The Round Up by juniorgolfHQ Vol. 5
The Round Up by juniorgolfHQ
June 2026
What’s on the tee…
An exciting May has passed and the junior golf circuit was buzzing. In this issue of The Round Up, we’ll highlight the Mizuho Americas Open, the Team Taylormade Invitational, and The Nelly Invitational.
As customary, we will also preview an exciting slate of June tournaments to keep an eye on highlighted by an eye-popping seven junior golf majors on top of the US Open, where a number of juniors will vie for a chance to make golf history.
Finally, we had the pleasure of catching up with coach Stuart McKechnie on our socials this month. You’ll find a deeper dive into his platform in The Sundae Scoop. A big thank you for Coach for joining juniorgolfHQ!
If you are a coach or a player and would like to be featured, please reach out here or on our socials.
Without further ado, enjoy!
2026 May Major Junior Tournament Results
Mizuho Americas Open
May 4th-10th 2026
Mountain Ridge Country Club
Champion: Aphrodite Deng
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WAGR: 8th
AGI: 8thAJGA: 2ndBack-to-back titles for the world-beater, Aphrodite Deng. Yet again, we watched the cream rise to the top in a Sunday showdown at Mountain Ridge CC.
Featuring a unique Modified Stableford format, the Mizuho Americas Open pairs a full field of LPGA stars with 24 elite junior girls. This unprecedented setup allows the juniors to play directly alongside the best in the world, proving they can hold their own on the biggest stage.
Heading into Sunday, Deng held a narrow three-point lead over Amelie Zalsman. Closing with a stellar 2-under-par 70, Deng collected 38 Stableford points to cruise to a five-point victory.
Only a high school sophomore, Deng has left herself very little to accomplish in the junior ranks. Her resume already boasts a USGA title from the 2025 U.S. Girls’ Junior, alongside a laundry list of high-profile wins including the 2025 Junior Invitational.
While she still has plenty of work left to finish in the classroom, it would surprise no one to see her follow in the footsteps of Gianna Clemente and Blades Brown by bypassing the college game to turn professional in the next couple of years.
Leaderboard
1 - Aphrodite Deng | 36-34-40-38=1482 - Amelie Zalsman | 39-39-29-36=1433 - Lily Peng | 36-32-38-36=142AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational
May 21st-24th 2026
Pelican Golf Club
Champion: Luke Ringkamp
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WAGR: 190th
AGI: 217thAJGA: 2ndLuke Ringkamp is your 2026 Team TaylorMade Invitational champion. Entering Sunday five strokes off the lead, the Pepperdine University commit fired a blistering, 6-under-par 64 to storm to the top of the leaderboard. Facing a massive deficit to start the day, Ringkamp kept his foot on the gas even as the lead came back to him, ultimately cruising to a comfortable three-shot victory. He was one of just five players in the entire field to record all three rounds under par.
Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, proved to be a spectacular venue, providing major separation between the field and those with a hot hand. While the demanding par-70 layout gave many juniors fits, low scores were certainly out there. In fact, eventual runner-up Brodie Brumlow opened the week with a historic, 9-under 61—breaking the AJGA scoring record for the lowest 18-hole round in an AJGA Invitational.
The elite 72-player invitational field featured 11 of the top 20 players in the AJGA rankings. Among them was third-place finisher Giuseppe Puebla; while Puebla is still searching for his first AJGA Invitational title, he seems incredibly poised to break through soon, boasting five top-10 finishes in just nine events.
Leaderboard
-13 - Luke Ringkamp | 65-68-64=197-10 - Brodie Brumlow | 61-67-72=200-8 - Giuseppe Puebla | 70-63-69=202The Nelly Invitational presented by Chevron
May 23rd-26th 2026
The Concession Golf Club
Champion: Vidhi Lakhawala
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WAGR: 291st
AGI: 187thAJGA: 9thVidhi Lakhawala captured her very first AJGA Invitational title in a nail-biter at The Concession. Lakhawala opened the tournament with a 3-under 69, earning a share of the 18-hole lead. She faced a grueling test during the second round, slipping down the leaderboard after a 75. However, her resilience proved critical on one of the sternest tracks in golf; she bounced back with a clutch final-round 71 to secure a narrow, one-shot victory. The future Wake Forest Demon Deacon will graduate from the junior ranks this year, but expect her to make noise on the national stage at the U.S. Girls’ Junior next month.
