Class of 2026 Boys Individual Rankings

United States and Canada

1. Tyler Watts (Tennessee): Alabama's Watts' amateur achievements include breaking Gordon Sargent’s record as the youngest Alabama state Amateur champion in history in 2023, and a runner-up finish at the 2024 Terra Cotta. He finished in the top-25 of the Western Amateur in 2024. Watts found similar 2023 junior tournament success and raised the winner’s trophy at the Jones Cup Junior Invitational and the Southern Junior, in addition to an AJGA open event. In 2024 Watts was a finalist at the US Junior Amateur, and notched top-5 finishes at the Dustin Johnson World Junior, AJGA Mayakoba Invitational, Rolex TOC, and the AJGA Junior Players. He finished second at the 2023 Elite Invitational and notched a top-5 finish at the 2023 AJGA Junior Players Championship. He found the top-10 at the 2023 Western Junior and the top-15 at the 2024 AJGA Team Taylormade Invitational. Watts also qualified for the 2024 US Amateur and reached the round of 32 in the 2023 US Junior Amateur. His start to 2025 includes a top-15 at the Junior Invitational and top-15 at the Dustin Johnson. Watts has dominated the Elite Amateur series in 2025, winning the Sunnehanna, making the final match at the North & South, and placing in the top-10 at the Northeast Am. He reached the round of 16 at the 2025 US Junior and was top-20 in the Western Am. Watts made the cut in his first PGA Tour start in the summer of 2025 and placed an outstanding 4h at the Sahalee collegiate event as a member of the USNDP team.

2. Luke Colton (Vanderbilt): Texan Colton had a breakout 2024 season. He won the 2024 Terra Cotta Invitational after beginning 2024 with a 5th place showing at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship, finished 2nd at the Rolex TOC, and had two open AJGA top-3 finishes. He took the title at the Texas class UIL 5A state high school championship and the LJT Junior Byron Nelson, and he finished 2nd at the AJGA Mayakoba Invitational. Colton had excellent top-15 showings at both the Northeast Amateur and the North & South Amateur, and was in the top-10 on the leaderboard at the 2024 Junior Players In 2023, Colton’s top finishes included a 2nd place finish at the Dye Invitational and runner-up at the AJGA Under Armour/Jordan Spieth Championship. Colton narrowly missed match play at the 2024 US Amateur after also qualifying in 2023, and reached the round of 16 in the 2024 US Junior Amateur after a round of 32 appearance in 2023. He started 2025 with top-10 showings at the AJGA Simplify and the Junior Invitational, top-5 at the AJGA Team Taylormade, and defended his title at the Terra Cotta in April. He has had strong showings in Elite Am events in 2025, with a top-15 in the Northeast Am and a quarterfinal appearance at the North & South. He had an outstanding run at the 20245 US Junior, losing in the semi-final match, and made match play at the US Amateur.

5. Tyler Mawhinney (Vanderbilt): Florida's Mawhinney had a stellar two weeks in August with a win at the 2024 Canadian Men's Amateur and a run to the round of 16 at the US Amateur the following week. His victories include the 2023 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions and the 2023 Scott Robertson Memorial, and Mawhinney carded a top-5 finish at the 2024 Scott Robertson in his title defense. Top-10 finishes include the 2023 Junior PGA Championship, AJGA Junior Players, and the AJGA Ping Invitational, 2024 Rolex TOC, and he notched top-15s at the 2024 Junior PGA, AJGA Wyndham Invitational, and the Dustin Johnson World Junior. You will consistently find Mawhinney near the top of big-time tournament leaderboards, with only three finishes out of the top-20 in junior events in 2024. He started off 2025 solidly with a top-5 at the Dustin Johnson and a top-15 finish at the Junior Invitational, with a semi-final appearance at the AJGA RLX and the round of 16 in the the US Junior. Mawhinney added a top-5 result at the Junior PGA Championship, qualifying him for the Junior Ryder Cup.

T8. Coltrane Mittag (Oklahoma): Nebraska's Mittag first arrived on the big scene with a win at the 2023 North & South Junior Amateur, and he followed that with top-5 finishes at the 2023 Bobby Chapman Invitational and the 2024 North & Junior in his title defense. His top-10 finishes include the 2024 AJGA Mayakoba Invitational and the 2024 Bobby Chapman, and he has racked up several top-15s at the 2024 Dustin Johnson World Junior and the 2024 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship. Mittag was an impressive 4th at the 2024 Nebraska Men's Amateur and won the 2023 Nebraska PGA Championship. He notched top-3 results at the 2023 AJGA Jordan Spieth/Under Armour Championship and two OJGT events. In 2025, Mittag has posted a runner-up finish at the LJT Texas Invitational and a top-5 finish at the terra Cotta, in addition to a top-10 at the Western Junior.

