Tournament Central
Check back often for updates and insights into the top amateur & junior tournaments and invitationals in the US!
Up next: US Junior Amateur, State Amateurs (ongoing), Southern Junior US Girls Junior
List of State Amateur winners (ongoing): In 2023, eight junior golfers held the trophy at their state men's or women's amateur. This year, the victories have continued for young players. We are keeping a running list of state amateur winners: Arizona Men's: Wheaton Ennis, Texas A&M signee, Arizona Women's: Nikki Oh, class of 2026, Connecticut Men's: Austin Perkins, class of 2026, Florida Women's: Sophia Dyer, class of 2026, Hawaii Women's: Kate Nakaoka, Oregon State commit, Virginia Men's: Logan Reilly, Auburn commit, Maine Men's: Elliot Spaulding, Loyola Maryland signee, Vermont Men's: Lucas Politano, 2025 uncommitted. Top-5 finishers will also be listed in an end-of-season article.
Trans-Mississippi Amateur, July 9-12: Part of the Elite Amateur Series, the 'Trans-Miss' attracts a solid, but not top amateur field. This year, Oklahoma signee Asher Whitaker was the top junior finisher at T-14th, a strong result. Alabama signee Nicholas Gross was the only other junior player to make the cut.
North and South Junior Amateur, July 1-3: Golfers are treated to the Pinehurst experience at the North & South Junior, with the girls and boys each getting to play #2 for one round. This year, Illinois signee Trey Marrion emerged as the victor at -9, finishing five shots ahead of runner-up Bryson Hughes, a Mississippi State commit. Arkansas commit Will Gordon was three back of Hughes at -1, with class of 2026 recruit Hamilton Coleman in 4th. Defending champion Coltrane Mittag (2026) and Notre Dame commit Pavel Tsar rounded out the top-5 on the boys' side. Low rounds were shot by Gordon in rounds one & two (69/65), and Marrion in round three (66). In the girls' event, class of 2027's Hallie Wilson shot -7 in a narrow victory over 2026 recruit Zoe Cusack. Cusack outpaced 3rd place finisher Macie Rasmussen (2027) by six strokes. The youth movement continued through 4th place, as class of 2028's Kanyarak Pongpithanon and Alexa Takai tied at +3. Low rounds were achieved by Cusack (68, round one) and Wilson (round two 66, round three 67).
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2024: Trey Marrion, 1st, Bridget Wilkie, 12th
Class of 2025: Bryson Hughes, 2nd, Yvette O'Brien, 6th
Class of 2026: Hamilton Coleman, 4th, Zoe Cusack, 2nd
Class of 2027: William Lisle, 10th, Macie Rasmussen, 3rd
Class of 2028: Kanyarak Pongpithanon & Alexa Takai, 4th
AJGA RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic, June 25-28: The AJGA invitational rotation isn't complete without a visit to Bethpage Black for it's annual match play tournament. After pool play, winners of each pool advance to the quarterfinal round. Boys semi-finalist included Clemson commit Jackson Byrd, and 2026 recruits Pennson Badgett, Blades Brown, and Mason Howell. Badgett and Howell advanced to the final with dominant wins, then Badgett etched a 4&2 victory in the final to win his first invitational. Girls semi-finalists included class of 2029(!) golfer Clara Ding, 2026 recruit Jude Lee and Kinsley (Zixin) Ni, and Oklahoma State commit Yu-Chu Chen. Ding outlasted Lee in 19 holes, and Ni was victorious over Chen to make the final. Young Ding emerged as the overall winner with a 3&2 triumph to take home the trophy.
North and South Men's Amateur, June 25-29: The third tournament of the Elite Amateur Series was held in Pinehurst, attracting another elite field with numerous junior participants. Thirty-two players qualified for match play, and Alabama signee Nick Gross was the top junior competitor, advancing to the quarterfinals. Vanderbilt commit Michael Riebe and 2026 recruit Luke Colton made the round of sixteen, and North Carolina commit Carson Bertagnole survived the cut to the final thirty-two. Overall a success showing for future golfers players.
