Junior Achievement: Hartman, Mawhinney Win U.S. Amateur Four-Ball

One year after Asterisk Talley became the first member of the U.S. National Junior Team to claim a USGA title, two more talented teens from the same program became national champions.

Will Hartman, 18, of Charlotte, N.C., and Tyler Mawhinney, 17, of Fleming Island, Fla., who were part of the inaugural class of 18 players – 10 girls and eight boys – chosen for this select squad as part of the USGA’s National Development Program, defeated reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Evan Beck, 34, of Virginia Beach, Va., and Dan Walters, 40, of Winston-Salem, N.C., 3 and 1, in Wednesday’s 18-hole final of the 10th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Plainfield Country Club.

Their victory, which comes with exemptions into this year’s U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club and U.S. Junior Amateur at Trinity Forest, came a year after Blades Brown – another ex-USNJT member who turned pro earlier this year – fell in the final of this championship with partner Jackson Herrington.

Hartman, a 2025 Vanderbilt University signee, and Mawhinney, the 2024 Canadian Amateur champion who has verbally committed to join his partner at the Nashville, Tenn., school in 2026, became the fourth teens to win this championship. Individually, Mawhinney is the youngest champion, slightly a month younger than 2017 champion Shuai Ming Wong, who partnered with fellow 17-year-old Frankie Capan in 2017 at Pinehurst.

All five of their matches went to hole 17 or beyond; the 92 holes it took to take the title was a U.S. Amateur Four-Ball record, three more than Kiko Francisco Coelho and Leopoldo Herrera III needed in 2021 at Chambers Bay.

This was the third USGA final for Beck, who lost in the final of the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur before defeating Bobby Massa in last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur at Kinloch Golf Club outside of Richmond, Va. At No. 31 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®, the financial advisor in the Washington, D.C., office of Brown Advisory is the highest-ranked mid-amateur in the world and a strong candidate to represent the USA in the 50th Walker Cup Match at Cypress Point in September. Walters, who was an assistant coach at Wake Forest during Beck’s time at the traditional Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse and now works for a Baltimore-based paper and packaging company, was competing in his first USGA final.

Today, though, it was the teens’ time to shine.

“It still hasn't quite set in yet,” said Hartman, a semifinalist in the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur at Daniel Island Club. “We finished about 30 minutes ago. But I think looking back on it tonight, it's going to be pretty cool. It's something that we'll remember forever.”

Added Mawhinney: “I'll piggyback on what [Will] said, but it will definitely be something we’ll remember for a long time and something we can tell our kids or our grandkids.” 

With temperatures in the 50s – the wind-chills were in the upper 40s – intermittent sideways rain and winds gusting into the mid-20s, the conditions for Wednesday’s semifinals and title match were more like Muirfield than Plainfield. Neither Mawhinney nor Hartman are accustomed to these elements, and Beck and Walters couldn’t recall playing a USGA championship in such a chilly environment.

“It was challenging, there's no question about it,” said Walters. “It felt like Scotland or Ireland.

“I'm not aware exactly of their [playing] record, but they obviously played some great golf today. They hit some better shots in the last six, eight holes, and obviously we were 1 up through nine. Yeah, we got beat on the back nine. Hats off to them. It was wonderful to be in this situation, and hopefully we can be there again.”

Walters and Beck bogeyed the fourth hole to go 1 down, but then claimed the next two holes with a birdie and par, and carried that lead into the second nine, thanks to Beck draining a 30-footer for birdie on the ninth after Mawhinney executed a perfect 60-degree flop shot to 2 feet for a conceded 3 on the 340-yard par 4.

Mawhinney and Hartman turned the tide with a winning par on the 145-yard 11th hole, and then took the lead for good when the latter executed a perfect bunker shot on the 295-yard 13th hole to 2 feet for a birdie. One hole later, Mawhinney’s laser 7-iron approach from 194 yards stopped 9 feet from the flagstick and his birdie putt rolled around the lip before dropping to give the side a 2-up advantage. Mawhinney also hit gorgeous 6-irons on the par-3 15th and par-4 16th from 160 and 190 yards, respectively, in the swirling wind that wound up being pars to tie the holes. Still, they maintained the momentum. 