3. Mason Howell (Georgia): Georgia's Howell jumped into the top-5 conversation with fantastic play in 2024, and entered the 3rd spot with his historic win at the US Amateur, taking down multiple big names in the process. He has racked up solid finishes in big events with top-5s at the 2024 AJGA Junior Players, Western Junior, and the AJGA Wyndham Championship. His top-10 results include the 2024 Ping and Mayakoba Invitationals and the 2024 Dustin Johnson World Junior. Howell won the 2023 AJGA Billy Horschel Championship and carded an additional open top-3 finish in 2023. He reached the round of 32 at the 2024 US Junior Amateur and qualified for the event in 2023, and also finished in the top-5 at the 2023 Elite Invitational. In 2025, he has solidified his position in the top-5 with top-10s at the Dustin Johnson and Junior Invitational. Howell made waves by winning his sectional qualifier for the US Open, with a respectable showing for the youngest competitor in the championship. He followed that with a win in stroke play at the US Junior before losing in an unlucky draw in the round of 64. Howell ended his summer with an exceptional showing representing the US at the Walker Cup.

10/26/25: With signing day on November 12th, and the last major tournament finished, we've released the final rankings for the class of 2026 boys! And what a TALENTED class this is; the most talented since we began ranking classes in 2024. Tyler Watts and Luke Colton were neck and neck for the past year and a half, with Watts pulling ahead with his finish in a PGA Tour event and at the Sahalee college event. Mason Howell locked up the third position with his infamous 2025 season. Golfers ranked #4-7 (Preston Hage, Tyler Mawhinney, Pennson Badgett, and Bailey Sutter) all amassed considerable amounts of points and were close in the rankings, with Hage surging to the 4th spot after the Bobby Chapman Invitational. The next points grouping found a tie for 8th between Hamilton Coleman and Coltrane Mittag, who were far ahead of Ayden Fynaut in 10th, who edged out several talented golfers for that last position. *Fynaut added 10/27. While closely looking at our recruiting class rankings, it was determined that Fynaut's late summer of 2025 results earned him enough points to enter the 10th spot.

Ranking system, explained: We assign point values to wins, top-5, top-10, and top-15 finishes in top junior and amateur events within a two year time span. AJGA open events and regional tournaments have been assigned lesser point values, as well as top-3 finishes, and points are subtracted for finishes outside the top-20 in the top junior events and outside the top-10 in AJGA open and regional events. Points adjustments are considered for players who play significantly less or more tournaments than others, and percentage of top finishes are evaluated. Our system rewards consistency of steady performance rather than an athlete with a few great finishes but many sub-par finishes. Events in the past year have more weight than tournaments in the previous year.

Internationals: WAGR rankings as of 10/26/25

Tomas Restrepo, Columbia (Mississippi): WAGR 180 Restrepo has moved up the WAGR rankings to become a top-200 player after successful summer events. He raised the winner's trophy at the 2025 Toyota Junior World Cup after notching three junior wins in South America in early 2025. He made a good run in the 2025 US Junior, advancing to the round of 32, then qualified to the US Amateur. Restrepo represented Columbia in the World Amateur Team Championship and had three junior wins and five top-5 finishes in junior events in South America in 2024.

Hugo Le Goff, France (Virginia): WAGR 56 Le Goff has proven himself in the US and throughout Europe as a top-100 WAGR ranked player. Le Goff took home two trophies in early 2025 at the Lytham Trophy and Spanish Amateur Copa SM El Rey. He also made match play at the Western Amateur, finished in the top-10 at the Junior Invitational and competed at the US Amateur, among varied other results in 2025. His successes in 2024 include making match play at the US Junior, 12th at the European Amateur, and one French amateur win.

Lev Grinberg, Ukraine (Arkansas): WAGR 98 Grinberg has long been a fixture on the US circuit in addition to international events. He made it to the round of 16 at the 2024 US Amateur and finished 7th at the Orlando International Amateur at the end of 2023, following a top-30 finish at the South Beach Amateur and 8th place at the AJGA Junior Players Championship. Grinberg placed 1st at an amateur event in Germany in 2022 and took home the trophy at the 2024 Grand Prix de Merignies. Most impressive was his 9th place finish at the 2024 Amateur Championship. He added a top-5 finish at the 2024 South Beach Amateur and had a top-15 finish at the 2025 Junior Invitational. Grinberg's best finishes include a runner-up finish at the German Boys Amateur and a top-10 at the European Amateur.

