Class of 2026 Boys Individual Rankings

*Will be updated around the 1st of each month until signing day in Nov. 2025

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.

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.

3. 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 has started off 2025 solidly with a top-5 at the Dustin Johnson and a top-15 finish at the Junior Invitational.

6. Phillip Dunham (Alabama): Florida's Dunham has notched three wins since April of 2023, starting with a victory at the AJGA Spot X Hotel Junior Championship. He later took the 2023 Dye Invitational trophy home after a playoff and won the 2024 Sea Pines Junior Heritage. He also carded two local FLT wins in 2023. In 2024, he added a top-5 finish to his resume at the AJGA Junior Players Championship, following a top-10 finish in 2023 in the same event. He also notched a top-10 at the 2023 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions, and top-15 performances at the 2024 Rolex and 2023 & 2024 AJGA Team Taylormade Invitationals. He followed up his Dye win with a top-5 finish in 2024.

8. Sterling Hurd (Texas): Texan native Hurd has garnered some solid finishes in the past two years in big events, with a top-5 finish in the 2024 Western Junior and top-10s in the 2023 Junior Players Championship, 2024 AJGA Team Taylormade Invitational, and the 2024 Dustin Johnson World Junior. He also adds top-15 finishes at the 2024 AJGA Mayakoba Invitational, Rolex TOC, and 2023 Ping Invitational to his resume. Hurd won several times in 2023, win victories at two AJGA open events and a LJT event, and added another LJT win in early 2024.

5. 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.

4. Mason Howell (Georgia): Georgia's Howell has jumped into the top-5 conversation with fantastic play in 2024. 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.

10. Kailer Stone (Pepperdine): Stone may be a surprise player on this list, but not when you look at his current playing resume. Stone has two AJGA open wins, one in 2023 & one in 2024, which gained him entry in late 2024 Invitationals. He took advantage of that by carding a top-10 at the 2024 AJGA Junior Players Championship and a top-15 finish at the AJGA Ping Invitational. Regionally, he had three wins in California in 2024 with five additional top-3 finishes.

3/30 There has been some movement in the top-10, with one newcomer. Watts maintains his lead over Colton, as they tied each other at the Junior Invitational. Mawhinney continues to be solidly in third with a top-5 at the Dustin Johnson and top-15 at the Junior Invitational, and Howell has distanced himself from fifth with top-10 finishes at the Dustin Johnson and the Junior Invitational. Places 5th-8th have flip-flopped, as the spread between all of them is 17 points. Hamilton Coleman re-enters the top-10 with a top-5 finish at the Dustin Johnson, and Preston Hage, who we just featured in are 'Up and Coming' article, vaults into a tie for 10th via his 2nd place finish at the Azalea Invitational.

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. 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 several sub-par finishes. Events in the past year have more weight than tournaments in the previous year.

Internationals

Giovanni Binaghi, Italy: Junior Invitational at Sage Valley champion Binaghi is one of the top international recruits in the 2026 class. He notched a 15th place finish at the Junior PGA Championship and had top-15 finishes at the Junior Orange Bowl and the First Tee Miami Doral Junior Classic last winter. In 2023 Binaghi had two 3rd place results in Italian amateur events, and a 2nd place finish at a professional event in Switzerland. He won two Italian events in 2022.

Hugo Le Goff, France (Virginia): Le Goff has proven himself in the US and throughout Europe, recently qualifying for match play at the US Junior Amateur and finishing 5th at the 2023 AJGA Junior Players Championship. Le Goff won the 2023 CJGA World Junior Challenge and notched a 3rd place finish at the 2023 R&A Boys Amateur as well as three top-5 finishes in French amateur events in 2023. In 2025, he won the Spanish Amateur Copa S M El Rey and finished in the op-10 at the Junior Invitational and the Portuguese Internacional Amateur.

Lev Grinberg, Ukraine (Arkansas): 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 recently added a top-5 finish at the 2024 South Beach Amateur and had a top-15 finish at the 2025 Junior Invitational.

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.

Knocking on the door: Asher Vargas (UNC)

Waiting in the wings: Pennson Badgett (Tennessee)

9. Hamilton Coleman (Georgia): Coleman has several notable finishes on his resume, including a win at the 2024 AJGA Junior Players Championship. Hamilton finished in the top-5 at the 2025 Dustin Johnson World Junior and at the 2024 North & South Junior Amateur, and added an AJGA open 2nd place finish in early 2024. Before transitioning to invitationals, Coleman found success in AJGAs and SJGT events.

10. 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 recently took top billing at the TYGA North State High School Challenge and finished 2nd at the Azalea Invitational amateur event.