North and South Women's Amateur. June 25-29: Several junior golfers were lucky to receive an invite to the prestigious amateur tournament at Pinehurst, and four were successful in making the thirty-two player cut into match play. Pepperdine commit Kylee Choi is currently gave a valiant effort but just fell short in the semi-final. Vanderbilt commit Elizabeth Rudisill continued her strong play by advancing to the round of sixteen, and Scarlett Schremmer (Texas commit) and Avery McCrery (Duke commit) played well to grab round of thirty-two spots.
Northeast Amateur Invitational, June 19-22: The second event of the Elite Amateur series, with arguably the best field, is the Northeast Amateur. Seven lucky junior golfers received an invitation, and all seven impressively made the cut. The highest finisher was red-hot 2026 recruit Luke Colton at T-12th, followed by top 2026 recruit Blades Brown at T-15th. Congrats to 2026's Tyler Watts and Henry Guan, 2027 grad Miles Russell, Vanderbilt signee Ryan Downes, and Arkansas signee Gerry Gomez for their excellent play.
Western Junior, June 18-20: One of the top junior tournaments in the country, the Western Junior welcomes a large, strong field for four rounds of golf. Florida signee Parker Sands was the class of the field, with an outstanding six shot victory at -10. Coming in 2nd was Alabama commit Chase Kyes, with South Carolina commit Talan Harrison and class of 2026 recruit Sterling Hurd tying for 3rd at -3. A trio of golfers tied for 5th at -2: Texas commit Brooks Simmons, 2026 standout Mason Howell, and Vanderbilt commit Michael Riebe. Eleven different colleges were represented in the top-10 (and ties), with five representatives of the class of 2024 and six in the class of 2025. Low rounds were carded by Jake Albert at 67 in round one, Kyes and Jack Roberts in round two at 64, Giuseppe Puebla, Hudson Lawson and Sands with a 66 in round three, and Brooks Simmons in round four at 65.
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2024: Parker Sands, 1st
Class of 2025: Chase Kyes, 2nd
Class of 2026: Sterling Hurd, T-3rd
Class of 2027: Jessy Huebner, T-15th
AJGA Rolex Girls Invitational, June 18-20: Vanderbilt commit Elizabeth Rudisill of North Carolina captured her second invitational win with a one shot victory at -11 over class of 2026's Celina Yeo in a battle through the final holes. Class of 2027's Anna Fang was one shot back of Yeo in 3rd. Rounding out the top-5 were UCLA commit Kacey Ly and uncommitted 2025 golfer Mi Li. The class of 2025 had five golfers in the top-10 while the class of 2026 had three. Low rounds belonged to Yeo (round one, 66), Yeo and Fang (round two, 68), and Alice Ziyi Zhao (round three, 64).
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2025: Elizabeth Rudisill, 1st
Class of 2026: Celina Yeo, 2nd
Class of 2027: Anna Fang, 3rd
Class of 2028: Yujie Liu, T-6th
Sunnehanna Amateur, June 12-15: Several junior golfers were lucky to receive an invitation to the first event in the Elite Amateur Series. Congrats to those who made ethe cut! Tennessee signee Jackson Herington was the top finisher at T-13th, followed closely by BYU commit Kihei Akina at T-15th. Stanford signee Jay Leng found himself in the top-20 at T-19th, and class of 2026's Blades Brown and Texas A&M signee Wheaton Ennis also made the cut.
AJGA Wyndham Invitational, June 11-13: Coming soon after the highly attended Team Taylormade Invitational, the Wyndham is the first Invitational on the slate which the classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 shine, as many 2024s relax their schedule before college. Class of 2026 recruit Asher Vargas of Texas surprised everyone, playing solod golf and leading wire to wire with a two shot victory at Sedgefield. 2026 recruit Mason Howell and 2027 up-and-comer Ronin Banerjee tied for second at -4, and top-10 2025 Georgia commit JD Culbreth ended in 4th. Rounding out the top-5 were Tennessee commit Luke Smith, Harvard signee William Ma, and 2026 prospect Pennson Badgett. Low rounds belonged to Vargas in round one with a 66, Michael Riebe in round two (65), and Matthew Diehl in round three (66).
