The Steam Room by midamgolfHQ Vol 35
The Steam Room by midamgolfHQ
October 2026
What we are steaming on this month:
September delivered exactly what we hoped it would: big championships, familiar names, and a few statement wins along the way. Ivy Shepherd kicked things off by winning the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur at Montclair in her championship debut. Ryan Terry closed with a 67 to run away with the Trans-Miss Mid-Amateur, and Stewart Hagestad added another major to his résumé at the Crump Cup at Pine Valley.
September wasn't quite long enough, so we pushed back our typical 1st of the month publish date to include mid-amateur golf's greatest prize. At Sand Valley, Cleveland's Andrew Bailey won the U.S. Mid-Amateur at The Lido, beating Nate Smith 5&4 in the 36-hole final to become the first Ohioan ever to win the championship. Bailey trailed 2 down through 16 holes, then won eight of the next fourteen to close it out. Smith had already ended Stewart Hagestad's bid for a record-tying fourth title earlier in the week. It was a fitting reminder of what this game is all about: the best mid-amateurs in the country hold down real jobs, and one of them now has a likely Masters invitation coming his way.
If September was good, October might be even better. The month starts right away with the John R. Williams at Oak Hill and The Farrell at Stanwich, then heads west for the Stocker Cup at The Preserve. From there it builds to a packed finish featuring the Berkeley Cup, the rescheduled Tree Farm Invitational and the Carlton Woods Invitational. The Stocker remains one of the West Coast's premier mid-am titles. Tree Farm and Carlton Woods going head-to-head at the end of the month gives us an especially strong finish to what has become one of the busiest stretches on the entire mid-am calendar.
We finally want to thank the brands that continue to support this newsletter including Holderness & Bourne with our “Worth the Detour” section! We also continue to partner with IBT Golf who can help with putting together some epic international golf trips for you……..with that said lets get into it!
2026 September Major Tournament Results
US Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship
August 29-September 3, 2026
Montclair Golf Club
Champion: Ivy Shepherd
Ivy Shepherd made quite the first impression at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. The 26-year-old from Peachtree City, Georgia, won the 39th playing at Montclair Golf Club in West Orange, New Jersey, defeating Catherine McEvoy, 5 and 4, in the championship match. Shepherd opened the week with rounds of 69 and 72 to finish at 1-over 141 and share medalist honors with Emilia Doran and Lucy Jamieson, earning the No. 1 seed for match play. Six wins later, she became the first No. 1 seed to take home the title since Shannon Johnson in 2018, all in her U.S. Women’s Mid-Am debut.
Her road to the trophy had plenty of drama along the way. Shepherd escaped her opening match against Sarah Spicer-Baldwin, 1 up, and then survived one of the matches of the week against two-time champion Julia Potter-Bobb in the quarterfinals. Shepherd had built a 5-up advantage before Potter-Bobb erased the entire deficit, forcing Shepherd to win the 18th with a par to advance, 1 up. She followed that with a 2-up semifinal victory over Vanessa Wang. On the other side of the bracket, McEvoy put together an impressive run of her own, overcoming a 4-down deficit in the Round of 16 and a 3-down deficit in the quarterfinals before knocking off co-medalist Emilia Doran in the semifinals.
The final belonged to Shepherd. She took a 3-up lead through nine and then delivered the shot of the championship on Montclair’s 251-yard par-4 13th. With driver in hand, Shepherd drove the green to six feet and poured in the eagle putt to go 4 up. A par on the next closed out the 5-and-4 victory and put an exclamation point on a week in which she never trailed after her opening match. Along with her first USGA championship, Shepherd earned a spot in the 2027 U.S. Women’s Open at Inverness Club, exemptions into the 2027 and 2028 U.S. Women’s Amateurs, and exemptions into the next 10 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateurs.
Leaderboard
Finals:Ivy Shepherd 5&4 over Catherine McEvoySemifinals:
Ivy Shepherd 2 Up over Vanessa WangCatherine McEvoy 1 Up over Emilia DoranQuarterfinals:
Ivy Shepherd 1 Up over Julia Potter-BobbVanessa Wang 1 Up over Hanley LongEmilia Doran 7&6 over Whitney FrenchCatherine McEvoy 2&1 over Jensen JalufkaTrans-Miss Mid-Amateur Championship
September 13-16, 2026
Lakewood Country Club
Champion: Ryan Terry
Ryan Terry saved his best golf for the final round at Lakewood Country Club, firing a 4-under 67 to run away with the Mid-Amateur title at the Trans-Miss Mid-Amateur Championship. The Brentwood, Tennessee, native entered the day one shot behind 36-hole leader Cory Chavez, but Terry’s 67 was the low round of the day and pushed him to 10-under 203 for the week. Chavez closed with a 73 to finish at 5-under 208, giving Terry a five-shot victory, while Alex Resurreccion finished third at even-par 213.
