Florida senior Jack Turner is headed to The Spirit, and he's got some big shoes to fill.
Turner, a three-time All-American for the Gators, was named to Team USA for the 2026 Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship, replacing Miles Russell, who withdrew after accepting an sponsor invitation to play in the PGA Tour’s Austin Championship the same week.
But Turner is hardly a last-minute fill-in.
Currently No. 19 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Turner advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 U.S. Amateur and was runner-up at the 2024 Western Amateur, where he went 29 holes in the championship match against Florida teammate and roommate Ian Gillian.
Turner also tied for 14th individually at the 2026 NCAA Championship, shooting a pair of 68s,
earned AJGA All-America honors in 2023 and won the 2021 Sea Pines Junior Heritage. He also represented the U.S. in the Arnold Palmer Cup in 2025 and 2026.
Turner joins Ethan Fang, Farah O’Keefe and Anna Davis on a loaded U.S. roster captained by Sam Saunders.
The Spirit returns to Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas, Nov. 11-14, bringing together 80 of the world’s top amateur golfers representing 20 countries and six continents in an Olympic-style team competition.
Plenty of big names have rolled through the Chet Williams-designed course over the years, and the venue itself has ranked No. 1 in Texas on Golfweek’s Best private courses list.
This time, another familiar name is coming back.
Sam Saunders will captain Team USA, returning 21 years after representing the U.S. at The Spirit in 2005. He’ll be assisted by Alli Jarrett, executive director of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.
“We have an incredible group of players, and I’m excited to watch them represent our country at Whispering Pines,” Saunders said when the original team was announced.
Tim Schmitt is the editor of Golfweek magazine and the golf coordinator for the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Florida All-American Jack Turner replaces Miles Russell on Team USA for The Spirit