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2024: William Ma, T-5th
Class of 2025: JD Culbreth, 4th
Class of 2026: Asher Vargas, 1st
Class of 2027: Ronin Banerjee, T-2nd
Southwestern Amateur. June 12-15: Stanford signee Leigh Chien led the way in the second stop in the women's Elite Amateur Series with an outstanding six stroke victory. Finishing in 2nd was Oklahoma State commit Yu-Chu Chen at -8, with Texas commit Scarlett Schremmer ending in a solid 6th at -6. Texas A&M commit Natalie Yen carded a tie for 13th.
Southern Junior, June 12-14: Although many of the country's top golfers opt for the conflicting AJGA Wyndham Invitational or the Sunnehanna Amateur, the Southern Junior produces a solid field each year. This year, Baylor commit Tyler Sanford raised the winner's trophy in a two shot victory over Oklahoma State commit Jaxon Bandelier and Kentucky commit Cole Stockard.
Dogwood Invitational, June 5-8th: The Dogwood is a quality amateur event that features many of the top college golfers who miss out on qualifying for the Elite Amateur Series event, with few junior golfers gaining entry. Top junior finishers included Georgia signee Matt Moloney at T-16th, with Vanderbilt commit Will Hartman and Auburn signee Billy Davis at T-22nd.
US Open Sectional Qualifying, June 3rd: Although none qualified for the championship, several junior golfers had strong showings at the US Open sectional qualifiers. In Jupiter, FL, Florida Gulf Coast signee Nolan Harper finished at T-23rd to lead several juniors. In the midst of an Alpharetta, GA field filled with top college talent, TCU commit Sam Udovich had the best showing of all juniors around the country with an impressive 11th place finish. At the Rockville, MD qualifier, Liberty bound Michael Lugiano ended the day in a solid T-23rd. In Summit, NJ, Alabama signee Nicholas Gross impressed with a T-13 finish, followed closely by Vanderbilt signee Ryan Downes at T-19th. Michigan bound Dean Muratore found himself at T-25th. In Durham NC, top class of 2027 recruit Miles Russell ended the tournament in a solid T-21st.
US Women's Open: California's Asterisk Talley, class of 2027, and Indiana's Samantha Brown, a Purdue signee, played in the 2024 US Women's Open. Talley made a splash by sitting in the top ten after two rounds, and finished in a tie for 44th, sharing low amateur honors. Quite the debut for the 15 year old!
US Amateur Four Ball: The team of Blades Brown (class of 2026) and Jackson Herrington (Tennessee signee) , finished as runner-ups this year, one year after reaching the semi-finals in the event. Impressive runs for this team!
AJGA Team Taylormade Invitational, May 25-27: This year, this invitational attracted most of our top-10 2025 boys, several of the top-10 2024s, and many top 2026s on the verge of recruitment. Unlike the Mayakoba Invitational, this field was stacked with talent, and the scores didn't disappoint. Topping the field was UNC commit Carson Bertagnole at -14, with his first Invitational win. Vanderbilt commit Jon Ed Steed found himself in the top-5 in an Invitational for the first time, two back at -12. Rounding out the top-5 in a tie for third at -11 were Arkansas commit Will Gordon, Auburn commit Logan Reilly, and North Texas signee Alex Huang. College representation was evenly spread out in the top-10, and six 2025 commits were in the mix. Low rounds belonged to Reilly (64, round one), Huang and Sterling Hurd (65, round two), and Bertagnole and Tyler Watts (67, round three).
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2024: Alex Huang, T-3rd
Class of 2025: Carson Bertagnole, 1st
Class of 2026: Sterling Hurd & Henry Guan, T-9th
Class of 2027: Giuseppe Puebla, T-9th
AJGA Mizuho Americas Open, May 16-19: The top girls in the country were treated to a memorable week, as players were paired with professionals competing in the corresponding LPGA event. The top 2026 girls recruit, Gianna Clemente, raised the winner's trophy in the Stableford format tournament by two points over 2027's Anna Huang and Oregon signee Yana Wilson. Stanford signee Leigh Chien was one point back of second in fourth place, with Northwestern signee Elise Lee rounding out the top five. Top scorers in each round were Princeton commit Thanana Kotchasanmanee (38, round 1), 2027's Asterisk Talley (40, round 2), Clemente (43, round 3), and Huang and Chien (39, round 4).
