U.S. JUNIOR AMATEUR
Stone, Wu (66) Share First-Round Lead at U.S. Junior Amateur
Mother Nature kept turning up the heat in north Texas, but that didn’t seem to bother a few of the 264 competitors assembled at Trinity Forest Golf Club and stroke-play co-host Brook Hollow Golf Club during Monday’s first round of stroke play at the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
With temperatures soaring into the mid- to upper-90s and a Heat Index in the low triple digits, these two private facilities have been transformed into furnaces. Add some Texas wind that gusted into the mid-teens, and the challenge to stay cool under the pressure of a USGA championship only intensified.
But it was no sweat for Kailer Stone or Qiyou Wu.
Stone, a 17-year-old from Alameda, Calif., who plans to attend Pepperdine University in the fall of 2026, carded a bogey-free, 5-under-par 66 at Trinity Forest, and was matched later in the afternoon at Trinity Forest by the 16-year-old Wu from the People’s Republic of China.
That duo finished a stroke ahead of six players, four of whom played Trinity Forest, and Georgians Trace Carter (Blackshear) and 2025 U.S. Open qualifier Mason Howell (Thomasville), who played the 7,050-yard, par-70 Brook Hollow Golf Club on Monday.
Stuart Boulware, of Fairway, Kan., Adam Villanueva, of Austin, Texas, Ben Bolton, of England, and 2023 American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year Miles Russell, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 18 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®, all posted 4-under 67s at Trinity Forest.
While shorter, Brook Hollow statistically played more difficult in Round 1 with a stroke average of 76.3, or 6.3 strokes over par. The stroke average at 7,259-yard, par-71 Trinity Forest was 74.1.
Defending champion Trevor Gutschewski, of Omaha, Neb., was among a group who posted 3-under 68 at Trinity Forest, along with 2025 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion Tyler Mawhinney, of Fleming Island, Fla., 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur runner-up Tyler Watts, of Huntsville, Ala., Brayden Miller, of Goshen, Ind., Nicholas Gross, of Downingtown, Pa., Chase Birdwell, of Blaine, Minn., and Hongtao Gu, of the People’s Republic of China.
Stone hit 16 of 18 greens and tallied five birdies on the Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design constructed on a former illegal landfill that opened just nine years ago and is hosting its first USGA championship.
“It was nice,” said Stone, the recent winner of the Northern California Golf Association Junior Championship. “I mean, just kind of playing it fairway, middle of green. This is a tough course, if you miss the green in the wrong spot, you pretty much can't get up and down. So just playing to the right areas.”
Wu, who is 219th in WAGR, arrived in Texas off a victory and a second-place finish in two American Junior Golf Association events this summer as well as a tie for 31st in the Trans-Mississippi Amateur, in Bloomington, Ind. He also has won three low-level professional events in his home country. Exempt into the field based off his high ranking, Wu showed why with five birdies and an eagle. Wu had a chance to post 65 but missed the green left on the par-4 18th and failed to convert a 3-foot par putt. Two holes earlier on the 545-yard, par-5, he found the putting surface from 220 yards out and converted a 45-footer for a 3.
“It’s challenging,” said Wu of playing in the heat and wind of Texas. “A couple of years ago, I was not good at playing a course that is links style. Yesterday, I was [practicing] missing on the right side of the greens. Sometimes, that is just a bogey or worse. [But] if you miss on the [proper] side, you can get up and down [for par].”
Boulware, competing in his first U.S. Junior, surprised even himself with his performance on Monday. The day got off to a roaring start when the 16-year-old high school rising senior laced a 3-iron from 260 yards to 2 feet to set up an eagle on the 593-yard, par-5 second.
He also birdied the 609-yard, par-5 fifth and added two more birdies on 12 and 17 – he bogeyed No. 13 – en route to his 67.
“That definitely exceeded my expectations, especially here [at Trinity Forest],” said Boulware. “It was super windy and it’s hot, and I didn’t expect to go out and fire a 67 at all.
