{"id":3619,"date":"2026-06-20T21:07:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T21:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3619"},"modified":"2026-06-20T21:07:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T21:07:00","slug":"amateur-stars-russell-and-koivun-play-together-in-the-us-opens-future-of-golf-pairing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3619","title":{"rendered":"Amateur stars Russell and Koivun play together in the US Open\u2019s \u2018future of golf\u2019 pairing"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNot bad, not bad,\u201d Russell said afterward with a smile. \u201cI hit that one pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imagine what he might be able to do when he\u2019s all grown up.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Already so accomplished before they are even professionals \u2014 Russell hasn\u2019t even started college yet \u2014 both players understand why such expectations have been placed on them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, I\u2019m trying not to think about that,\u201d Koivun said. \u201cJust taking it one day at a time and let my golf game do the talking, but those are great compliments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both players shot 4-over-par 74, dropping to 7 over for the tournament. Those scores weren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s expected to be the first of many times for both.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s top collegiate golfer. He won the Southeastern Conference individual title all three years and has been the world\u2019s top-ranked amateur.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 son, who carried Russell\u2019s bag when he earned his spot in the U.S. Open through a 36-hole qualifier.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been been in the game for a while and he\u2019s just such a good player,\u201d Koivun said.<\/p>\n

Read more Dylan Wu laughs at himself after five-putting his first hole in the third round at the US Open<\/a><\/p>\n

The players didn\u2019t know each other well. 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 to get some advice about school.<\/p>\n

Like Koivun, he tried to downplay the \u201cfuture of golf\u201d hype around them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, that\u2019s kind of crazy,\u201d Russell said. \u201cI mean, I think the main thing is just keep enjoying it, because if you\u2019re not enjoying it, you may not have much of a future in it. So, I think we just keep doing what we\u2019re doing, and see where it takes us.<\/p>\n

\u201cGolf is a very difficult sport,\u201d he added. \u201cOne day you have it and the next day it\u2019s gone, so I think you just have to kind of block it out and just keep doing what you\u2019re doing, and hopefully one day that\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the beginning, we had some good crowds out there,\u201d Russell said. \u201cI think if we might have played a little better, they might have stuck around a little longer, but it was cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

So perhaps the future of golf goes beyond Koivun and Russell.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I mean, amateur golf is in a great spot right now,\u201d Koivun said. \u201cThe college kids are definitely showing off, showing off how good they are, and for five of us to make it through, it\u2019s quite impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Brobbey and Gakpo strike twice each as Netherlands routs Sweden 5-1 to lead Group F<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP golf: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/golf<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. 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