Inside the Field: 126th U.S. Amateur

FIELD NOTES – Among the 312 golfers in the 2026 U.S. Amateur Championship field, there are:

Oldest Competitors: Mike McCoy (63)

Youngest Competitors: Landon Tudor (15), Bento Assis (15), Louis Klein (16), Chase Hughes (16), Kaden Leivian (16)

Average Age of Field: 22.85

U.S. States Represented – A total of 45 states are represented in the 2026 U.S. Amateur:

California (34), Texas (24), Florida (16), Georgia (13), Pennsylvania (10), North Carolina (9), Alabama (8), Virginia (8), Michigan (6), Ohio (6), Arizona (5), Illinois (5), Louisiana (5), Massachusetts (5), Minnesota (5), South Carolina (5), Utah (5), Idaho (4), Indiana (4), Kentucky (4), Missouri (4), New York (4), Oklahoma (4), Iowa (3), Maryland (3), Mississippi (3), Nevada (3), Oregon (3), Washington (3), Arkansas (2), Colorado (2), Connecticut (2), Maine (2), New Jersey (2), Tennessee (2), West Virginia (2), Hawaii (1), Kansas (1), Montana (1), Nebraska (1), New Hampshire (1), New Mexico (1), North Dakota (1), South Dakota (1), Vermont (1)

International – There are 36 countries represented in the 2026 U.S. Amateur:

United States (233), England (7), Canada (6), Germany (4), Mexico (4), Sweden (4), Argentina (3), France (3), People's Republic of China (3), South Africa (3), Thailand (3), Australia (2), Bolivia (2), Brazil (2), Chinese Taipei (2), Czechia (2), Finland (2), Guatemala (2), Ireland (2), Italy (2), New Zealand (2), Republic of Korea (2), Scotland (2), Spain (2), Wales (2), Colombia (1), Hong Kong, China (1), Iceland (1), Japan (1), Morocco (1), Netherlands (1), Northern Ireland (1), Paraguay (1), Puerto Rico (1), Singapore (1), Vietnam (1)

USGA Champions (13): Lawrence Allan (2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Evan Beck (2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Grady Brame Jr. (2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Louis Brown (2024 U.S. Senior Amateur), Hamilton Coleman (2025 U.S. Junior Amateur), Stewart Hagestad (2016, 2021, 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Brandon Holtz (2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Mason Howell (2025 U.S. Amateur), Bryan Kim (2023 U.S. Junior Amateur), Noah Maclauchlan (2026 U.S. Junior Amateur), Tyler Mawhinney (2025 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Matthew McClean (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Michael McCoy (2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2025 U.S. Senior Amateur)

USGA Runners-Up (13): Anh Minh Nguyen (2025 U.S. Junior Amateur), Joshua Bai (2023 U.S. Junior Amateur), Evan Beck (2008 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2025 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Jackson Herrington (2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, 2025 U.S. Amateur), Noah Kent (2024 U.S. Amateur), Bobby Massa (2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Miles Russell (2026 U.S. Junior Amateur), Greg Sanders (2025 U.S. Senior Amateur), Tyler Watts (2024 U.S. Junior Amateur)

Players in Field with Most U.S. Amateur Appearances (2026 included) – Michael McCoy (21), Stewart Hagestad (17), Evan Beck (7)

Players in field who competed in 2005 U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club (1) – Michael McCoy (MC)

47 of the Top 50 in the Men’s World Amateur Golf Ranking® are in the field as of August 5 (Top 20 listed):

• No. 1 – Preston Stout
• No. 3 – Tyler Watts
• No. 4 – Miles Russell
• No. 5 – Luke Poulter
• No. 6 – William Jennings
• No. 7 – Josiah Gilbert
• No. 8 – Ryder Cowan
• No. 9 – Ethan Fang
• No. 10 – Tim Wiedemeyer
• No. 11 – Kihei Akina
• No. 12 – Arni Sveinsson
• No. 13 – Daniel Bennett
• No. 14 – Eric Lee
• No. 15 – Harry Takis
• No. 16 – Eliot Baker
• No. 17 – Jacob Modleski
• No. 18 – Niall Sheils Donegan
• No. 19 – Jack Turner
• No. 20 – Zackary Swanwick