Beck kept the match going with a clutch 9-foot par save on No. 16, but when he missed his 6-footer for par on the 500-yard, par-4 17th, Mawhinney’s 3-foot par putt was conceded. Hats came off and the two dad-caddies, Joe Mawhinney and Fred Hartman, high-fived and hugged like they had just won the title.

“Evan was a stud,” said Hartman of his older opponent. “He played great today. He showed why he's one of the best mid-ams in the world and it was fun playing him. He didn't hold anything back, and I think that makes this win feel a little bit better.”

After a brief trophy presentation on the 17th green, the champions immediately retired to the clubhouse, where they did media, signed flags and enjoyed some hot chocolate. U.S. National Development Team coaches Chris Zambri and Tiffany Joh likely did a victory toast back in Pinehurst, N.C.

Talley played in three USGA finals in 2024 as well as shared low-amateur honors in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open. Tyler Watts lost in the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur final, and Trevor Gutschewski, who joined the USNJT in March, won the ’24 Junior. And now Hartman and Mawhinney are in that select fraternity.

“I think it's given me confidence,” said Hartman. “I'm sure it's given Tyler confidence…It's a great honor, and I think the fact that we were on it just gave us confidence.”

In the morning semifinals, Beck and Walters were taken beyond Plainfield’s 14th hole for the first time in match play this week by Long Beach State seniors Charlie Forster, of England, and Steen Zeman, of Oxnard, Calif. The duo had not seen the last four holes of the course since the second round of stroke play, thanks to three consecutive 5-and-4 decisions. Forster and Zeman each had birdie chances on the 18th green to force extra holes, but missed from 20 and 15 feet, respectively.

The other semifinal saw Mawhinney and Hartman eliminate Maryland residents Carson Looney and Hunter Powell, 3 and 1. Looney, 18, is headed to Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall, while the 32-year-old Powell works in construction but caddies part-time at Congressional Country Club, where he met his partner. 

What the Champions Receive

• Custody of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Trophy for one year, and gold medals
  
  
• Exemptions into the next 10 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championships, provided the side remains intact
  
  
• Exemption for each member of the side into the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club
  
  
• Exemption into the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur at Trinity Forest
  
  
• Names inscribed into the 2025 USGA champions plaque that resides inside the Hall of Champions in the USGA Museum at Liberty Corner, N.J.

Notable

• The two semifinal losing sides – Charlie Forster and Steen Zeman; Carson Looney and Hunter Powell – each received bronze medals, and exemptions into the 2025 and 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championships, provided the partnerships remain intact.
  
  
• Runners-up Evan Beck and Dan Walters received silver medals and a three-year U.S. Amateur Four-Ball exemption, provided the side remains intact.
  
  
• The 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball is scheduled for May 16-20 at Desert Mountain Club, in Scottsdale, Ariz. The 2027 championship will be contested at Erin Hills, in Erin, Wis., May 22-26, while the 2028 edition will be at Chambers Bay, in University Place, Wash., May 20-24. It will be the first site to host multiple U.S. Amateur Four-Balls, having previously been a site in 2021.
  
  
• Entries are now open for the 2026 championship, and interested sides can register here. Each member of the side must have a Handicap Index® that does not exceed 2.4.
  
  
• After 10 U.S. Amateur Four-Balls, four champions have been teenagers, two were college-aged players and four have been mid-amateurs. Only one final (2021) has not featured a mid-am side.
  
  
• Each of the four semifinalists employed caddies. Carter Heit, who caddies at White Beaches Golf & Country Club, in Haworth, N.J., double-bagged for Steen Zeman and Charlie Forster. Sebastian Curtin, a Philadelphia Cricket Club caddie, carried for Dan Walters a second consecutive year, while reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Evan Beck employed Greg Bednar. Wyatt Croog was on Carson Looney’s bag, while Looney’s father, Joe Looney, carried for Hunter Powell. Two fathers were on the bags of U.S. National Junior Team members Tyler Mawhinney (Joe) and Will Hartman (Fred).
  
