U.S. MID-AMATEUR

Fast Facts for 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur

By David Shefter, USGA

| Oct 24, 2025 | Liberty Corner, N.J.


Championship Venue	Sand Valley Resort (Lido), Nekoosa, Wis.
Stroke-Play Co-Host Venue	Sand Valley Resort (Sand Valley), Nekoosa, Wis.
Opened	2023 (Lido) 2017 (Sand Valley Course)
Architects	Sand Valley (Lido): Tom Doak and Brian Schneider Sand Valley (Sand Valley): Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw
Dates of Championship	Sept. 26-Oct. 1
Yardages/Par (Subject to change)	Sand Valley (Lido): 7,219 yards (Par 71) Sand Valley (Sand Valley): 7,122 yards (Par 71)
Course/Slope Rating	Sand Valley (Lido): 76.3/152 Sand Valley (Sand Valley): 75.4/143
Field	264 competitors
Entries Accepted	6,124 (record entries; previous mark 6,060 in 2023)
Eligibility	Open to any amateur golfer who has reached their 25th birthday as of Sept. 26 and whose Handicap Index does not exceed 2.4.
Qualifying	Qualifying, over 18 holes, will take place at 69 sites from July 27-Sept. 9
2025 Championship	Brandon Holtz, 38, of Bloomington, Ill., a former reserve shooting guard for Illinois State University, outdueled Jeg Coughlin III, of Dublin, Ohio, 3 and 2, in the 36-hole final at Troon Country Club, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Holtz, a reinstated amateur, was competing in his first USGA championship. The realtor drove the par-4 34th green and drained an 8-foot eagle putt to close out Coughlin, the son and grandson of legendary drag racers. To read more, click here.
Quotable	“Wild. I kept my pro card for a while just because I liked to play for cash, and it got to the point where I just wasn't playing any events anymore, so decided to get my amateur status back last year. I didn't see this day. I'm glad it's here, though.”-- Brandon Holtz
Exempt Players (41)	Lawrence Allan (2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion) Andrew Bailey (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Matheus Balestrin (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Blake Barens (Deferred exemption under USGA Family Policy) Sebastian Barnoya (Top 15 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of April 22, Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Evan Beck (2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion; 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up; 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist; 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist; Top 15 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of April 22; Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Stephen Behr Jr. (2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist) Arkesh Bhatia (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Grady Brame Jr. (2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion) Christian Brand (2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist) Christian Cavaliere (2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist; 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist, Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Jeg Coughlin III (2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up; 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist; 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist) Connor Doyal (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Parker Edens (2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist) Nate Gahman (Top 40 ag(e-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Stewart Hagestad (2016, 2021, 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion; Playing member of 2023 and 2025 USA Walker Cup Team; Top 15 age-eligible point leader in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of April 22; Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Brandon Holtz (2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion; 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist; 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist) Bryan Hoops (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Justin Hueber (2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist) Drew Kittleson (2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist) Mariano Malmierca (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Bobby Massa (2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up; 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist; 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist; Top 15 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of April 22; Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Matthew McClean (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion; Playing member of 2023 GB&I Walker Cup Team) Michael McCoy (2025 U.S. Senior Amateur champion) Lukas Michel (2019 U.S. MId-Amateur champion) Jose Luis Montano (Top 15 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking; Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Kevin O'Connell (2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion) Matt Parziale (2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion) Brett Patterson (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Rhadames Pena (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Santiago