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2024: Yana Wilson, T-2nd
Class of 2025: Thanana Kotchasanmanee, 10th
Class of 2026: Gianna Clemente, 1st
Class of 2027: Anna Huang, T-2nd
Scott Robertson Memorial, May 17-19: With only a handful of the country's top-50 players in the field for boys and girls, this tournament was a good showcase of talent for the next generation of stars. In the boys division, Auburn commit Logan Reilly prevailed in a one stroke victory at -7 over Virginia commit Michael Lee. Reilly has played steady golf as of late and was primed for a breakthrough win. Oklahoma State signee Brady Catalano was right behind in 3rd at -5, with South Carolina commit one back in fourth. Defending champion Tyler Mawhinney, class of 2026, rounded out the top five. Auburn had two future players in the top-10, as Jake Albert also had a solid tournament. Low rounds were recorded by four golfers at 68 in round one, Grayson Baucom at 66 in round two, and Catalano at 66 in round three. In the girls event, Duke commit Avery McCrery was the class of the field, notching an outstanding 13 stroke victory over fellow top-10 2025 recruit and Tennessee commit Madison Messimer. Class of 2026's Ann-Sophie Bourgault was one behind in 3rd, tied with Vanderbilt signee Angelina Tolentino. TCU commit Yvette O'Brien and 2027's Lily Peng rounded out the top-5. Low rounds were carded by McCrery in rounds one and three (64.67), and Tolentino with a 67 in round two.
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2024: Brady Catalano, 3rd, Angelina Tolentino, 3rd
Class of 2025: Logan Reilly, 1st, Avery McCrery, 1st
Class of 2026: Tyler Mawhinney, 5th, Ann-Sophie Bourgault, 3rd
Class of 2027: Lily Peng
US Open Sectional qualifiers: Congrats to all of the junior golfers who have qualified for sectional qualifying for the US Open! Auburn leads the list with two qualifiers, and the class of 2024 easily tops the field in numbers. Here is the list of lucky qualifiers:
Class of 2024: Billy Davis, Auburn; Kellen Dean, Xavier; Ryan Downes, Vanderbilt; Ethan Dufresne, Sam Houston State; Nick Gross, Alabama; Nolan Harper, FGCU; Jackson Harrington, Tennessee; Michael Lugiano, Liberty; Drew Miller, Michigan State; Dean Muratore, Michigan; Ethan Paschal, UNC; Anthony Purcea; Thad Whitfield, Middle Tennessee
Class of 2025: Kihei Akina, BYU; Shawn Coultoff, Florida State; JD Culbreth, Georgia; Austin Hofferkamp, TCU; Logan Reilly, Auburn
Class of 2026: Blades Brown, Grant Leary, Braeden Nelson, Luke Ringkamp, Theo Snyder
Class of 2027: Sohan Patel, Hill Yang
Class of 2028: Ambrose Kinnare
AJGA Mayakoba Invitational, May 11-13: While many of the top players in the classes of 2024 and 2025 opted out of traveling to Mexico for this Invitational, it allowed new faces to shine in a competitive atmosphere. Texan and Duke commit Charles Nelson took full advantage of his 2nd Invitational appearance and rode a third round 65 to the title by two strokes. He bested a trio of familiar faces, as 2026's Luke Colton and Tyler Watts, and Texas commit Brooks Simmons all finished tied for 2nd at -1. This was Simmons' second consecutive runner-up finish at this tournament. Low rounds belonged to Nelson in round 3, Henry Guan (-3) in the first round, and Simmons in round 2 (65). Youth shone in this tournament, as seven of the top-10 finishers were 2026 or 2025 grads.
