CHICAGO — In a quarterfinal showdown between two of the world’s top amateurs, Miles Russell continued his run at the 124th Western Amateur presented by Inspire11, defeating Tyler Watts, 3 and 1, in front of hundreds of fans at The Beverly Country Club.

Russell, who became the second-youngest medalist of the Sweet 16 era on Thursday, advanced to the semifinals with the win over his future Walker Cup teammate.

“You know, it’s tough to play against a buddy, and a teammate here in a few weeks,” Russell said. “It was a lot of fun. To be able to play against another great player, it really kind of puts your game to the test.”

Resources: Full Results

Russell, No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), grabbed control early, building a 2-up lead through seven holes. Watts, ranked No. 3 in WAGR, battled back on the back nine, twice cutting the deficit to 1 down, but Russell never surrendered the lead and closed out the match with an up-and-down par on the difficult par-3 17th.

Even as rain moved in late in the match, the Florida State commit remained steady.

“I was very solid,” Russell said. “Where I got in trouble, I was able to get out of it and scrape around it towards the end once the weather rolled in.”

Russell, a 17-year-old from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, will open the semifinals against Stanford’s Jay Leng. The 20-year-old Leng, ranked No. 33, defeated Cardinal teammate Dean Greyserman in the Round of 16 before cruising past USC’s Jaden Dumdumaya (No. 66), 5 and 3, in the quarterfinals.

“That first win was a grueling match,” Leng said. “Dean came out with three straight birdies and didn’t let his foot off the gas for a while. I was able to catch a few of his mistakes and make birdies down the stretch. That was probably the first time I’ve felt that kind of pressure in a while.”

On the other side of the bracket will feature a matchup of SEC foes, as Auburn’s Logan Reilly (No. 80) will face Vanderbilt’s Michael Riebe (No. 109) at 8:12 a.m. The 19-year-old Reilly, who helped Auburn capture its second national championship in three seasons as a freshman, advanced with a 4-and-3 victory over No. 8 Josiah Gilbert, his teammate, in the quarterfinals.

“It was a good day overall. I came in and did what I wanted to do,” Reilly said. “Now I just need to do anything I can to get ready for tomorrow. My opponents were great, and it was a fun day.”

Riebe, 19, knocked off 2025 Western Amateur semifinalist Zackary Swanwick, a Florida standout ranked No. 21, in the Round of 16 before defeating Kayun Mudadana, of Sydney, Australia, 4 and 3, in the quarterfinals.

“I think I maintained my energy well today and ate a lot of food on the course, which was good, to make sure I could stay focused and physically ready,” Riebe said. “My mind was really good today. I was really present with what I was doing, and I was constantly looking at the next shot. A few times I got frustrated, but I really kept my eyes up and body going forward.”

Live coverage of Saturday’s semifinals will stream on ESPN+ from 9 a.m. to noon CT, with coverage resuming at 1 p.m. for the championship match.

First held at Glen View Club in 1899, the Western Amateur is the third-oldest amateur golf championship in the world – trailing only the British Amateur (1885) and the U.S. Amateur (1895). It consistently draws elite amateur talent from around the globe, with past champions including legends like Charles “Chick” Evans, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Attendance and parking at the Western Amateur are free.

Round of 16 Results
Friday, July 31
Miles Russell, Jacksonville Beach, Florida def. Boston Bracken, Saint George, Utah, 3 and 2
Tyler Watts, Huntsville, Alabama def. Carson Bertagnole, Pinehurst, North Carolina, 5 and 4
Jaden Dumdumaya, Benicia, California def. Max Herendeen, Champaign, Illinois, 4 and 2
Jay Leng, San Diego, California def. Dean Greyserman, Boca Raton, Florida, 1 up
Josiah Gilbert, Millbrook, Alabama def. Baylor Larrabee, Ferndale, Washington, 1 up
Logan Reilly, Lovettsville, Virginia def. Daniel Bennett, Pretoria, South Africa, 1 up
Kayun Mudadana, Sydney, Australia def. Will Hartman, Marvin, North Carolina, 20 holes
Michael Riebe, Encinitas, California def. Zackary Swanwick, Napier, New Zealand, 2 and 1

Quarterfinal Results
Friday, July 31
Russell def. Watts, 3 and 1
Leng def. Dumdumaya, 5 and 3
Reilly def. Gilbert, 4 and 3
Riebe def. Mudadana, 4 and 3

Semifinals
Saturday, Aug. 1
Russell vs. Leng, 8 a.m.
Reilly vs. Riebe, 8:12 a.m.

Final
Saturday, Aug. 1
Scheduled for 1 p.m.