7. Bailey Sutter (Alabama): Sutter enters our top-10 list after a consistent and steady 2024 season, flying under our radar. He notched top-10 finishes at the 2024 AJGA Junior Players Championship and the Southern Junior, and top-15s at the Ping Invitational and the Bobby Chapman Invitational. He rose the champion's trophy at the Alabama Junior Amateur, qualifying him to the US Junior Amateur, in which he reached the round of 16. Sutter finished in the top-10 at his state Men's Amateur and carded one top-3 finish in an AJGA open event. Sutter also found the top-10 at the 2024 Future Masters. In 2025, Sutter captured the Alabama Men's Amateur title, while winning the Southern Junior in back to back weeks, and just missed the match play bracket at the AJGA RLX. He qualified for the US Amateur and was runner-up at the AJGA Junior Players.

Next in line: Cameron Kuchar (TCU), Phillip Dunham (Alabama), Asher Vargas (North Carolina), Sterling Hurd (Texas)

10. Ayden Fynaut (Pepperdine): Fynaut is a late addition to the rankings after he surged onto the national scene in the summer of 2025. After playing locally in California, winning an AJGA open event and finishing in the top-3 in several, Fynaut reached the round of 16 at the US Junior Amateur after placing sixth in stroke play. He following that with a top-5 finish at the Junior PGA Championship, earning AJGA Invitational invitations. He made the most of them by placing in the top-15 at the Junior Players and the top-10 at the Ping Invitational. This late bloomer earned just enough points to slide into our tenth spot, and will a strong addition to the Waves.

4. Preston Hage (North Carolina): Hage showed some solid play in open AJGA events in 2024, with one top-10 and two top-15 finishes, qualified for the US Junior., and was third at the Carolinas Junior PGA Championship. Hage began a consistent streak of play with a top-10 finish at the Bobby Chapman Invitational and followed that with a second-place finish at the prestigious Junior Jones Cup. His 2025 has started off very well, with a top-10 finish at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship and 15th at the Dustin Johnson World Junior. He took top billing at the TYGA North State High School Challenge and finished 2nd at the Azalea Invitational amateur event, and had a top-15 at the Terra Cotta. Hage added a top-10 finish at the AJGA Wyndham and was in the top-5 at the Carolinas Men's Amateur, in addition to qualifying to the 2025 US Amateur. Hage closed out the fall 2025 season with a win at the Ping Invitational and a top-5 finish at the Bobby Chapman to solidify his spot at #5.

6. Pennson Badgett (Tennessee): Badgett jumped into the top-10 with an improvement in his consistency in 2025. He found some success, with a win at the AJGA Polo Jr Classic (now RLX) and a top-5 showing at the AJGA Wyndham Invitational. He also had two AJGA open wins in 2024, but his presence in the rankings was hampered by too many event finishes outside of the top-20. In 2025, Badgett has had top-10 finishes at the Terra Cotta Invitational, the AJGA Team Taylormade, and the Scott Robertson Memorial. His biggest showing was a top-10 at the Sunnehanna Amateur, and he made match play at the 2025 US Amateur after placing in the top-5 at the Junior PGA Championship. Badgett closed out the fall 2025 season with a runner-up finish at the Bobby Chapman.

T8. Hamilton Coleman (Georgia): Coleman jumps back into the top ten with his steady and stellar performance to win the 2025 US Junior Amateur. He has shown the ability to shine in big events, as he won the 2024 Junior Players Championship, and had top-5 finishes at the 2024 North & South Junior and the 2025 Dustin Johnson World Junior. His other elite event strong finish was a top-10 at the AJGA Rolex TOC, and he had two AJGA open top-3 finishes in the last two years. His run in the US Junior hopefully will lead to more consistency in top events, which has already shown in his top-10 finish in his title defense of the 2025 Junior Players.

Oscar Couilleau, France (Arizona State): WAGR 83 Couilleau has made a massive jump in the WAGR rankings in 2025 with a very successful season. He won the Monroe Invitational, an event with a strong collegiate presence, and finished third at the World Amateur Team Championship. Couilleau made match play at the Amateur Championship and has one win and three top-5 finishes in European amateur events in 2025. He made match play at the 2024 US Junior and had three wins in France in 2024.

Zenghao (William) Hou, China (USC): WAGR 213 The future Trojan ventured to the US in the summer of 2025, finishing fourth at the Junior PGA Championship after making the round of 32 at the US Junior Amateur. He spent most of late 2024 to the spring of 2025 playing professional events in China, notching one win and six top-5 finishes. In his trip to America in 2024, Hou carded one AJGA top-5 and two top-10 finishes.

Le Khang Hung, Vietnam (Illinois): WAGR 246 The future Illini had some strong finishes in the US in 2024, making it to match play at the US Amateur and placing 11th at the Terra Cotta Invitational and the Junior Players. He also had two top-3 finishes in amateur events in Asia. 2025 has been a mixed bag of results, with a junior win in Columbia, two top-3 finishes in Vietnam, and a top-10 at the Australian Master of the Amateurs. He hasn't found as much success in the US in 2025.