Zoe Cusack and Grace Carter shared runner-up honors, though they took vastly different paths to get there. Cusack played steady, consistent golf, carding back-to-back rounds of 1-over 73 before closing with a 2-under 70 to finish even par for the tournament. Carter, on the other hand, endured a bit of a roller-coaster week. After an opening-round 72, she caught fire on day two with a 4-under 68—the low round of the championship. Unfortunately, the challenging layout took its toll on Sunday, pushing her back to even par with a closing 76.
Hosted by Nelly Korda, the championship featured 12 of the top 25 AJGA-ranked girls, a testament to the elite strength of the field. In addition to hoisting the trophy, Lakhawala earned a sponsor's exemption into the 2027 Chevron Championship. While she will tee it up in her very first major next spring, it is highly doubtful it will be her last.
Leaderboard
-1 - Vidhi Lakhawala | 69-75-71=215E - Zoe Cusack | 73-73-70=216E - Grace Carter | 72-68-76=216
Up Next
Wyndham Invitational
June 8th - 11th, 2026
Sedgefield Country Club
The Wyndham Invitational returns to Sedgefield Country Club in 2026 for the historic 25th playing of the championship. The tournament’s storied history boasts an elite list of past champions, including major winners Justin Thomas and Brian Harman. More recently, the event saw the Ford brothers, David and Max, pull off incredible back-to-back victories, while phenom Blades Brown hoisted the trophy in 2023 before turning professional the following year.
As the host venue for the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship—the high-stakes final event before the FedEx Cup Playoffs—Sedgefield will provide these elite juniors with a phenomenal test on a classic Donald Ross layout designed to challenge the very best in the world.
Women’s Western Junior Championship
June 8th - 12th, 2026
Meridian Hills Country Club
The Women’s Western Junior heads to Indianapolis this year at Meridian Hills Country Club. This will be the club's first time hosting the event, welcoming the junior field to a classic, tree-lined course that demands ultimate precision off the tee and accurate approaches into challenging but beautiful putting surfaces.
Defending champion Vidhi Lakhawala, fresh off her major victory at the Nelly Invitational, will look to defend her crown this week alongside runner-up Grace Carter. These two standouts are just a glimpse of the elite talent to watch for in what promises to be an excellent showcase of junior golf in the Midwest.
Western Junior Championship
June 15th - 18th, 2026
Knollwood Club
The 108th playing of the Western Junior is heading to Knollwood Club for the very first time. Set in Lake Forest, Illinois, Knollwood boasts a storied history of elite amateur golf, having previously hosted the 1956 U.S. Amateur, the 1981 and 1982 U.S. Mid-Amateurs, and the 2016 Western Amateur. While recent renovations have added new tee boxes to lengthen the layout, intentional fairway widening and tree removal have turned the course into a seeming bomber's paradise. However, thick native fescue areas still lurk to heavily penalize anyone wayward off the tee.
The championship's roll of past winners includes Collin Morikawa, Patrick Rodgers, and Caleb Surratt—all of whom have parlayed their junior success into exceptional professional careers. Knollwood is poised to provide a premier championship-style test this week, offering another rising star the opportunity to etch their name into a legendary list of champions.
Southern Junior Championship
June 17th - 19th, 2026
University Golf Course
The Southern Junior Championship heads to Athens, Georgia, in 2026, visiting University Golf Course—home to the Georgia Bulldogs—for the very first time.
Though the event has moved away from its traditional state-team format to focus entirely on individual play, it continues to attract one of the most elite fields of young talent in the country. Past winners include standout players like Tommy Morrison and Tyler Watts, cementing the tournament's reputation as a premier proving ground.
This year’s championship promises to be a stern test for the field. In the high-stakes world of college recruiting and amateur rankings, an opportunity to capture a junior major like this one goes a long way toward opening doors for a player's future career and beyond.
Rolex Girls Junior Championship
June 15th - 18th, 2026
Sycamore Hills Golf Club
Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana, will play host to the 35th playing of the Rolex Girls Junior Championship.
