Tiger Woods sent a message of congratulations to English golf star Jack Whaley after he won the US Amateur Championship.
Whaley became only the second Englishman to win since 1911 after beating American Jay Leng Jr 4&3 in the final.
The 22-year-old’s historic achievement has qualified him for the Masters, the US Open and The Open at St Andrews in 2027.
Taking to social media, Woods congratulated the youngster from Yorkshire on his victory at Merion.
Woods, who also won the US Amateur, wrote: “Congrats to Jack Whaley on winning the US Am at Merion. An incredible accomplishment and a special place to make history.
“Jay Leng Jr put together an impressive run of his own, winning the WGA Championships just a few weeks ago and following it up with a great week at the Am. Always good to see a fellow Cardinal competing on this stage.
“Great to see the next generation competing for these championships.
“Humbled to have my name connected to these honours. What an incredible summer for amateur golf.”
LATEST SPORTS NEWS
- Premier League make major VAR change as referees’ private verdicts to be revealed
- Jose Mourinho declares ‘I have returned home’ in unusual Real Madrid ceremony
- Pep Guardiola gives big retirement update after leaving Man City as close friend issues warning
Upon winning, Whaley admitted it “hasn’t sunk in yet”, as he etched his name alongside Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland.
He said: “But it’s definitely a huge honour to be part of the names of all the famous people and unbelievable golfers that have come through and won. I don’t really have words for it right now.”
The 22-year-old credited his father, who caddied for him as he triumphed.
“It’s probably the best thing and me and my dad will probably ever experience together.
“He said to me yesterday: ‘Right, I’m retired now, I’m one for one.’ And we all thought it was hilarious.
“I don’t think he’ll caddie again, but I think he’ll definitely remember this one, and I will for a very, very long time.
“He was just telling me that he was just very proud, and we’ve done really well to get it this far, and there’s no reason why it couldn’t be me that could win – and I think he’s the one that really kept me going,” he told BBC Sport.
Whaley admitted it has been a “bumpy ride” before finally reaching the top of the amateur game.
He said: “Obviously we’ve not had good results in the past, and he was due to go home on Saturday.
“I think he was expecting to do some sightseeing and go to Washington towards the end of the week if I missed the cut. On Friday night, we had to change his flight and get the car extended for an extra couple of days.”
Whaley shared his phone has not stopped buzzing since his historic achievement, including a FaceTime with Justin Rose.
The 22-year-old added: “As soon as we finished that round, we went up to the locker room and they had an extra thing for me to have a phone call with Justin Rose, which was pretty special.
“There’s a lot of history with Justin Rose [at Merion], and it was really nice to be on the phone with him and be able to engrave my name in that history. That was really awesome.”
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