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2024: Aidan Dortch, 8th
Class of 2025: Charles Nelson, 1st
Class of 2026: Tyler Watts and Luke Colton, T-2nd
Class of 2027: Ronin Banerjee, 6th
AJGA Nelly Invitational, May 4-6: The inaugural Invitational brought a strong field of top junior girls to Florida. Fourteen year old Aphrodite Deng won her 2nd Invitational in the past six months, as the 2028 hung on the a one shot victory at -2. Runners-up included class of 2027's Amelie Zalsman and recent Texas commit Scarlett Schremmer. Comin in at even par was Anna Fang (2027), and in 5th was uncommitted 2025 grad Yu-Chu Chen. Other schools represented in the top-10 were Vanderbilt with Elizabeth Rudisill, Northwestern's Elise Lee, and Georgia signee Siuee Wu. Low rounds were carded by Deng (70, round 1, 67, round 2) and third round 69s by Rudisill and Jude Lee.
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2024: Elise Lee, T-6th
Class of 2025: Scarlett Schremmer, T-2nd
Class of 2026: Jude Lee, T-6th
Class of 2027: Amelie Zalsman, T-2nd
Class of 2028: Aphrodite Deng, 1st
Terra Cotta Invitational, Apr 19-21: The Terra Cotta featured over 30 of the nation's top juniors mixed in with collegiate and mid-amateur golfers, in addition to international players. In the end, juniors captured 7 of the top-10 spots on the leaderboard. Class of 2026's Luke Colton solidified himself as one of the nation's top recruits in his class with a one stroke victory (-11) over perennial leaderboard contender Tyler Watts, also class of 2026. BYU commit Kihei Akina, who started slow in round one, then shot up the leaderboard in round two with a course record 62, finished in a tie for third at -9. Rounding out the top-5 was Auburn signee Billy Davis at -7. Low rounds belonged to Colton (round 1, 67), Akina (round 2, 62), and Boston Bracken, Akina, and Watts (68, round 3).
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2024: Billy Davis, 5th
Class of 2025: Kihei Akina, 3rd
Class of 2026, Luke Colton, 1st
Augusta National Women's Amateur, Apr 3-6: It is always an honor for a junior golfer to receive an invitation to 'ANWA', and this year's girls did not disappoint. USC signee Jasmine Koo led the way with a 4th place finish at -3. Gianna Clemente, who will be eligible to talk to coaches in June as a member of the class of 2026, followed Koo in a tie for 5th at -2. Fresh off her convincing win at the Junior Invitational, class of 2027's Asterisk Talley used a final round 70 to end up in a tie for 8th at +1 with Thailand's Eila Galitsky, who is committed to South Carolina.
Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, Mar 21-23: This top-ranked junior event is the pinnacle of junior golf, which includes the top 36 boys and 24 girls from across the globe. Italy's Giovanni Binaghi (class of 2025) emerged as the champion after a final round 64 vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard. Class of 2026's Louis Klein of Czechia was two back at -9, while US Junior Amateur runner-up Joshua Bai of New Zealand rounded out the top three on the boys side. BYU commit Kihei Akina was the top American finisher in 5th place. Vanderbilt and Alabama had the most competitors with three each, and Arkansas had two representatives. Low rounds were carded by Joshua Bai (round 1, 65), Binaghi, Michael Riebe and William Jennings (round 2, 67), and Binaghi in round 3. In the girls' division, the class of 2027's Asterisk Talley of California turned in a dominant performance at -9, six strokes clear of Duke commit Rianne Malixi of the Phillipines, who was also runner-up in the 2023 US Girls' Junior. In a tie for 3rd at even par were South Carolina commit Eila Galitsky, USC signee Jasmine Koo, and Oregon-bound Yana Wilson. Stanford led the way with three competitors, Duke found both of their commits in the top-6, and USC was led by two girls. Low rounds were shot by Talley in rounds one and three (70/67), and by Nikki Oh in round two (67).
Top finishers by class:
2024: Joshua Bai, 3rd, Jasmine Koo & Yana Wilson, T-3
2025: Giovanni Binaghi, 1st, Rianne Malixi, 2nd
2026: Louis Klein, 2nd, Nikki Oh, T-11
2027: Miles Russell, T-6, Asterisk Talley, 1st
Azalea Invitational, Mar 21-24: The Azalea is an amateur event that features a mix of mid-amateurs, college players, and junior golfers. This year, Notre Dame 2025 commit Peyton Blackard of Indiana finished in a solid 3rd place, two shots out of first at -6. The only other juniors in the top-15 wer UNC commit Carson Bertagnole and Tennessee signee Jackson Herrington at T-15.
