Theoretically, Trevor Gutschewski should not have even been playing for a national championship, a notion he had blithely mocked in an X post on Friday and validated a day later with a resounding victory in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship final.

Gutschewski, 17, who began the week 3,570th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, defeated Tyler Watts, 16, ranked 121st, 4 and 3 in the 36-hole final on the South Course at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield, Mich., on Saturday.

“I don’t even know,” he said when asked his reaction. “I mean, it’s been like 15 minutes. Probably hasn’t sunk in yet. I have to sit on it for a bit.”

The son of the PGA Tour’s Scott Gutschewski, who has three Korn Ferry Tour victories on his resume, Trevor Gutschewski was 1 down through 18 holes, but took the lead with a birdie on the 25th hole, then won the 26th, 31st and 33rd holes for the victory.

“Just need to come out and play solid golf,” he said after the morning 18. “Just not make many mistakes, like I’ve been saying. I came out, played solid golf, and didn’t make many mistakes, so all worked out pretty well. Came out 4 and 3, so I think my philosophy worked pretty well.”

Dad Scott, who missed the cut in the PGA Tour’s 3M Open in Blaine, Minn., on Friday, was on hand for his son’s victory on Saturday.

“He’s been playing well since the spring,” Scott said. “I don’t think you ever expect to win an event like this. So many things got to go your way. But I knew he was playing well, and I knew if the breaks went his way, right, I thought he was good enough to have a chance.”

Following Gutschewski’s semifinal victory over Brooks Simmons of Dallas on Friday to advance to the final, the USGA on its X account, wrote: “Rankings ain’t nothing but a number! TrevorGutschewski, No. 3570 in WAGR, will play for the U.S. Junior Amateur [trophy] tomorrow.”

Gutschewski, of Omaha, Neb., responded with this: “3570 is a big number eh?”

He was not lacking for confidence entering the final. In the Round of 32, he defeated the top seed, Blades Brown, 3 and 2. Two months ago, Brown tied for 26th in the PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic.

Gutschewski has another year of high school and has verbally committed to attend the University of Florida in 2025.

Watts, of Huntsville, Ala., cited fatigue as a contributor to his downfall on Saturday. “I think my body really, really caught up to me on the last 18,” he said, “which I know it sounds like an excuse, but for the most part played really good this week. Just didn’t have my best stuff this last 18 holes. Driver definitely killed me today. Didn’t hit any fairways. I think my putter was really the only thing this kept me in it on the first 18, and that’s why I had that 1-up lead.Then the putter just couldn’t up on the back 18.”