U.S. National Junior Team Members (8): Ronin Banerjee, Hamilton Coleman, Luke Colton, Mason Howell, Chase Hughes, Tyler Mawhinney, Giuseppe Puebla, Tyler Watts

U.S. Elite Amateur National Program Team Members (3): Kihei Akina, Max Herendeen, Michael Riebe

U.S. National Development Program State Junior Team Members (7): Charlie Barrickman (Pennsylvania), Bodie Brumlow (Georgia), Brayden Jones (Southern California), Evan Liu (Southern California), Luke Ringkamp (Southern California), Kailer Stone (Northern California), Hill Wang (Southern California), Davis Wotnosky (North Carolina)

U.S. National Development Program Grant Athletes (1): Kailer Stone

Players from Pennsylvania (10): Charlie Barrickman (West Chester), Nicholas Gross (Downingtown), Patrick Isztwan (Huntingdon Valley), Hank Kancher (Philadelphia), Michael Lugiano (Jackson Township), Matthew Mattioli (Pittsburgh), Logan Paczewski (Dallas), Joshua Ryan (Norristown), Hunter Stetson (Newtown Square), Chuck Tragesser III (Murrysville)

Played in 2025 U.S. Amateur (91): Jimmy Abdo, Kihei Akina, Carlos Astiazaran, Joshua Bai, Jaxon Bandelier, Ronin Banerjee, Jake Bauer, Evan Beck, Daniel Bennett, Jack Bigham, Barnes Blake, Caleb Bond, Grady Brame Jr., Connor Cassano, Hamilton Coleman, Luke Colton, Matthew Comegys, Jeg Coughlin III, Ryder Cowan, Billy Davis, Payne Denman, Matthew Diehl, Grant Doggett, Niall Sheils Donegan, Ryan Downes, Josh Duangmanee, Jaden Dumdumaya, Wheaton Ennis, Ethan Fang, Marek Fleming, Wolfgang Glawe, Hugo Le Goff, Connor Graham, Dean Greyserman, Jack Gilbert, Josiah Gilbert, Nicholas Gross, Stewart Hagestad, Mike Hearne, Max Herendeen, Jackson Herrington, Mason Howell, Sam Jackson, William Jennings, Ieuan Jones, Noah Kent, Bryan Kim, Aiden Krafft, Gaven Lane, Pongsapak Laopakdee, Eric Lee, Brody Leid, Tyler Loree, Michael Lugiano, Bobby Massa, Bowen Mauss, Tyler Mawhinney, Matthew McClean, Kade McDonough, Jay Mendell, Jacob Modleski, Jake Moffitt, Gabriel Palacios, Cayden Pope, Malan Potgieter, Luke Poulter, Logan Reilly, Tomas Restrepo, Michael Riebe, Emil Riegger, Matthew Robles, Miles Russell, Parker Sands, Greg Sanders, Owen Sawyer, Tyson Shelley, Nate Smith, Preston Stout, Daniel Stringfellow, Bailey Sutter, Zackary Swanwick, Hiroshi Tai, Warren Thomis, Jack Turner, Clark Van Gaalen, Matt Vogt, William Walsh, Tyler Watts, Tim Wiedemeyer, Connor Williams, Travis Woolf

Played in 2026 U.S. Open (18): Hamilton Coleman, Ryder Cowan, Ethan Fang, Marek Fleming, Vaughn Harber, Jackson Herrington, Brandon Holtz, Mason Howell, Chase Kyes, Eric Lee, Jackson Ormond, Giuseppe Puebla, Mateo Pulcini, Logan Reilly, Matthew Robles, Miles Russell, Preston Stout, Arni Sveinsson

Played in 2026 U.S. Senior Open (3): Michael McCoy, Greg Sanders, Haymes Snedeker

