The Round Up by juniorgolfHQ Vol. 4
The Round Up by juniorgolfHQ
May 2026
What’s on the tee…
April was a quiet month on the junior circuit, as all eyes turned to Augusta National. As we noted in our prior issue, Augusta played host to the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA), and The Masters. With junior golfers competing in all three, it was a wonderful showcase of talent across a variety of exclusive fields.
The Drive, Chip and Putt—a junior-only event—requires surviving a gauntlet of qualifiers to ultimately find the 80 best competitors in the country. The ANWA is a merit-based, invitation-only event for the world’s elite female amateurs. Finally, while The Masters offers almost no direct path for a junior, Mason Howell secured his spot by winning the U.S. Amateur—becoming the third-youngest winner in the tournament’s history. The junior game is thriving, and these performances prove the sport is only getting stronger.
In this issue, we preview the AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational for the boys, alongside the Mizuho Americas Open and The Nelly Invitational for the girls. These invitation-only events consistently feature deep fields and champions who often transition to decorated careers at the collegiate and professional levels. We are also queuing up a series of player and coach profiles that we hope to launch in the coming months!
Up Next
Mizuho Americas Open
May 4th-10th 2026
Mountain Ridge Country Club
Recent champions of the Mizuho Americas Open include Yana Wilson (2023), Gianna Clemente (2024), and Aphrodite Deng (2025). For those following the junior game, these three have been absolute titans of the circuit over the last few seasons.
Wilson and Clemente famously bypassed the collegiate route to turn professional following storied junior careers. After two seasons on the Epson Tour, Wilson has earned her LPGA status as a 2026 rookie. Clemente, just a year behind her, is currently in her second Epson Tour season; a strong performance this year would likely see her join the "big leagues" in 2027.
Meanwhile, defending champion Aphrodite Deng is still two years away from high school graduation. She looks to defend her title this season as the tournament moves to Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, NJ—a fresh challenge after the event's first three years at Liberty National.
The "Mizuho" name is likely familiar to fans of the LPGA, but this event is truly one-of-a-kind. The championship features 120 LPGA members playing alongside 24 top-ranked junior girls. It is designed to offer juniors an introduction to the professional atmosphere, but more importantly, a week of direct education from the game’s biggest stars. Tournament host Michelle Wie West has partnered with Mizuho Americas with the shared goal of empowering women in sports.
While the professionals compete in a traditional stroke-play format, the juniors utilize Stableford scoring. This format encourages a high-risk, high-reward strategy, as points for birdies and eagles far outweigh the penalties for bogeys. Expect these juniors to play aggressively to climb the leaderboard.
While Deng enters the week as the odds-on favorite and defending champion, keep a close eye on DJ World Junior Champion Fay Jia. Other notables in the field include Anna Fang, Grace Carter, and Clairey Lin—all of whom currently sit inside the Top 25 of the junior rankings.
AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational
May 21st-24th 2026
Pelican Golf Club
The 2025 playing of the AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational was a historic milestone, as Charlie Woods put an emphatic stamp on his junior career at Streamsong Resort. Charlie’s second-round 65 vaulted him up the leaderboard, and he backed it up with a final-round 66 to secure a decisive three-shot victory.
Woods returns to defend his title this season as the championship moves to Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. He’ll face a stacked field; winners from across the junior circuit this year include Miles Russell, William Lisle, Lucas Jimenez, and Tomas Restrepo. For regular readers of juniorgolfHQ, these four have been covered extensively for their red-hot starts to the 2026 season.
Other contenders to watch include Chase Bauer, who has already collected multiple runner-up finishes this season, Cameron Kuchar, Rory Asselta, and Ronin Banerjee. This 71-player field represents an elite assembly of talent, promising a high-caliber display of golf from the first tee to the final putt.
Pelican Golf Club will be no picnic for these competitors. A regular host of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on the LPGA Tour, the course maxes out at 6,848 yards with a slope/rating of 72.7/129. While the rating might appear manageable for a par 72, the course actually plays as a par 70 for this event, and its defenses are anything but benign.
Originally a 1925 Donald Ross design, Pelican underwent a meticulous 2019 renovation by restoration specialist Beau Welling. The green complexes are notoriously undulating and difficult to read, requiring a steady hand with the flatstick. While the conditioning is consistently pristine, the strategic bunkering and narrow fairways place a premium on tee-to-green accuracy. Combined with those challenging putting surfaces, these players are in for a true 54-hole test of their entire game.
