Jack Whaley's Ambitious Win at U.S. Amateur Golf Sparks Family Memories
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Whaley is No. 90 in the world amateur golf ranking, while Leng is at No. 23. Leng gets pretty nice consolation prizes. He also earned a spot on the 2026 U.S. Walker Cup team, in the Masters and the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach next year, provided he remains an amateur.
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Sky SportsSunday 16 August 2026 22:45, UK Doncaster-born golfer Jack Whaley defeated American Jay Leng Jr in a gruelling 36-hole final on Sunday to claim a sensational US Amateur Championship victory and book his place at The Open next year.
AP SportsWhaley played with double gloves, needed an umbrella, was stung by a wasp at rainy Merion Golf Club and still pushed through the inconveniences to cap a tremendous tournament and hold off Jay Leng Jr. to win the U.S. Amateur on Sunday.
ESPNSeminole moment: FSU's Whaley wins U.S. Amateur Jack Whaley, 22, who plays in the ACC with the Florida State Seminoles, used double gloves, held off Jay Leng Jr. to win the U.S. Amateur championship on Sunday afternoon at rainy Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
BBC SportPublished Jack Whaley became only the second Englishman to win the US Amateur Championship since 1911 as he beat American Jay Leng Jr 4&3 at Merion.
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ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — Jack Whaley blinked back tears as he clutched the U.S. Amateur championship trophy and could only think of the countless times his father kept encouraging him, kept playing golf with him, all to urge a promising teenager on the cusp of quitting the game to stick with it for better days ahead.
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CBS SportsARDMORE, Pa. (AP) -- Jack Whaley blinked back tears as he clutched the U.S. Amateur championship trophy and could only think of the countless times his father kept encouraging him, kept playing golf with him, all to urge a promising teenager on the cusp of quitting the game to stick with it for better days ahead.
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With his dad on the bag, Whaley fulfilled Andy Whaley’s unwavering belief and capped the tournament victory of his life at Merion with a father-son embrace that put an exclamation point on a career that at one point seemed destined to dry up on English soil.
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CBS SportsWith the sky finally clear on the rain-slogged course, Whaley sank his final putt for birdie to win the 36-hole final 4 and 3 and hugged it out with his caddie -- his father. Whaley's mother ran out to join them for a family embrace while Andy gripped the famed wicker basket flagstick.
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"He can actually see me happy, and I can see him happy coming off the golf course," Whaley said.
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AP Sports“He can actually see me happy, and I can see him happy coming off the golf course,” Whaley said.
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Whaley should keep the rain jacket. The 22-year-old Englishman gets to soak up the spoils that come with winning amateur golf’s greatest prize.
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CBS SportsWhaley should keep the rain jacket. The 22-year-old Englishman gets to soak up the spoils that come with winning amateur golf's greatest prize.
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His son broke down in tears as he held the Havemeyer Trophy and dedicated the win to his father, who never gave up on Jack, even as he kept missing cuts as a teenager.
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CBS SportsHis son broke down in tears as he held the Havemeyer Trophy and dedicated the win to his father, who never gave up on Jack, even as he kept missing cuts as a teenager.
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"As we were driving back, I was looking at my dad with some of the names that are on this thing," Whaley said after his win. "I never thought my name would among such impressive people."
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AP Sports“As we were driving back, I was looking at my dad with some of the names that are on this thing,” Whaley said after his win. “I never thought my name would among such impressive people.”
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Whaley pointed to a spot on his right ankle where the wasp got him and left him throbbing for the next two holes.
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CBS SportsWhaley pointed to a spot on his right ankle where the wasp got him and left him throbbing for the next two holes.
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"I had to pull this stinger out," Whaley said with a laugh. Maybe the stinger will be immortalized down the line at Merion.
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AP Sports“I had to pull this stinger out,” Whaley said with a laugh. Maybe the stinger will be immortalized down the line at Merion.
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The U.S. Amateur does hold a special place in Merion history. Take a look at the rock near the 11th hole tee box at Merion and one of the grandest holes in golf is marked.
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CBS SportsThe U.S. Amateur does hold a special place in Merion history. The rock near the 11th tee box at Merion marks one of golf's grandest holes.
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It was on that hole where Bobby Jones closed out Eugene Homans 8 and 7 in the 36-hole final and clinched golf’s only season Grand Slam with a win at the U.S. Amateur.
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CBS SportsIt was on that hole where Bobby Jones closed out Eugene Homans 8 and 7 in the 36-hole final and clinched golf's only season grand slam with a win at the U.S. Amateur.
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Aaron Rai used double gloves months earlier in his PGA Championship victory at nearby Aronimink Golf Club, just as Whaley did months later.
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CBS SportsAaron Rai used double gloves months earlier in his PGA Championship victory at nearby Aronimink Golf Club, just as Whaley did months later.
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“It seemed to work, so I kept going,” Whaley said. Merion is set to host the US Open in 2030, 2040, and 2050, alongside the U.S. Women’s Open in 2034 and 2046.
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CBS Sports"It seemed to work, so I kept going," Whaley said. Merion is set to host the U.S. Open in 2030, 2040 and 2050, alongside the U.S. Women's Open in 2034 and 2046.
2 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 BBC Sport Prior to Fitzpatrick, Harold Hilton had been the last Englishman to won the title in 1911, with Scotland's Richie Ramsay (2006) the only other British winner since 1898.
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02 Sky Sports After making the final at Merion Golf Club, Whaley had already secured himself a spot at The Masters and the US Open, but his three and four victory has now earned him a place at St Andrews next summer.
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