Played in 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur (24): Bento Assis, Ronin Banerjee, Hampton Beebe, Bodie Brumlow, Hamilton Coleman, Oscar Couilleau, Henry Guan, Brayden Jones, Louis Klein, Dawson Lew, William Lisle, Evan Liu, Noah Maclauchlan, Michael Madden, Tyler Mawhinney, Anson Munzlinger, Jackson Ormond, Giuseppe Puebla, Tomas Restrepo, Luke Ringkamp, Miles Russell, Nithidpong Srichatphirun, Hill Wang, Davis Wotnosky

Played in 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (16): Lawrence Allan, Evan Beck, Grady Brame Jr., Luke Colton, Parker Edens, Nigel Lett, William Lisle, Bobby Massa, Tyler Mawhinney, Andrue Nicholas, Lorenzo Pinili, Phillip Reedy, Nate Smith, Kailer Stone, Daniel Stringfellow, Matt Vogt

Played in 2025 Walker Cup Match (11): Eliot Baker (England), Ethan Fang (USA), Connor Graham (Scotland), Stuart Grehan (Republic of Ireland), Stewart Hagestad (USA), Mason Howell (USA), Jacob Modleski (USA), Luke Poulter (England), Niall Sheils Donegan (Scotland), Preston Stout (USA), Gavin Tiernan (Republic of Ireland)

Captained 2023 Walker Cup Match (1): Michael McCoy (USA)

Played in 2023 Walker Cup Match (1): Stewart Hagestad (USA)

Played in 2021 Walker Cup Match (1): Stewart Hagestad (USA)

Played in 2019 Walker Cup Match (1): Stewart Hagestad (USA)

Played in 2017 Walker Cup Match (1): Stewart Hagestad (USA)

Played in 2015 Walker Cup Match (1): Michael McCoy (USA)

PLAYER NOTES:

Charlie Barrickman, 18, of West Chester, Pa., earned his way into the field in dramatic fashion, surviving a 7-for-5 playoff and sealing the final spot with a par on the third playoff hole during final qualifying at Ohio State University Golf Club, in Columbus, Ohio. Barrickman, who grew up less than 30 minutes from Merion Golf Club, was the 2025 Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Player of the Year after recording five top-5 finishes, including a runner-up at the Delaware Junior Boys’ Championship and a tie for third at the GAP Open Championship. He’ll remain in his home state for college, joining Bucknell University in the fall.

Ryder Cowan, 21, of Edmond, Okla., earned low amateur honors at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club after finishing T-23 at 5-over par. The rising University of Oklahoma senior qualified for his first U.S. Open by posting 6-under 138 at BallenIsles C.C. and then surviving a 3-for-2 playoff for the final spots. Cowan posted one victory this past season in Hawaii. He also finished fourth individually at the NCAA Corvallis (Ore.) Regional. He was the runner-up in the Valspar Collegiate Invitational and finished third in the Maridoe Collegiate. Cowan has qualified for the last three U.S. Amateurs. In 2019, Cowan was the runner-up in the Boys 12-13 Division of the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club.

Ethan Fang, 21, of Plano, Texas, is coming off a strong season that included winning the Maridoe Collegiate and finishing in the top 10 of the Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship. The junior at Oklahoma State also made his U.S. Open debut at Shinnecock Hills this past June. In 2025, he captured The Amateur Championship at Royal St. George's with his victory over Gavin Tiernan in the 36-hole championship match. Just prior to the 2025 U.S. Amateur, Fang advanced to the 18-hole final of the Western Amateur. Those performances helped him earn a selection to the victorious 2025 USA Walker Cup Team. At Cypress Point, he posted a 1-2-1 record, winning his Sunday singles match over Stuart Grehan, 5 and 4, as the Americans posted an 8-1-1 record in the event's final session. He also represented his country at the World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore. In 2024, Fang advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National. In July, Fang earned an automatic spot on the 2026 USA Walker Cup Team due to his top-three standing in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® as of July 8.