What began as a one-shot chase quickly turned into a statement win. Terry erased his deficit and separated himself from the field with the only closing round in the 60s among the leaders, turning a tight race into a comfortable victory by the finish. The five-shot margin capped an impressive week at Lakewood and gave Terry the 2026 Trans-Miss Mid-Amateur title in convincing fashion.
Leaderboard
-10 | Ryan Terry | 65-71-67=203-5 | Cory Chavez | 65-70-73=208E | Alex Resurreccion | 71-68-74=213
The Crump Cup
September 17-20, 2026
Pine Valley Golf Club
Champion: Stewart Hagestad
Stewart Hagestad added another major mid-amateur title to his résumé, winning the Championship Flight at the Crump Cup with a 3-and-2 victory over Andrew Price at Pine Valley Golf Club. Hagestad qualified with a 148 before putting together a dominant run through match play, defeating Chad Wilfong 5 and 4, Andrew Bailey 2 and 1, and Chris Wheeler 2 and 1 to reach Sunday’s final. He finished the job against Price, closing out the championship on the 16th hole to capture one of the most coveted titles in amateur golf.
Price had to work considerably harder to reach the final, surviving a 19-hole semifinal against Jeronimo Esteve after a 3-and-2 quarterfinal win over Will Davenport. Elsewhere at Pine Valley, Garrett Rank captured the 2nd Flight with a 5-and-4 win over Jason Anthony, while defending champion Bobby Wyatt — whose qualifying score placed him in the 3rd Flight and won that bracket 2 and 1 over Zach VanDolah. But the weekend ultimately belonged to Hagestad, who once again showed why he remains one of the defining players of the modern mid-amateur era.
Leaderboard
Finals:Stewart Hagestad 3&2 over Andrew PriceSemifinals:
Stewart Hagestad 2&1 over Chris WheelerAndrew Price 19 Holes over Jeronimo EsteveQuarterfinals:
Stewart Hagestad 2&1 over Andrew BaileyChris Wheeler 2&1 over Drew KittlesonJeronimo Esteve 4&2 over William F. Peel IVAndrew Price 3&2 over Will DavenportUS Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship
September 26-October 1, 2026
Sand Valley Resort (The Lido)
Champion: Andrew Bailey
Andrew Bailey is the 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion. The 34-year-old from Cleveland, the No. 3 seed, finished off the week at The Lido on October 1 by beating Nate Smith of Tetonia, Idaho, 5&4 in the 36-hole final. Bailey is the first player from Ohio to win the U.S. Mid-Amateur, and the newsletter has a personal connection to his win: when he's not winning USGA titles, Bailey works as a sales manager for our friends at Holderness & Bourne. The two-time Ohio Amateur champion and former three-time Horizon League Player of the Year at Cleveland State once chased mini-tour golf until a 2015 wrist injury changed his path. He has kept his game sharp in evening matches at Canterbury Golf Club, and now he has the Robert T. Jones Memorial Trophy.
The final was no runaway. Smith, a 43-year-old custom homebuilder and former Korn Ferry Tour winner with his father on the bag all week, led 2 up through 24 holes. Bailey then flipped the match on its head, winning eight of the next fourteen holes, going bogey-free over his final 17 holes, and closing it out on the 32nd hole. For Smith, the runner-up finish capped a remarkable comeback story. After tearing his meniscus, he spent eight years away from competitive golf, earned an MBA and moved to Teton Valley before returning to the game.
Smith's run to the final included knocking off stalwarts in dominating fashion. In the round of 32, he beat three-time champion Stewart Hagestad 5&4, ending Hagestad's bid for a record-tying fourth Mid-Am title. Smith then routed Parker Edens 6&5 in the quarterfinals and got past Mikel Martinson 2&1 in the semis. On the other side of the bracket, Bailey beat Grady Brame Jr. 3&2 and Matt Vogt 4&2. Martinson's quarterfinal opponent was perhaps the week's best story: Sand Valley caddie Matt Hutchins, who reached the quarterfinals on the grounds where he works. Earlier, defending champion Brandon Holtz was knocked out by No. 50 seed Jonathan Fricke in the round of 64.
Stroke play belonged to Bobby Massa. The Dallas player opened with a 64 on the Lido and added a 69 at Sand Valley to take medalist honors at 9-under 133, three shots clear of the 264-player field hailing from 46 states and 15 countries. Massa's week ended in the round of 32, though, when No. 45 seed Jordan Russell beat him 4&2. No. 31 seed Drew Kittleson also took down No. 2 seed Zach Foushee in 23 holes. The cut fell at 3-over 145, catching several past champions, including Lukas Michel, Matthew McClean and Kevin O'Connell.
Sand Valley's two courses, The Lido and the Sand Valley Course, both set at par 71 and over 7,100 yards, made for a fitting first USGA championship at the Wisconsin destination. With firm turf and plenty of width, they rewarded smart, aggressive play all week. Bailey's victory comes with exemptions into the 2027 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the next two U.S. Amateurs, a 10-year Mid-Am exemption, and a likely invitation to the 2027 Masters. Smith earned a spot in the 2027 U.S. Amateur at Oak Hill. A week that began as a test of the country's best mid-amateurs ended with a Clevelander's dream come true, and there's a good chance we'll see a little more H&B at Augusta next April.
