The 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur field tees off this week, with play running from Monday through Saturday at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The tournament unfolds across two courses: the Old Course, a demanding 7,082 yard par 71 that will handle stroke play, match play, and Saturday's 36 hole final, and the Grace Course, a par 70 layout serving as the co-host for stroke play.
Inside the U.S. Junior Amateur Field
This year's U.S. Junior Amateur field features 264 players, 97 of whom arrived with exempt status. That group includes defending champion Hamilton Coleman and Miles Russell, the nation's top ranked junior golfer. Russell also holds the distinction of being the highest ranked amateur in the entire field, sitting at No. 7 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, ahead of international competitors such as France's Oscar Couilleau (No. 33), Czechia's Louis Klein (No. 65), and Vietnam's Tuan Anh Nguyen (No. 98).
The age range across the field is wide. Ninety eight players are 18 years old, including St. John's golfer Eli Weidmann, who turns 19 just a week after the championship wraps up. At the opposite end sits 13 year old Riku Takase of Japan, the youngest competitor in the field this week.
Players to Watch in the Field
Miles Russell, 17, Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Russell arrives with serious momentum. He recently finished T-39 at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and earned an early nod to the 10 man U.S. Walker Cup roster. A Florida State commit for the Class of 2027, Russell has yet to break through past the quarterfinal stage of this event.
Tyler Mawhinney, 18, Fleming Island, Florida
The incoming Vanderbilt freshman already has hardware to show for his amateur career, having won the 2025 U.S. Amateur Four Ball alongside current Commodore Will Hartman. This week, Mawhinney will tee it up with a familiar face on his bag: Jim Colton, whose son Luke is a future Vanderbilt teammate but aged out of eligibility for this championship last month.
Giuseppe Puebla, 17, Royal Palm Beach, Florida
Puebla qualified for last month's U.S. Open, though he didn't survive the cut. He's set to make his U.S. Junior debut as a 2027 Florida commit. Off the course, his family runs Mario the Baker, an Italian restaurant founded by his late grandfather.
Hamilton Coleman, 18, Augusta, Georgia
Coleman is chasing history this week, aiming to become the first back to back U.S. Junior champion since Tiger Woods won three in a row from 1991 to 1993. The incoming Georgia freshman missed the cut at last month's U.S. Open but still managed an even par 70 along the way. Last year, it took him 25 holes just to escape his opening round match at Trinity Forest.
Charlie Woods, 17, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Tiger Woods' son returns for his third straight appearance in the U.S. Junior Amateur field after surviving a playoff at his qualifier in Lake Mary, Florida. He recently swapped roles, caddying for future college teammate Miles Russell during Open qualifying. Fittingly, this marks the first year the championship trophy carries Tiger's name.
Samar Sandhu, 15, Ashburn, Virginia
Sandhu is enjoying back to back weeks inside USGA championships. He caddied for his twin sister Savera at last week's U.S. Girls' Junior, where she advanced to match play before conceding her opening match. Their older brother Sihan, a rising junior at North Carolina, makes his PGA Tour debut this week at the 3M Open after earning a sponsor exemption by winning last spring's Augusta Haskins Award Invitational.
Ronin Banerjee, 17, Irvine, California
Banerjee made history last year, becoming the first player in 48 years to win a U.S. Junior match by a 9 and 8 margin, routing Alejandro Caraballo in the Round of 64. The 2027 Tennessee commit isn't just a golfer of note; he also appeared in a Wilson tennis commercial alongside Roger Federer back in 2013, at just 4 years old.
Gabriel Mainella, Canada
Tennis runs deep in Mainella's family. His father played collegiately at Texas Pan American (now UTRGV), his mother competed at Auburn, and his brother Christian currently plays at Rhodes College. Mainella himself was a highly ranked junior tennis player before shifting focus to golf, and he's now a rising sophomore at Longwood University, where he already has one collegiate win to his name.
Oscar Couilleau, 18, France
An Arizona State signee, Couilleau has built an impressive resume over the past year. He captured titles at both the Monroe Invitational and the European Club Trophy, and helped his team place third at the World Amateur Team Championship. More recently, he was runner up at the Portuguese Amateur, finished fourth at Sage Valley, and posted top 10s at the Lytham Trophy and the European Nations Cup.
Rawlin Sutter, 17, Cullman, Alabama
Sutter, a 2027 Alabama commit, captured his second consecutive Alabama Boys State Junior title earlier this month, following in the footsteps of his older brother Bailey, who won the same title in 2024.
Why This U.S. Junior Amateur Field Matters
Beyond the individual storylines, the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur field doubles as a showcase for the next wave of college and professional talent. Several players are already committed to top Division I programs, a handful have already competed at the U.S. Open, and the presence of Charlie Woods alongside the newly renamed Tiger Woods Trophy adds an extra layer of significance to the week at Saucon Valley.