Josiah Gilbert, 21, of Millbrook, Ala., is a rising senior at Auburn University who helped lead the Tigers to their 2024 and 2026 NCAA Division I titles. During this year’s championship run, Gilbert was Auburn’s individual low man in both the NCAA Regionals and the NCAA National Championship, where he shot 11-under to finish third on the stroke play leaderboard. His 2-1 match-play record was highlighted by his 4-and-3 victory over Oklahoma State’s Ethan Fang in the semifinals. Gilbert’s 2026 season earned him PING Second Team All-American and First Team All-SEC honors. Originally from Australia, he was selected to represent the international squad at the 2025 and 2026 Palmer Cups. Currently ranked No. 8 on the WAGR®, Gilbert looks to make his first appearance in match play in his third U.S. Amateur appearance.

Nicholas Gross, 19, of Downingtown, Pa., is one of seven local players in the field, growing up less than an hour from Merion Golf Club. Gross earned his way into the field by firing a 5-under 66 to earn co-medalist honors during final qualifying at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa. Although his sophomore season at the University of Alabama was cut short, Gross boasted a strong freshman campaign with the Crimson Tide that included a pair of top 10 finishes. In 2025, he advanced to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Junior Amateur, falling short to runner-up Nguyen Anh Minh. Three years prior, at just 15-years-old, Gross made an impressive run to the quarterfinals of the U.S Amateur at The Ridgewood Country Club, in Paramus, N.J. That year, he was the youngest player to advance to the quarterfinals since CT Pan in 2007.

Jackson Herrington, 19, of Dickson, Tenn., advanced to the championship match of the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club, losing to Mason Howell, 7 and 6. His runner-up finish earned him a spot in the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Herrington also was a finalist in the 2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with fellow Tennessean and now current professional Blades Brown, then a member of the U.S. National Junior Team. The duo also reached the quarterfinals a year earlier. Herrington just completed his sophomore season at the University of Tennessee. He tied for 30th as an individual at the 2025 NCAA Championships, in Carlsbad, Calif. Herrington was the 2024 Tennessee Golf Association's Player of the Year.

Mason Howell, 19, of Thomasville, Ga., made an impressive run to the 2025 U.S. Amateur title at The Olympic Club last August, winning six matches after earning the No. 63 seed from stroke play. He defeated lefty Jackson Herrington in the 36-hole final on the Lake Course, which earned him a spot on the 2025 USA Walker Cup Team, where he continued to impress. Howell qualified for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont by carding a pair of 63s at Piedmont Driving Club. He was the stroke-play medalist at the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur, only to lose in the Round of 64. He also was named to the U.S. National Junior Team at the outset of 2026 after being a member of the Georgia State Team in 2025. He also advanced to match play in the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club. He will be a roommate this fall at the University of Georgia with 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Hamilton Coleman, a fellow Georgian.

Patrick Isztwan, 23, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., is one of seven local players in the field who earned his way into field during final qualifying at nearby Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa., after shooting 2-under 69 to grab one of the eight available spots. A graduate from the University of Richmond in 2025, Isztwan now balances time between the golf course and his job as a financial planning assistant at Wealth Enhancement in Fort Washington, Pa. He is a frequent competitor in GAP events, finishing as the runner-up in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship in 2023 and 2025. In 2023, he finished 14th at the Pennsylvania State Open Championship.  

William Jennings, 20, of Greenville, S.C., is a rising junior at the University of Alabama who is coming off his runner-up finish during the stroke play portion of the 2026 NCAA National Championships. His 2026 season with the Crimson Tide featured four additional top 5 finishes including his win at the NCAA Marana Regional. In 2025, Jennings pick up a pair of runner-up finishes and his first collegiate victory at the Folds of Honor Collegiate. He also advanced to match play at the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club, in San Francisco, Calif., and made to the quarterfinals of the 2025 North & South Amateur.

Michael Lugiano, 20, of Jackson Township, Pa., shot 3-under 68 during final qualifying at nearby Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa., to earn his spot as one of seven local players in the field. A rising junior at Liberty University, Lugiano picked up his second career collegiate victory at the 2026 NCAA Corvallis Regional. He competed in last year’s U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club thanks to triumph at the 2025 Delaware Amateur Championship. Lugiano is a frequenter of Pennsylvania Golf Association events, finishing as the runner-up of the 2025 Pennsylvania Amateur Championship. His best finish at a USGA championship was his trip to match play during the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur.  