“My practice rounds were just hacking it around out there. I was trying to get [my preparation] done, but it was just so hot. I had a good range session this morning and I was feeling confident on the first tee. I put one right down the middle, so I figured why not be a good day.”
Villanueva, who has signed with his hometown Texas Longhorns, won an AJGA event at Trinity Forest in 2023, so the 18-year-old felt comfortable on the course. That same year, he won the Texas high school 6A individual title. Five birdies and a bogey gave him an opening 67, putting the U.S. Junior Amateur rookie in solid position to be among the 64 competitors who will make match play.
Russell is no stranger to USGA events. A year ago, the diminutive lefty advanced to the quarterfinals at Oakland Hills. In 2025, the 2026 Florida State commit has won the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and was runner-up in the Northeast Amateur. Like Villanueva, he had five birdies and a bogey on Monday.
Bolton is another first-time U.S. Junior Amateur competitor who got into the field based on his position in WAGR, which currently sits at 445. Earlier this summer, he advanced to match play in The Amateur Championship, and he represented England in the European Boys’ Team Championship. He had a crazy opening round that saw him make four consecutive birdies from No. 2, then suffer three bogeys in a four-hole stretch before converting birdies on Nos. 14 and 16.
“I was just trying to stay really present,” said Bolton. “Just trying not to get ahead of yourself because when you get ahead of yourself you start making silly mistakes. I missed three [putts] inside of five feet.”
Howell, a University of Georgia commit for 2026, had just one hiccup at Brook Hollow, a classic A.W. Tillinghast design that was opened in 1920. But he managed three consecutive birdies coming home from No. 5 – he started on No. 10 – to post a 67 to join fellow his fellow Georgian Carter at that number.
Carter, a member of the U.S. National Development Program’s Georgia State Team, had one of the two bogey-free rounds on Monday, and the only one at Brook Hollow. He registered birdies on Nos. 5, 11 and 13.
The 264 competitors will switch courses for the second and final round of stroke play on Tuesday after which the field will be trimmed to the low 64 scorers for match play that begins Wednesday exclusively at Trinity Forest. Should a playoff be necessary to determine the final spots in the draw, it would be held on Wednesday morning at Trinity Forest. Match play continues each day until Saturday’s 36-hole championship match. Peacock will stream Friday’s semifinal matches live from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, with Golf Channel airing the afternoon portion of the championship match on Saturday live from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free and spectators are encouraged to attend.
“You obviously still want to win. I want to win this more than anything. I am just trying to play solid golf and not trying to think about [the title defense]. It’s such a long week. To say it’s unrealistic that you are going to win is not exactly true, but it’s a long week and a lot of things are going to have to go your way.” – Trevor Gutschewski on his title defense
“The R&A is great, I’ve done really well [in those events]. The level of players [here] is just that much higher. I’m really fortunate to play in this.” – Ben Bolton, of England, when asked about his first USGA championship experience
“The game plan is to try and fire a red number. That’s the goal. It’s my first Junior and I just want to make it to match play. That would be awesome.” – Stuart Boulware on his mindset for Round 2 at stroke-play co-host Brook Hollow
“Last year [at Oakland Hills Country Club] I played really well in the first round like I did today, and I think I got in my own head a little bit [for Round 2]. I got too comfortable, especially when you are trying to make a cut. I’ve got to stay aggressive, and I’ve got to stay with my game plan. If I keep the ball in the fairway, I think it’s going to be a good day.” – Brayden Miller, who made the match-play cut on the number in 2024 and how he’ll use that experience for Tuesday’s round at Brook Hollow.
“I played Brook Hollow back-to-back days, and I haven't played Trinity since [Saturday]. It will be a good test. It’s a completely different golf course honestly. I know it's going to be windy over there and I will have to adjust to the greens. You have to be a little bit more accurate out here [at Brook Hollow]. I’m going to see if I can match today’s score or post a lower one.” – Mason Howell on his mindset for Tuesday’s round at Trinity Forest
David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org. USGA summer communications intern Taylar Paige contributed.
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