  
• USGA Executive Committee member and New Jersey resident Andrew Biggadike served as the referee for the championship match.
  
  
• By virtue of winning the 2024 Canadian Amateur, Tyler Mawhinney earned an exemption into the upcoming RBC Canadian Open to be contested June 5-8 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. It will be the Floridian’s first time competing in a professional event. He also is locally exempt for the U.S. Open and will play his final qualifier on June 2 in Canada, three days ahead of the RBC Canadian Open.
  
  
• Will Hartman will be able to compete in his third U.S. Junior Amateur in July by two days. He turns 19 on July 28, and the championship concludes on July 26. It will be the first U.S. Junior Amateur appearance for Mawhinney.
  
  
• The USGA moved the tees up 60 yards on the par-4 ninth to 340 yards for the semis and final, and No. 13 was shortened to 295 for the final. In Tuesday’s quarterfinals, the par-4 closing hole measured 313 yards, 52 less than the posted yardage, with a precarious front-right hole location.
  
  
• Long Beach State’s golf programs enjoyed a nice USGA run these past 14 days. Twins Jasmine and Janae Leovao advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in Oklahoma City last week (lost in 21 holes), and this week at Plainfield, Forster and Zeman reached the semis of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. The most famous Long Beach State golfer is Mark O’Meara, who won the 1998 Masters and Open Championship as well as the 1979 U.S. Amateur. Two-time major champion Xander Schauffele spent one season at the school before transferring to San Diego State.
  
  
• Forster will represent the International side in the upcoming Palmer Cup at Congaree in South Carolina and then play The Amateur Championship at Royal St. George’s in England. No. 100 in the WAGR, he’s hoping to stay on or inside that number to become fully exempt for the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club. The final top 100 WAGR cutoff is June 25.
  
  
• On top of his big summer, which includes the upcoming U.S. Open at Oakmont, the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club, the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Troon C.C., and possibly the Walker Cup, Evan Beck is getting married in October.

Quotable

“I'd say friendship is probably the big thing. We kind of just tried to stuck to our own game plan this week, but if somebody was maybe out of play or in play, you could be a little more aggressive or a little more conservative. I think we just tried to stick to our own game, and it ended up working out.” – Will Hartman on the chemistry with Tyler Mawhinney

“I think I've become pretty good ball-striker, especially with my irons. I hit pretty far off the tee, so I get an advantage there. I feel like if you give me inside 180 yards with a 7-iron and in, it's probably going to hit the green. So, I've gotten a lot of confidence there, and putting has come a long way, too.” – Tyler Mawhinney on his vast improvement in the last 12 to 18 months

“At the end of the day, it's just golf, right? I would have preferred 82 degrees and sunny, but it's an outdoor sport. It's all good. Enjoyed being in it. I wish I would have hit some better golf shots on the back nine, frankly. But that's why you come back the next day, and you just keep plugging along. At the same time, I look forward to going home and seeing my wife and [two] kids.” – Dan Walters

“Very disappointing is what I would start with. They are great players, but I feel like we belong in this situation, and we just got outplayed in the final.” – Evan Beck

“It was definitely a bit different [in the damp conditions]. Had to kind of keep dry and definitely keeping the ball in the fairway paid off. There were some holes we had to play a little bit differently just to try and get it in the fairway…Overall, pretty good week. Ninety-eight percent of the golf was good and just had a few bad holes coming in.” – Charlie Forster after the semifinal defeat

“I think we stayed in our game plan and did the same thing we've done in the other matches. We fought to the end. We just didn't really have any putts [drop]. That was our problem. They took of advantage of holes [that] they made putts on and kind of just took the momentum and in the end got us.” – Steen Zeman

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.