The Nelly Invitational presented by Chevron
May 23rd-26th 2026
The Concession Golf Club
Tournament host and Concession member Nelly Korda needs no introduction. The World No. 1 has enjoyed a scorching start to the season, converting five starts into five Top-10s and two victories, including her third major title at The Chevron Championship in April 2026. It is a fitting alignment that the presenting sponsor and host are so closely linked, as Korda previously captured the Chevron title in 2024.
The inaugural 2024 championship saw world-beater Aphrodite Deng take home the trophy. The following year, with Chevron joining Korda as the presenting sponsor, Canadian Shauna Liu hoisted the title. Returning to The Concession Golf Club in 2026, the world’s best junior girls will descend on Bradenton, Florida, for the third playing of this elite 54-hole invitational.
Unsurprisingly, Deng is expected to be in the field, looking to add another win to an already bursting trophy cabinet. Alongside her, 64 challengers will tee it up to make their mark. Headliners include Fay Jia, Alexandra Snyder, Anna Fang, and Amalie Zalsman. While the field is deep, The Concession is notoriously unforgiving when it comes to scoring.
A signature Jack Nicklaus design, The Concession is affectionately nicknamed "The Concussion." Boasting a maximum slope rating of 155 from the championship tees, it is arguably the most difficult course in Florida—if not the world. While the juniors won’t play from the tips, the greens will still show their teeth. The course’s primary defense lies in its extreme undulations and multi-tiered plateaus, which create nearly impossible putting scenarios without precise approach play. Expect players with elite iron games to shine on a layout that offers no reprieve for 18 holes.
As an added "cherry on top," the winner of the 2026 Nelly Invitational will receive a sponsor's exemption into the 2027 Chevron Championship, the first major of the year on the LPGA Tour.
2026 “Major” Junior Golf Event Schedule
Junior Orange Bowl - January 2026 - Tomas Restrepo & Charlotte Naughton
AJGA Simplify Boys Championship - February 2026 - Grayson Baucom
The Fortinet Stanford Invitational - February 2026 - Asterisk Talley
Dustin Johnson World Junior - March 2026 - William Lisle & Fay Jia
Junior Invitational at Sage Valley - March 2026 - Miles Russell & Asterisk Talley
Mizuho Americas Open - May 2026
AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational - May 2026
The Nelly Invitational presented by Chevron - May 2026
Southern Junior Championship - June 2026
AJGA Wyndham Invitational at Sedgefield - June 2026
Women’s Western Junior Championship - June 2026
Western Junior Championship - June 2026
North & South Junior Golf Championship - June 2026
Rolex Girls Junior Championship - June 2026
RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic - June 2026
Wyndham Cup - July 2026
U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur - July 2026
U.S. Junior Amateur - July 2026
Boys Junior PGA Championship - July 2026
U.S. Women’s Amateur - August 2026
U.S. Amateur - August 2026
Junior Players Championship - September 2026
Junior Solheim Cup - September 2026
Junior Presidents Cup - September 2026
ANNIKA Invitational - October 2026
AJGA Ping Invitational - October 2026
Notah Begay Jr. Golf National Championship - November 2026
Rolex Tournament of Champions - November 2026
The Elite Invitational - November 2026
Junior Jones Cup - December 2026
The Sundae Scoop
As we continue to scale the juniorgolfHQ platform, we are actively seeking junior players, parents, coaches, and industry insiders to share their stories. Our mission is to showcase diverse perspectives from across the community, providing unparalleled exposure and a "behind-the-curtain" look at the world of junior golf from those who live and breathe it every day.
If you belong to any of these categories, we invite you to reach out to us directly. We welcome the opportunity to amplify your voice and share your wisdom with our growing audience of readers and followers.
While we are taking a brief hiatus from profiles this month, we have an exciting lineup scheduled for the summer. We are currently coordinating with a number of coaches and players, as well as several innovative junior golf businesses. Upcoming features will include deep dives into recruiting platforms, supplementary newsletters, and even a new AI-driven platform designed to help families navigate the increasingly complex landscape of junior golf.
Until next time, hit ‘em straight.
We love to feature our passionate Junior golf community. If you have a story, achievement, or event you'd like to share, send us a DM on our Instagram or X (formerly Twitter) @juniorgolfHQ
Until next month…..