Noah Maclauchlan, 18, of Moseley, Va., is coming off his Cinderella run at the U.S. Junior Amateur at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa., where he defeated medalist Miles Rusell, 6 and 5, in the 36-hole championship final to hoist the Tiger Woods Trophy. Maclauchlan originally entered the U.S. Junior Amateur as the site’s first alternate and earned his spot into field as a player from his qualifying site earned an exemption after winning the Alabama State Junior Boys Championship. An incoming freshman at Liberty University, Maclauchlan saw his World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® jump from No. 2047 to No. 272, following his triumph at Saucon Valley. Maclauchlan’s 2026 resume also features a trip to the semifinals of the AJGA RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic, a runner-up finish at the VSGA Junior Stroke Play and a win at the AJGA’s Lanto Junior Championship.

Tyler Mawhinney, 17, of Fleming Island, Fla., won the 2025 U.S. Four-Ball Championship title with partner Will Hartman at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey. Mawhinney won the 2023 American Junior Golf Association Rolex Tournament of Champions and that same year was the Florida Class 3A boys individual state champion. His victory at the 2024 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship earned him a spot in the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, where he made his PGA Tour debut and finished T-65. His Canadian Amateur win also secured an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Amateur, where he reached the Round of 16. Mawhinney, a member of the U.S. National Junior Team, plans to attend Vanderbilt University this fall.

Drue Nicholas, 23, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., qualified for the 2026 U.S. Amateur by shooting a 2-under 69 at the Llanerch Country Club qualifier. Nicholas, a Merion Golf Club member, is fresh off his second consecutive Philadelphia Open Championship, edging Joshua Ryan in a four-hole aggregate playoff at Lancaster Country Club last week. The Drexel University graduate earned the 2025 Golf Association of Philadelphia Player of the Year distinction, during a season in which he became only the second player to win both the Philadelphia Open and Philadelphia Amateur in the same year, joining amateur legend Jay Sigel. Nicholas also played in the 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Desert Mountain and the 2025 U.S. Amateur at the Olympic Club.

Brett Patterson, 34, of Oxford, Miss., punched his ticket to this year’s U.S. Amateur thanks to his three-stroke victory at the Mississippi Amateur in June, adding to back-to-back Mississippi Mid-Amateur titles in 2024 and 2025. Patterson, an accounting professor at the University of Mississippi, will be competing in his 17th USGA championship, with his best finish coming at the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur, where he advanced to the semifinals. He has competed in three U.S. Amateur Four-Balls alongside partner Payne Denman, who is also in this year’s field at Merion. Patternson, who earned his Ph.D. at Ole Miss, also competed in the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

Luke Poulter, 22, of England, is the son of English professional golfer Ian Poulter and a rising senior at the University of Florida. Poulter, ranked fourth on the WAGR®, went 2-2 during his matches representing the GB&I Team at the 2025 Walker Cup at Cypress Point, in Pebble Beach, Calif. During his junior season with the Gators, he picked up his second collegiate win at the NCAA Columbus Regional. Last year, he advanced to match play at the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club. Poulter also contributed 3.5 points to help the GB&I Team win the 2025 St Andrews Trophy at Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro in Spain.

Joshua Ryan, 22, of Norristown, Pa., shot a 2-under 69 during final qualifying at Llanerch Country Club, in Haverford, Pa., becoming one of seven local players in the field. Ryan is a rising senior Liberty University, who earned CUSA Men’s Golfer of the Year and All-Conference first team honors as a sophomore in 2024. This year, he finished as the runner-up in the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s R Jay Sigel Match Play Championship. Ryan was also a decorated junior golfer in the state of Pennsylvania, winning back-to-back GAP Junior Boys Championship titles (2021-22) and earning GAP Player of the Year honors in each of those years.