Dustin Johnson World Junior, Mar 1-3: Top-10 UNC-Chapel Hill signee Ethan Paschal outlasted Tennessee's Jackson Herrington in a playoff to take home the trophy on he boys' side at -4 on the challenging TPC Myrtle Beach course. One back was Tyler Watts of the class of 2026, who came close with an eagle on the finishing hole. The University of Georgia had two athletes in the top ten, as 2025 commit John Daniel Culbreth finished T-6th and 2024 signee Matt Moloney ended up at T-9th. Low rounds belonged to Trey Marrion (69, round 1). four golfers at 69 in round 2, and Louis Klein (68, round 3). Canadian and Texas A&M signee Vanessa Borovilos shot even par to take the girls' event by three shots over a trio of golfers: LSU commit Ryleigh Knaub, Texas A&M commit Brynn Kort, and the Class of 2026's Mia Hammond. Texas A&M obviously led the way with future Aggies in first and second, and was the only college with two players in the top-20. Low rounds belonged to Vanderbilt's Elizabeth Rudisill (69, round 1), Kort (round 2), and Hammond and Chloe Kovelesky (72, round 3).
Top finishers by class:
2024: Boys, Ethan Paschal, 1st; Girls Vanessa Borovilos, 1st
2025: Boys, Bowen Mauss, 5th; Girls, Brynn Kort & Ryleigh Knaub, T-2
2026: Boys, Tyler Watts, 3rd; Girls, Mia Hammond, -2
2027: Boys, Louis Klein, T-6, Girls, Alice Ziyi Zhao & Amelia Zalsman, T-7
AJGA Fortinet Girls Championship at Stanford, Feb 17-18: This Invitational tournament was unfortunately weather-shortened to two days, as the final round was cancelled by heavy rains. Uncommitted Kristina Xu of California emerged as the winner, as the 2025 grad finished the two rounds at -4. Northwestern signees Megan Meng (New Jersey) and Elise Lee (California) wer one back in the second spot tied with the class of 2026's Amy Lee of South Korea at -3. Eight of the fourteen golfers in the top-ten, including ties, are not eligible for college commitment yet, showing a youth movement in girls' golf. Low first round belonged to Xu at 67, while Olivia Duan carded a 67 in round two.
Top finishers by class:
2024: Megan Meng and Elise Lee, T-2nd
2025: Kristina Xu, 1st
2026: Amy Lee, T-2nd
2027: Angela Zhang, 7th
AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods, Feb 17-19: Texan and Vanderbilt signee Bowen Ballis took home the winner's trophy at the 3-day event at Carlton Woods in Texas, his home course. Ballis finished at -8, two strokes ahead of Princeton-bound Eric Yun and three clear of Blades Brown of the class of 2026. Auburn and Vanderbilt each had two top-10 finishes, as 2024 Auburn signee Billy Davis finished fourth and verbal commit Logan Reilly ended in a tie for eighth, while Vanderbilt commit Michael Riebe also finished tied for eighth. Cold and wind resulted in a low first round of 70 by Matthew Diehl, Reilly, Boston Bracken, and Smith Summerlin, while Ballis led the second round with a 66, and Brown vaulted up the leaderboard in round three with a 65.
Top finishers by class:
2024: Bowen Ballis, 1st
2025: Joshua Kim, T-6th
2026: Blades Brown, 3rd
2027: Miles Russell, T-14th
AJGA Hilton Grand Vacations Annika Invitational presented by Rolex, Jan 14-16: The first AJGA invitational of the year featured a stellar field of future college stars that did not disappoint. Texas A&M commit of the Class of 2025, Natalie Yen, took home the champion's hardware with a three shot victory at -13. Two golfers tied for 2nd at -10, Princeton's 2025 commit Thanana Kotchasanmanee and 2024 Georgia signee Siuue Wu. Texas A&M was the top performing school, with 2024 signee Vanessa Borovilos joining her future teammate in the top-5 in a tie for 4th. There was definitely a youth movement at this tournament, as eight of the top-16 golfers were from the classes of 2026, 2027, & 2028. Low rounds were carded by Alice Ziyi Yao (round 1, 66), Kotchasanmanee (round 2, 67), and Wu (round 3, 66).
