Two Warriors, 18 Holes Left: Jay Leng Jr. Leads Jack Whaley 2-Up as the 126th U.S. Amateur Heads to Its Afternoon Decider

ARDMORE, Pa. — The morning 18 is complete. Jay Leng Jr. leads Jack Whaley by two holes in the 36-hole championship match of the 126th U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club. Both players bogeyed the difficult, wind-affected 18th, and the match will resume after a short lunch break with the second 18 starting around 2:05 p.m. ET.

Eighteen holes remain for the Havemeyer Trophy. Two very different paths have brought these finalists to this moment.

How Jay Leng Jr. got here

Jay Leng Jr., the No. 15 seed, is the 20-year-old Stanford junior from San Diego who has been the hottest player in amateur golf this summer. He arrives in the final as the reigning Western Amateur champion and the most consistent performer of the week in match play.

Leng's route through the bracket has been efficient and decisive. He knocked out high seeds along the way, including a 1-up victory over second-seeded Tyler Watts in the Round of 16. In the semifinals on Saturday he defeated Logan Reilly 2 and 1 for his fifth consecutive match-play win. Even when his ball-striking was not at its absolute peak, Leng produced the shots that decide matches: a key 10-footer at the ninth, an 8-foot birdie at the 15th, and a steady two-putt to close out the 17th.

He has played fewer holes than almost anyone left in the field and has looked increasingly comfortable on Merion's demanding greens. At the lunch break he holds a 2-up advantage after flipping the match with birdies on the 12th and 13th holes of the morning round.

How Jack Whaley got here

Jack Whaley's story is the classic underdog run. The 22-year-old Florida State senior from England entered the week as the No. 60 seed after surviving a 16-for-11 playoff just to reach the match-play bracket. He has spent the week winning long, grinding matches and refusing to go away.

Whaley's path included a 22-hole victory earlier in the week and a series of close contests that tested his nerve. In the semifinals he edged Carter Loflin 1-up, sealing the win with a clutch 4-foot bogey putt on Merion's brutal 18th hole in front of more than 3,500 spectators. That putt, he later said, felt like the longest of his life.

If he wins this afternoon, Whaley would become the first Englishman to claim the U.S. Amateur since Matt Fitzpatrick in 2013. He has already shown he can win holes late and handle the pressure of Merion's finishing stretch. He trails by two after 18 but has the experience of coming from behind this week.

What to expect this afternoon

The second 18 begins with Leng in control but far from safe. A 2-up lead at the lunch break has been a strong indicator in recent U.S. Amateurs — every player who held the lead at the break since 2021 has gone on to win — yet Merion's back nine, especially the quarry holes and the long, wind-exposed 18th, has a way of creating drama.

Leng will look to keep the pressure on with the same precise iron play and confident putting that flipped the morning round. Whaley will need to find birdies early, stay patient, and hope the wind and the firm, contoured greens create openings. Both players have already proven they can close out matches under pressure; both know one bad stretch can erase a two-hole lead in a hurry.

Television coverage of the afternoon 18 begins at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock, with NBC taking over from 4 to 6 p.m. The winner earns an exemption into the 2027 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, a likely invitation to the Masters (if he remains an amateur), and a place in the history of one of golf's most storied venues.

Eighteen holes left. Two warriors. One Havemeyer Trophy. The final chapter at Merion is underway.