Rivas Llano (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Sammy Schmitz (2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion) Andres Schonbaum (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Nate Smith (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Haymes Snedeker (Low amateur in 2026 U.S. Senior Open) Omar Tejeira (Top 15 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of April 22; Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15)( Pierre Tiellement (2026 European Mid-Amateur champion) Brett Viboch (Deferred exemption under USGA Family Policy) Alejandro Villavicencio (Top 15 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of April 22; Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Matt Vogt (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15) Steen Zeman (Top 40 age-eligible point leaders in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of July 15)
Hole by hole (Subject to change)	SAND VALLEY (T(HE LIDO) Hole 1: 412 yards (Par 4) Hole 2: 454 yards (Par 4) Hole 3: 165 yards (Par 3) Hole 4: 558 yards (Par 5) Hole 5: 365 yards (Par 4) Hole 6: 490 yards (Par 4) Hole 7: 530 yards (Par 5) Hole 8: 250 yards (Par 3) Hole 9: 368 yards (Par 4) OUT: 3,592 yards (Par 36) Hole 10: 442 yards (Par 4) Hole 11: 477 yards (Par 4) Hole 12: 469 yards (Par 4) Hole 13: 351 yards (Par 4) Hole 14: 148 yards (Par 3) Hole 15: 430 yards (Par 4) Hole 16: 235 yards (Par 3) Hole 17: 615 yards (Par 5) Hole 18: 460 yards (Par 4) IN: 3,627 yards (Par 35) TOTAL: 7,219 yards (Par 71) SAND VALLEY (SAND VALLEY COURSE) Hole 1: 375 yards (Par 4) Hole 2: 431 yards (Par 4) Hole 3: 224 yards (Par 3) Hole 4: 615 yards (Par 5) Hole 5: 164 yards (Par 3) Hole 6: 505 yards (Par 4) Hole 7: 578 yards (Par 5) Hole 8: 136 yards (Par 3) Hole 9: 305 yards (Par 4) OUT: 3,333 yards (Par 35) Hole 10: 580 yards (Par 5) Hole 11: 415 yards (Par 4) Hole 12: 474 yards (Par 4) Hole 13: 443 yards (Par 4) Hole 14: 200 yards (Par 3) Hole 15: 420 yards (Par 4) Hole 16: 455 yards (Par 4) Hole 17: 236 yards (Par 3) Hole 18: 566 yards (Par 5) IN: 3,789 yards (Par 36) TOTAL: 7,122 yards (Par 71)
Notable Events at Sand Valley Resort	2022 Wisconsin State Amateur (Tyler Obermueller)
Fast Fact	The Lido Course at Sand Valley was created to replicate the original Lido course on Long Island. It is an exacting re-creation by Tom Doak and Brian Schneider, with the Renaissance Golf team, of the legendary links originally designed by inaugural U.S. Amateur champion Charles B. Macdonald on Long Island that opened for play in 1917. The original course on Long Island was repurposed by the U.S. Navy during World War II and closed in 1942. Doak and Schneider worked with golf historian and software designer Peter Flory, utilizing historical surveys, engineering records and photographs to guide the project.
Did you know?	Sand Valley Resort is owned and operated by Mike and Chris Keiser, the sons of Bandon Dunes founder and 2025 USGA Bob Jones Award recipient Mike Keiser. The resort features four 18-hole, championship layouts and an 18-hole, par-3 course (Sand Box).
Notable U.S. Mid-Amateur Champions	Jim Holtgrieve (1981); Jay Sigel (1983, 1985, 1987); David Eger (1988); Tim Jackson (1994, 2001); Danny Green (1999); Nathan Smith (2003, 2009, 2010, 2012); Trip Kuehne (2007); Mike McCoy (2013); Scott Harvey (2014), Stewart Hagestad (2016, 2021, 2023); Matt Parziale (2017); Evan Beck (2024)
Notable U.S. Mid-Amateur Runners-Up	Bob Lewis Jr. (1981, 1984); O. Gordon Brewer (1985); Bryan Norton (2003); Todd Mitchell (2008); Tim Hogarth (2010); Garrett Rank (2012); Scott Harvey (2016), Evan Beck (2023)
Schedule of Play	Saturday, Sept. 26 (Stroke Play, Round 1, 18 holes) Sunday, Sept. 27 (Stroke Play, Round 2, 18 holes) Monday, Sept. 28 (Round of 64, match play) Tuesday, Sept. 29 (Round of 32/Round of 16, match play) Wednesday, Sept. 30 (Quarterfinals/Semifinals, match play) Thursday, Oct. 1 (Championship Match, 36 holes)
Match-Play Cut	The low 64 scorers following stroke play will qualify for match play. If necessary, a playoff will be conducted to determine the last qualifiers for the draw.
What Winner Receives	-a gold medal -custody of the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy for one year -exemption into 2027 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links -exemptions from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Mid-Amateurs -exemptions from qualifying for the next two U.S. Amateurs -likely invitation to the 2027 Masters Tournament (must be an amateur) -name engraved on 2026 USGA Champions' plaque that will reside in the Hall of Champions inside the USGA Museum in Liberty Corner, N.J.
Future Sites	2027: Jupiter Hills Club, Tequesta, Fla./Sept. 18-23 2028: Country Club of Charleston (S.C.)/Sept. 23-28 2029: The Golf Club of Tennessee, Kingston Springs, Tenn./TBA 2030: Bel-Air Country Club, Los Angeles, Calif./Sept. 14-19 2031: Sunriver Resort, Sunriver, Ore./Sept. 6-11 2033: Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, N.J./TBD 2034: Champions Golf Club, Houston, Texas/TBD

Fast Facts for 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur

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