As a flagship invitation-only event on the AJGA circuit, this premier tournament consistently commands the absolute top talent in the country. Highlighting this year's stacked field is defending champion Amelie Zalsman, who will look to repeat her stellar 2025 performance against an elite lineup of competitors.
The venue will provide a magnificent yet grueling test. Sycamore Hills, a signature Jack Nicklaus design, famously features the winding Aboite River—a narrow waterway that snakes through the property and comes into play on more than a dozen holes. Staying clear of the hazards and navigating the incredibly challenging green complexes will serve as the course’s primary defenses against low scores.
North & South Junior Golf Championship
June 21st - 24th, 2026
Pinehurst No. 2 & No. 6
The annual North & South Junior heads back to the historic sandhills of Pinehurst, where the country's elite junior boys and girls will vie for one of the most coveted titles in amateur golf.
Aside from standard performance exemptions, the North & South Junior features highly competitive 18-hole open qualifiers. This unique "Monday Q" style format gives non-exempt players a thrilling, last-minute opportunity to play their way into the main draw.
The championship proper will feature 54 holes of stroke play, showcasing a full field of up to 90 boys and 90 girls competing in their respective divisions across Pinehurst’s legendary layouts, including the iconic No. 2. As a premier flagship event, a strong showing here offers young players a massive golden ticket, yielding highly sought-after Performance Based Entry (PBE) status and exemptions into the AJGA’s top-tier events. With the official tournament fields dropping soon, expect both leaderboards to be packed with world-class talent.
RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic
June 22nd - 26th, 2026
Bethpage Black
A true standout on the summer calendar, the RLX Junior Classic features a unique "pool play" format mirroring the World Cup or World Baseball Classic.
The tournament breaks the field into eight groups of four, with players battling in round-robin match play to earn a single coveted spot in the knockout stage. Each of the eight pool winners is then seeded into an elite single-elimination Winners' Bracket, competing head-to-head until only one champion remains.
The exclusive event features 32 boys and 32 girls taking on the formidable Black Course. On the boys' side, Grayson Baucom and Lucas Gimenez are the players to watch, as both have already found the winner's circle in 2026. For the girls, Alexandra Snyder and Grace Carter have both knocked loudly on the door with close calls this season; they will look to conquer this relentless layout to finally secure their breakthrough victory.
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 - Aphrodite Deng
AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational - May 2026 - Luke Ringkamp
The Nelly Invitational presented by Chevron - May 2026 - Vidhi Lakawala
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
For those of you following on Instagram, we were pleased to be joined by Coach Stuart McKechnie this month. Head over to our Instagram highlight to see him discuss his coaching philosophy, goal setting, and more.
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Coach McKechnie, by way of Scotland, teaches out of Charlotte, North Carolina. He holds a Masters in Kinesiology and was recently named to Golf Digest’s list of ‘Best Young Teacher in America’.
Coach focuses on junior players and has had some great success in helping his players win multipl US Kids World Championships, become thriving high school players, and has produced a number of Division I golfers from his stable.
juniorgolfHQ: What are some proud moments as a coach?
SM: I don’t have one specific moment, but many individual ones where a student has reached a goal they’ve set. That has ranged from multiple students being recruited to play D1 college golf, players becoming the best player on their high school team, and players who I have coached from beginners to qualifying for US Kids World Championships or winning other events.
juniorgolfHQ: What are some of your pet peeves when it comes to coaching players?
SM: My biggest pet peeve is when a player practices with no intention or purpose which leads to creating bad habits. I create personalized practice plans for all my students so they know exactly what to do when they are going to practice.
juniorgolfHQ: What is the best piece of advice for a junior golfer who wants to play at the next level?
SM: My best advice is to ask yourself ‘would a college player do this?’ This can be done when practicing, playing, or in any situation related to golf. If the answer is yes, keep on track. If the answer is no, then rethink what you can do to be more like a college player. I tell all my students ‘act like the player you want to become, before you become that player’.
A huge thanks to Coach for joining us this month. Please head over to our instagram @juniorgolfHQ to see more from our chat with Coach. Please also give him a follow @sm.golf
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…..