Top finishers by class:
Class of 2024: Siuue Wu, T-2nd
Class of 2025: Natalie Yen, 1st
Class of 2026: Gio Raad and Sophia Lin, T-9th
Class of 2027: Sofia Cherif Essakali, T-6th
Class of 2028: Yujie Liu, T-9th
Early January Amateur Roundup: The best amateur field of the winter season can always be found at the Jones Cup Invitational. This year, future commit Blades Brown (class of 2026) held the lead at numerous points of the 3-day event, ending the tournament in an outstanding tie for 5th. The lesser known Sonoran Amateur, a west coast amateur event, ended in a three way playoff with two 2024 signees in the mix. Although Harvard's William Ma and Oklahoma State's Parker Bunn didn't end up with the trophy, it was a fine showing for both. On the women's side, The popular 'Sally' tournament welcomed a mix of juniors and amateur. Future commit Gianna Clemente (class of 2026) finished as the runner-up, University of Georgia signee Siuue Wu was 4th, and future commit Alice Ziyi Zhao (class of 2027) finished in a tie for 5th. At the Orlando International Women's Amateur, Class of 2028's Aphrodite Deng finished tied for 3rd with Mary Miller, who heads to Georgia Southern in the fall.
December Amateur Roundup: Mid-late December is a popular time for amateur events in warm climates, as college players are on break, and some junior golfers have a lull in schooling around the holidays. You can find the strongest field at the South Beach International Amateur in southern Florida. Five junior golfers made the cut, but it was 2027 grad and future commit Miles Russell who made a splash, finishing in a tie for 2nd due to a 2nd round 60. The Dixie Amateur, though not known for as a destination for top college players, provides a good test for up and coming juniors. Alabama signee Molly Brown Davidson took the title in tough weather conditions over future commit Angela Zhang, another one to watch in the class of 2027. They ran past the field by 6 and 5 shots, respectively. Future Florida Gator Parker Severs finished as runner-up on the men's side, with UNC signee Sihan Sandhu tied for 5th. Not nearly as strong of a field as the South Beach, the Orlando International Amateur is an event where college players can keep their tournament skills fresh and local Floridian juniors can test their mettle against some older players. Richmond signee Carson Baez was up to the challenge, finishing in a tie for 4th on the strength of a first round 67. Future commit of the class of 2026, Lev Grinberg of Ukraine, finished in a solid tie for 7th. Although many top west coast collegians found themselves at the Patriot All-American, some strong Californian amateurs competed at the Grapevine Amateur. UCLA commit Joshua Kim had a fine showing in a tie for 6th.
2023 Jones Cup Junior Invitational, Dec 17-19: Alabama native Tyler Watts, who will be mulling over his college choices next summer (class of 2026), was the champion of the rain shortened, two day event at the Seaside course in Sea Island, GA. Watts finished at -3, one shot ahead of Carson Bertagnole, a class of 2025 UNC-Chapel Hill commit. Finishing in third at -1 were Tennessee signee Jackson Herrington (2024) and Georgia commit John Daniel Culbreth. Two SEC schools had overall successful results in the challenging, windy event. Vanderbilt had three future players finish in the top-12, with 2025 commit Michael Riebe in 5th, 2024 signee Ryan Downes in 9th, and 2024 signee Bowen Ballis in 12th. In addition to Herrington's 3rd place finish, Tennessee had an additional top-10 finish from 2025 commit Luke Smith in 9th. Florida Gulf Coast signee Nolan Harper had the low first round with a 67, and Smith Summerlin (2026) and Herrington carded 67s in round two.
Top finishers by class:
2024: Jackson Herrington, T-3
2025: Carson Bertagnole, 2nd
2026: Tyler Watts, 1st
2027: Davis Wotnosky, T-13