Miles Russell, 17, of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., is coming off last month’s U.S. Junior Amateur where he shared medalist honors and finished as the runner-up. In June, Russell made the cut and finished T-39 in his U.S. Open debut at Shinnecock Hills. The left-hander, who was a member of the inaugural U.S. National Junior Team, recently finished fifth at the Northeast Amateur, T-2 at the Jones Cup and won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. The Florida State commit currently holds the No. 5 position in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. In 2024, Russell became the youngest player in Korn Ferry Tour history to make a cut, doing so at the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Florida. He was also named the 2023 and 2025 American Junior Golf Association's Player of the Year. Russell reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills. He also received sponsor invites into the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic and Bermuda Championship, narrowly missing the cut in both events. In July, Russell was announced to the 2026 USA Walker Cup Team by virtue of the USGA Team Selection Committee.

Haymes Snedeker, 50, of Point Clear, Ala., is fresh off earning low-amateur honors at last month’s U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. Snedeker, the brother of PGA Tour multi-winner Brandt Snedeker, shot 4-over 284 and was the only amateur to make the cut. After a successful collegiate career at the University of Mississippi, Snedeker earned his law degree and went on to become one of the nation’s youngest municipal court judges at the age of 32. After taking a decades-long break from competitive golf to focus on his family and commercial development firm, Snedeker returned to USGA championships in 2022 after qualifying for the U.S. Amateur at The Ridgewood Country Club, in Paramus, New Jersey. Earlier this year, Snedeker won the Alabama State Senior Amateur.

Hunter Stetson, 20, of Newtown Square, Pa., earned his spot in the 2026 U.S. Amateur by winning the 75th Delaware Amateur at Rehoboth Beach Country Club. The junior at North Carolina State erased a five-shot deficit with five holes to play to force a sudden death playoff with defending champion Evan Barbin and prevailed on the seventh playoff hole. Stetson advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur at Daniel Island Club. He also won the GAP’s 2025 Joseph H. Patterson Cup and played in the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club. Stetson is a high school graduate of Episcopal Academy in nearby Newtown Square.

Preston Stout, 22, of Dallas, Texas, claimed the NCAA Division I individual title in May at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa's North Course, in Carlsbad, Calif., earning himself his first U.S. Open start at Shinnecock Hills. A member of the victorious 2025 USA Walker Cup team, Stout currently sits at No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking after posting four collegiate victories in the 2025-26 season. Besides his NCAA title, he also successfully defended his Big 12 Championship. He won the 2025 Northeast Amateur and reached the final 16 of the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club after earning medalist honors in stroke play. He posted a 2-2 mark in the USA Walker Cup victory at Cypress Point last September, winning both of his singles matches, including a 2-and-1 decision over GB&I's Luke Poulter. He also represented his country in the 2025 Palmer Cup and World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore. In July, Stout was announced as an automatic selection to the 2026 USA Walker Cup Team as the top-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® as of July 8.

Tyler Watts, 18, of Huntsville, Ala., became the youngest winner in the history of the Northeast Amateur, winning the prestigious event at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, R.I. by five strokes. The University of Tennessee commit for the Class of 2026 made history last year winning the 84th Sunnehanna Amateur after shooting 18-under par, the lowest 72-hole score in the history of the event. The left hander also made the championship match of the 2025 North & South Amateur at Pinehurst. In 2023, Watts claimed the 107th Alabama State Amateur Championship title, setting the record as the youngest player in history to win at age 15. That same year, he won the Jones Cup Junior Invitational at Sea Island (Ga.) Golf Club. In 2024, Watts represented the U.S. in the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup in Canada and played in the 2024 U.S. Amateur. Watts is a member of the U.S. National Junior Team, having been part of the program since its inception in 2024. In July, Watts was announced to the 2026 USA Walker Team by virtue of his World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® as of July 8.

Tim Wiedemeyer, 21, of Germany, captured the 2026 European Amateur Championship by two strokes over Nevill Ruiter. Thanks to his victory, he competed in last month’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in England. A rising senior at Texas Tech University, Wiedemeyer earned First Team All-Big 12 honors after a season that featured four top 10 finishes. Last year, he advanced to the Round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club, made the Round of 16 at The Amateur Championship in England and represented his country at the World Amateur Team Championship.