It was very much a family affair for Jack Whaley as he became only the third Englishman to triumph in the US Amateur Championship on Sunday.

The 22-year-old from Doncaster had his dad Andy caddying for him as he beat American Jay Leng Jr 4&3 in the final.

As a result, Whaley earned a place in the fields for the Masters, US Open and The Open at St Andrews in 2027, and an automatic berth in the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team that will take on the United States at Lahinch in Ireland on 5 and 6 September.

But years of being supported on his golf journey, by his father in particular, and the emotional embrace and victory speech at Merion suggested this moment will take some topping for Whaley.

“It’s probably the best thing and me and my dad will probably ever experience together,” Whaley told BBC Sport.

“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.”

Having missed the cut at the same event 12 months ago and sitting 90th in the world amateur golf rankings, Whaley’s success was far from guaranteed.

Victories over Jackson Ormond, Bowen Mauss, Christian Cavaliere, Adam Bresnu and Carter Loflin prior to Sunday, ensured his dad was forced to alter his travel plans and extend his stay in the United States.

“It’s been a bumpy ride, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. We’re here now, so it’s great. It is a fantastic achievement,” said Whaley.

“Obviously we’ve not had good 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.”

Boehly currently serves as Chelsea chairman but is due to be replaced at the end of the season by a Clearlake-appointed representative under a pre-agreed arrangement, made when the consortium bought the club from Roman Abramovich for £2.3bn in 2022.

It would represent a further reduction in Boehly’s influence, having initially been the public face of the takeover before serving as interim sporting director during the first transfer window under the new ownership.

Since 2023, Eghbali has become the most influential figure at Chelsea and has been heavily involved in transfer dealings, while a number of senior executives have left the club within the first two years of the ownership.

Some sources at Chelsea and in the ownership group play down the rift and highlight pictures of the pair together at key matches, notably at Chelsea‘s FA Cup final defeat by Manchester City.

But Chelsea‘s ongoing plans either to redevelop Stamford Bridge or move to a new stadium have been a source of tension.

Although both Boehly’s camp and Clearlake are understood to favour a move away from the current site, there are differences over the design and scale of the project, which Boehly hinted at in an interview with Bloomberg last March.

“We have to think long term about what we’re trying to accomplish,” he said.

“We have a big stadium development opportunity that we have to flesh out. That’s going to be where we’re either aligned or we ultimately decide to go different ways.”

Chelsea and representatives for Boehly, Walter and Clearlake have declined to comment.