Albright is now a graduate student at Florida State University, while Russell is a 16-year-old standout from Jacksonville Beach, Fla., who is  still eligible to play junior golf. 

Russell is currently ranked No. 136, and Albright is ranked No. 141 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.

He has already played on the PGA Tour, however, doing so this past summer. The No. 1 junior in the world, Russell was the youngest player to win the American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Junior Player of the Year award in 2023. He also was the youngest to win the PGA Junior Championship and the Junior Players Championship.

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“I played pretty solid, just kind of stuck to my game plan the whole day,” Russell said about his second round on Saturday when he made four birdies. “It was a pretty steady round. I kind of kept it in front of me which was pretty good.”

The lead twosome only has a one-stroke cushion going into Sunday’s closing round over three players. One of those is fellow first-round co-leader and Duke golfer Luke Samples who settled for a 1-over 73 on Saturday after opening with a 68 to grab a share of the overnight lead. 

Another trio of players are at 1-under after 36 holes and will start the final 18 three shots back of the leaders. One of the players in that grouping is Henry Guan, an Oklahoma State commit who shot a 65 on Saturday to set a new single-round scoring record at the Jones Cup on the Ocean Forest course that was refreshed by designer Beau Welling and debuted at the tournament last January. 

Last year, former Tennessee golfer Caleb Surratt shot 67 in the final round for the previous low score on new-look course. He wound up settling for his second-straight runner-up finish at the Jones Cup before going pro. 

Guan’s round on Saturday included nine birdies and two bogeys. His score was only one shot off the all-time tournament low by Alex Fitzpatrick who posted a 64 in the first round of the 2021 tournament. 

Saturday’s round was greeted by temperatures in the 40s and damp conditions after overnight rains in coastal Georgia.

The course setup and weather combined to make scoring difficult for the 84-man field which features 43 of the top 100 players in the amateur world rankings. Only eight players are under par after two rounds while four others are standing at even-par going into the closing round. 

“I definitely think it was tougher than yesterday,” Albright said of the playing conditions. “The wind was stronger today for sure, and it felt a little colder because there wasn’t any sun until it came out on our 18th hole. It was just a big tougher, I think, out there today.”

Albright, making his first start in the Jones Cup, got off to a fast start on Friday with birdies on his first two holes and three on his opening nine. Saturday was different, however.

He started with four straight pars, but had back-to-back bogeys in the middle of his outward nine before making another on the par-5 10th hole. Albright got back to even for the day, though, with three birdies in his final eight holes including one at the last. He hit a 5-iron from 205 yards within five feet and made the putt on the par-4 finishing hole that boarders the Atlantic Ocean. 

Russell made his way to the top of the leaderboard by filling his card with pars while sprinkling in four birdies. He made a birdie in the middle of his front nine before posting three more on his closing nine. 

He made his first appearance in the Jones Cup last year when the greens were still ultra-firm after Ocean Forest had only opened a few months earlier after the renovation work.

“I maybe hit one wayward shot today, but I was able to get up and down,” Russell said. 

“The weather was similar last year, but I like the course much better this year. It’s nice and green, and I can stop the ball on the greens this year. It’s a different golf course this year, really.”

Also a stroke back of the co-leaders is Albright’s teammate at Florida State, Jack Bigham. In one of the last groups to finish, Bigham posted a bogey-free 68 score on Saturday which included a birdie at the par-3 ninth which was his final hole. He made three birdies on his opening nine. 

Illinois golfer Ryan Voois is also at 3-under going into Sunday. Voois made seven birdies in the second round that were offset by a pair of bogeys as he posted a 67 score to move into contention after shooting a 74 in the first round. 

Voois said better ball-striking fueled his round as he continued to putt well. 

“It was a solid round,” he said. “Yesterday, I finished poorly. I’ve rolled it well for two days, and I figured a few things out with my swing after my round yesterday on the range. I worked on pressuring the ground correctly, being athletic and getting in good position at the top of the back swing. At this level, it’s the little stuff, just some small tweaks.”

Sunday’s round will start an hour later than previously scheduled as a frost is anticipated in the morning. The overnight low temperature is expected to be at or near freezing. However, the temperature is expected to be in the mid-40s by mid-morning with sunny skies and is predicted to climb into the 50s by afternoon with continued sunshine.  

This year’s tournament is the 21st edition of the Jones Cup.