Jack Boatwright, the grandsons of former USGA executive P.J. Boatwright Jr. who qualified for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball two years ago at nearby Philadelphia Cricket Club. They were on property with Cathy Boatwright, a longtime USGA volunteer Rules official who received the Ike Grainger Award for 25 years of meritorious service to the Association. P.J. not only was a highly knowledgeable Rules official and administrator, but a tremendous golfer, qualifying for four U.S. Amateurs and the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion, finishing 49th. The USGA’s Boatwright Internship Program that assists Allied Golf Associations is named in his honor. Graham Boatwright just qualified for next month’s U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sand Valley Resort in a 5-for-1 playoff that lasted six holes. Jack will serve as his caddie.
  
  
• USGA Executive Committee members Andrew Biggadike (morning) and Bryan Lewis (afternoon) served as the referees for the final. On the first tee Sunday morning were two USGA champions: USGA Executive Committee member Andy North (1978 and 1985 U.S. Open) and Merion member George “Buddy” Marucci (2008 U.S. Senior Amateur). Marucci also captained the victorious USA Walker Cup Teams in 2007 and 2009, the latter at Merion.

Quotable

“As we were driving back [to the clubhouse], I was looking with my dad at some of the names that are on [the Havemeyer Trophy], and it's incredible. I never thought that my name would be amongst such impressive people.” – Jack Whaley

“I actually normally don't do that. But as soon as it started raining on 6 (the 24th hole of the match) and I slipped and I sliced one out of bounds, I was like, I can't use these anymore, can't use a regular glove, so I got the two gloves out and I started swinging it a little bit smoother and tried to time it up a little bit better, and it seemed to work, so I kept going.” – Whaley on going to two gloves

“I was just walking down the fourth (22nd of the match) after my second shot, and I felt something on my leg, and then it just stuck in me. I was like, ‘What's going on?’ Looked down and there was a wasp on my ankle, and I flicked it off and then I had to pull the stinger out, and it was throbbing for a good two holes and then someone brought something out to me and it's kind of calmed down now.” – Whaley on being stung by a bee during the afternoon round

“I think the big thing is that I actually don't think I've played much match play on links golf courses, and the ones that I have played match play in county golf, I've actually played really well. Me and one of my teammates a couple years ago, we played in the foursomes for Yorkshire. We went out there and we were 6 under through six. It's not like it's a mental block or anything like that. It's just, I guess, match play is just different. I feel like I'm better in match play.” – Whaley when asked about playing on a links course for the upcoming Walker Cup Match

“I didn't play great golf. [I] didn't make as many putts as I wanted to. But it was raining, windy; very different conditions today. Not too disappointed.” – Jay Leng Jr.

“I didn't really think about it much until the middle of the summer. I'd say after the Northeast and Southern I realized I really had a chance before the Western [Amateur], and obviously winning the Western and getting second here really helps.” – Leng Jr. on getting selected to the USA Walker Cup Team

“The Junior Ryder Cup was actually one of my favorite memories ever because that was the first time I ever competed in front of that many people, and today kind of reminded me of that. Even though I didn't have my best stuff, I'm really excited for the Walker Cup, and I'm going to be in Ireland next week [with the Stanford golf team] anyway.” – Jay Leng Jr.

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.