Remember the name Rawlin Sutter. Noah Maclauchlan most certainly will.
Maclauchlan, an 18-year-old from Virginia on his way to play college golf this fall at Liberty University, was an alternate for the U.S. Junior Amateur after the qualifier he played in. He would need a huge break to reach the prestigious championship at Saucon Valley Country Club.
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And he got one. Sutter, a University of Alabama commit, drove all night three weeks ago from the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier, where he earned a spot, to the Alabama State Boys State Junior Championship. When Sutter won that and earn an automatic berth into this week’s U.S. Junior, it opened up a spot. Maclauchlan got it, and in one of the most improbable outcomes in the 78-year history of the tournament, the 2047th-ranked amateur in the world routed No. 7-ranked Miles Russell 6 and 5 over 31 holes.
“I owe Rawlin Sutter a special thanks. I’m sure I’ll text him later and probably give him a call,” Maclauchlan said. “Yeah, it was pretty surreal. Actually, he was at the qualifier that we all played in, drove in the middle of the night, no sleep, and then won the [Alabama] Junior Championship four days later. Pretty unreal stuff from the kid.
“No, it hasn’t really sunk in. I knew I had kind of a 50/50 chance [to make the field]. Didn’t really expect have much, so to be here now as a U.S. Junior champion still hasn’t sunk in.”
Maclauchlan becomes the first player to win the Tiger Woods Trophy, named for six-time USGA champion who won three straight U.S. Junior Amateurs before capturing three consecutive U.S. Amateurs. Maclauchlan didn’t know about the trophy until a reporter told him.
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“Is this the first year it’s the Tiger Woods Trophy?” he asked. “Yeah, I’m honored to win the Tiger Woods Trophy for the first year. It’s awesome.
“I don’t really have words right now. It’s pretty surreal. Pretty unbelievable to call myself a U.S. Junior champion. To have my name next to all the legends that have won this, including Tiger’s and so many more is so special.”
Maclauchlan shot three over in 36 holes of stroke play—nine shots worse than Miles Russell, who tied for medalist honors—and reached the 64-player match play as the 49th seed. (His benefactor, Rawlins, also advanced, but lost in the first round.). Maclauchlan then reached the Round of 16, where he ousted No. 1 seed Brayden Jones. He beat ninth-seeded Kuan Zhou 4 and 2 in the quarters and No. 53 Cooper Moore 1 up in the semis.
In Saturday’s final, Maclauchlin was 3 up through 6 and then fell to 1 down through 15, only to win six of the next nine holes to get to 5 up through 24 and eventually win at the 31st.
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When he’d lost his big lead, Noah’s younger brother, Liam, who took over caddying after missing the stroke-play cut, coached him to remain calm, take deep breaths and slow down his walk.
“The entire day had flipped and I felt like the world was spinning,” Noah said. “But this year especially, and again, in this tournament, I’ve shown some real resilience being down and out early and bringing it back to contend. So it’s not a situation I prefer to be in, but it’s a situation I’m used to. I was able to do it again versus Miles.”
Miles Russell
Ishika Samant
Russell, 17, is one of the most recognized junior golfers in the world and has committed to play his college golf at Florida State in the fall of 2027 with his friend Charlie Woods. He is a seasoned competitor at high levels, having played seven times each on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour.
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Russell said struggles with his driver led to his troubles in the final.
“It was a good match there the first 18, and kind of got my teeth kicked in there early and just kind of came back out swinging,” he said. “Kind of gave it my all there towards the end, and second 18 just really couldn’t get anything going.”
For a young man who was only an alternate to the championship only a few weeks ago, Maclauchlan has some huge opportunities ahead of him. He’s now in the U.S. Amateur that will be played next month at Merion, and, better yet, he’ll play in next year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
He’s never been to the Monterey Peninsula, but has seen Pebble “a milllon times on TV.” His biggest recollection is Gary Woodland capturing the 2019 U.S. Open there.
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Asked who he’d like to play a practice round with, Maclauchlan chose a man who will still need to qualify to be there with him.
“Oh man, I think like Rickie Fowler,” he said. “That would be so cool. Or like a Max Homa. Those are kind of the guys that I like right now. Obviously if I got paired with Rory [McIlroy] that would just be unbelievable. And that still hasn’t really sunk in yet, but it’s just the way things worked.”
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