SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Miles Russell had a long walk to his ball at the end of a long U.S. Open round with Jackson Koivun on Saturday after smashing his tee shot 407 yards on the 18th hole.
“Not bad, not bad,” Russell said afterward with a smile. “I hit that one pretty good.”
Imagine what he might be able to do when he's all grown up.
The 17-year-old Russell and 21-year-old Koivun were paired together in the third round, a grouping that was being referred to during TV coverage as the future of golf.
Already so accomplished before they are even professionals — Russell hasn't even started college yet — both players understand why such expectations have been placed on them.
“I mean, I’m trying not to think about that,” Koivun said. “Just taking it one day at a time and let my golf game do the talking, but those are great compliments.”
Both players shot 4-over 74, dropping to 7 over for the tournament. Those scores weren't too bad on a difficult day at windy Shinnecock Hills for any golfer, let alone two that were playing on the weekend for the first time in a major championship.
It's expected to be the first of many times for both.
Koivun is about to turn pro after a dominant college career in which he led Auburn to two national championships in three seasons, becoming the first freshman since Justin Thomas in 2012 to win the Haskins Award, given to the nation's top collegiate golfer. He won the Southeastern Conference individual title all three years and has been the world's top-ranked amateur.
Russell is now the next big thing. The left-hander is ranked No. 1 in the American Junior Golf Association and No. 7 among all amateurs in the world. He is headed to Florida State and will be a teammate with Charlie Woods, Tiger Woods' son, who carried Russell's bag when he earned his spot in the U.S. Open through a 36-hole qualifier.
“He’s been been in the game for a while and he’s just such a good player,” Koivun said.
The players who didn't know each other well before this weekend will be paired again Sunday. Russell, who played with 54-year-old Padraig Harrington in the first two rounds, took advantage of a chance to be with someone closer to his age Saturday to get some advice about school.
Like Koivun, he tried to downplay the “future of golf” hype around them.
“I don’t know, that’s kind of crazy,” Russell said. "I mean, I think the main thing is just keep enjoying it, because if you’re not enjoying it, you may not have much of a future in it. So, I think we just keep doing what we’re doing, and see where it takes us.
“Golf is a very difficult sport," he added. "One day you have it and the next day it’s gone, so I think you just have to kind of block it out and just keep doing what you’re doing, and hopefully one day that’s true.”
Still, he could tell there was an interest in them, even though they were out early in the morning, long before anyone near the top of the leaderboard.
“At the beginning, we had some good crowds out there,” Russell said. “I think if we might have played a little better, they might have stuck around a little longer, but it was cool.”
Koivun and Russell were two of the five amateurs who made the cut, a group that was led by 21-year-old Ryder Cowan. Cowan, who will be a senior at Oklahoma, was tied for 11th after 36 holes.
So perhaps the future of golf goes beyond Koivun and Russell.
“Yeah, I mean, amateur golf is in a great spot right now,” Koivun said. “The college kids are definitely showing off, showing off how good they are, and for five of us to make it through, it’s quite impressive.”
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Miles Russell walks off the green on the third hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Miles Russell and Jackson Koivu walk on the 14th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler raised a club in his left hand and fist-pumped with his right while the crowd roared so loudly the cheers reverberated around Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
Chipping in from 65 feet on the 14th hole began a stretch of three consecutive birdies Saturday for Scheffler, who went into the third round outside the top 10 at the U.S. Open. Slightly more subdued fist pumps followed, as did a bogey after landing his tee shot in the bunker on No. 17.
By the time his eventful back nine was over, Scheffler shot a 69 tie for second place at 1 under for the tournament. He was six strokes behind leader Wyndham Clark going into Sunday.
“We’ve been battling hard for a few days, and I did a good job of keeping myself in the tournament,” Scheffler said. “It was nice to steal a couple there on the back nine when I really needed them as the tournament was kind of slipping away from me.”
Only Arnold Palmer in 1960 and Johnny Miller in 1973 have won the U.S. Open when trailing by six or more strokes going into the final round. The opportunity to pull off the third such comeback after 54 holes just happens to land on Scheffler’s 30th birthday and Father's Day, not long after he and wife Meredith Scudder welcomed their second child in April.
“We want to be in these positions,” Scheffler said. “This is why we practice and play: to have the opportunity to win golf tournaments, and that’s what (this) is. I have an opportunity to go out there and have a great round and give myself a chance to win the tournament.”
After an opening 72 in the gusting wind, Scheffler has been playing catch-up since. While shooting 68 on Friday got him into the mix, he still went into the weekend outside the top 10 with a lot of players between him and the top of the leaderboard.
Scheffler fell two more shots back of Clark by bogeying the first two holes Saturday. His tee shot went way left into the hay and his next one into the bunker on No. 1, then he was short right into the sand and missed a 6-foot putt on No. 2.
After parring Nos. 3 and 4, he faltered on the easiest place on the course at 5, two-putting on a hole more than half the field made birdie or better.
“I got off to a tough start,” Scheffler said. “Just did my best to try and stay patient.”
His first birdie of the third round didn't come until the 10th hole, hitting a flop shot he said he has only made a few of that caliber in his career. The birdie on No. 14 he felt gave him some momentum, and the emotional celebration showed how he felt.
Scheffler found his groove to birdie No. 15 and then had to wait several minutes to tee off on 16 because of people moving around in his line of sight. Caddie Ted Scott ran down the fairway to clear the path.
“Ted finally, I think, got tired of trying to holler,” Scheffler said. “He just got a little impatient and ran up there and got them out of the way.”
Scheffler was not thrown off his rhythm, and his second shot took a perfect bounce to within just over 13 feet of the cup. Even missing that eagle putt, he was able to move another shot closer.
Being slightly off target on a par putt on the 17th hole and a birdie attempt on the 18th prevented him from being in sole possession of second place but didn't take away from his overall satisfaction.
“You can hit a lot of good shots and end up in some spots where you’re going to be frustrated with the result, but I think that’s part of the U.S. Open test,” Scheffler said. “Proud of how we played on the back nine."
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Scottie Scheffler hits from the bunker on the first hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Scottie Scheffler hits from the fairway on the 16th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Scottie Scheffler hits from the bunker on the second hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Scottie Scheffler hits his tee shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Scottie Scheffler watches his shot on the first hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
