Smart strategy or silly mistake? Either way, this U.S. Amateur favorite is going home early

Elite golfers talk lots about “the process” and the importance of sticking to a plan and being comfortable with the decision, even if the outcome isn’t what they hoped for or envisioned. It’s why 17-year-old junior phenom Miles Russell wasn’t as incredulous as some fans were after seeing what from afar appeared to be an amateurish mistake during his first-round match Wednesday at the U.S. Amateur.

Russell was facing Ryder Cowan, who shared low amateur honors at the U.S. Open in June, in the marquee match of the opening round. The showdown of the Nos. 4 and 8 players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking was tied when the two reached the short par-3 13th hole at Merion Golf Club.

Both players hit the green, Cowan watching his birdie attempt run just past the hole. It was within gimmie range, but Russell had Cowan mark it, a surprise at first glance but later revealed to be a strategic decision. Russell thought the marker would help him hit the line for his left-to-right breaking birdie.

While Russell’s process made sense, his execution fell short. Rather than roll his ball just left of the marker, it wound up hitting the marker, slowing it down and steering it too far right.

Viewers at home likely saw the outcome and thought that the marker was what kept the ball from going in the hole. Not so according to Russell after the round.

“If his mark wasn’t there, it was still missing,” he said. “It needed to hit the left side of the mark for it to go in, and it just went right over the middle.

“I needed to get around it,” Russell said afterward, “and just wasn’t able to do that.”

The two would tie the next two holes before Cowan, a 21-year-old rising senior at Oklahoma won the 16th and 17th with pars to win the match, 2 and 1. The victory over Russell, already picked to play on next month’s U.S. Walker Cup team, likely cemented Cowan’s spot on the roster when it gets finalized on Sunday.

What did Cowan think of Russell’s decision? Alan Bastable at Golf.com talked to him afterward, and Cowan said that while he’s not a fan of the strategy behind Russell not conceding the short putt, he understands why he did it.

“Not surprised at all,” Cowan said. “He didn’t give [the putt] to me for a reason. He wanted that as kind of a visual in his head of where he had to get that ball. He just hit it too soft and it ended up going over my mark.”

Indeed, the process made sense. It was the execution that cost Russell.