Leaderboard
Final:Andrew Bailey 5&4 over Nate SmithSemifinals:
Nate Smith 2&1 over Mikel MartinsonAndrew Bailey 4&2 over Matt VogtQuarterfinals:
Mikel Martinson 3&2 over Matt HutchinsNate Smith 6&5 over Parker EdensMatt Vogt 4&3 over Drew KittlesonAndrew Bailey 3&2 over Grady Brame Jr.
In our August issue we covered some of the epic mid-amateur events in the U.K and Ireland. For readers considering making the trip, Matthew and the team at IBT Golf Travel specialize in building bespoke itineraries around these championships, helping competitors turn a single tournament into a larger trip. Readers make sure and use code IBTNicheGolfHQ for preferred rates with Matthew and friends!
2026 October Major Tournament Preview
John R. Williams Four-Ball
October 1-3, 2026
Oak Hill Country Club
Defending Champions: Matt Parziale & Nick Maccario
By the time this lands in your inbox, the John R. Williams Four-Ball Invitational will already be underway at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester. Teams are playing 54 holes of best ball, October 1–3, over the club's famed East Course from the championship tees. The event dates back more than five decades and honors Dr. John R. Williams, the longtime member behind many of the trees that frame Oak Hill today. It remains one of the most coveted team titles in amateur golf, with an invitation-only field split into Mid-Am and Senior divisions.
The story everyone is following is Matt Parziale and Nick Maccario. The Massachusetts-Georgia pairing is chasing a third straight title after going wire-to-wire in 2024 and grinding out a repeat last fall. In 2025 they trailed Texans Tyler Thomas and Brad Gibson by one after 36 holes. Then they steadied themselves with a birdie on 12 and six straight pars on the way in, and a bogey by Thomas and Gibson on the 18th handed them the win. That kind of composure down the stretch has made them the benchmark team on the Mid-Am circuit, and every duo in the field knows it.
Four-ball rewards aggression, but Oak Hill punishes it just as quickly, and that tension usually decides this event on the back nine Friday. Teams that can pile up birdies without losing strokes to the East Course's tree-lined corridors will be in the mix late. Last year's tournament also showed how much can happen in a single swing, when Simon McInnis aced the 5th hole. Keep an eye on the leaderboard through the weekend, and we'll have the full story in next month's edition.
The Farrell
October 2-4, 2026
Stanwich Club
Defending Champions: Johnny Spellerberg (Men) & Lauren Greenlief (Women)
Match play has a way of making even the best players uneasy, and few events do it better than The Farrell. The fifth edition tees off this Friday, October 2, at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. In only a few years, the championship has become a must-play stop on the mid-am calendar. It honors Billy Farrell, Stanwich's longtime head professional, and his family's deep roots in the game. The field opens with 18 holes of stroke-play qualifying, and the low 16 in each division move into a match-play bracket where nobody's lead is ever safe.
Last year's finals showed exactly that. In the women's division, former U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion Lauren Greenlief came through two tight matches for the title. She edged Courtney Dow-Rowles 1 up in the semifinals, then held off Perrine Gouin-Petit 3&1, with her approach play and short game swinging the final around the 13th hole. On the men's side, Omaha Country Club's Johnny Spellerberg was ruthless early. He beat William Davenport 5&3, then won four of the first seven holes against Long Island's Matt Lowe and holed a 15-footer on 13 before closing him out 4&3 on the 15th green.
The big question for 2026 is whether anyone can match that kind of form. The bracket is what makes it hard. Players like Lowe and the red-hot Christian Cavaliere, whom Lowe beat in a tight semifinal, have proven they can go deep at Stanwich. But one loose stretch of holes can end anyone's week, no matter their résumé. The last two players standing in each division will have earned it over three days of demanding match play.
The Stocker Cup
October 15-17, 2026
The Preserve Golf Club
Defending Champion: Parker Sisk
The Stocker Cup returns to The Preserve Golf Club, bringing 56 of the country's top mid-amateurs back to Carmel Valley for one of the most anticipated weeks on the Mid-Am calendar. The 54-hole stroke-play championship again runs alongside a best-ball competition, with each mid-amateur paired with a low-handicap amateur partner. Since 1991, the event has honored the legacy of Peter Stocker, a founding partner of The Santa Lucia Preserve, and this year's field should carry that tradition forward in style.
All eyes will be on defending champion Parker Sisk, who finished at 6-under last fall edging Sean McInnis and Jake Spellerberg by a single shot. With the course in exceptional condition, The Preserve will reward precision and patience, and anyone hoping to dethrone Sisk will need to be sharp from the first tee shot to the final putt.
Beyond the competition, the Stocker Cup remains a celebration of everything that makes amateur golf special: elite play, lasting friendships, and the stunning backdrop of the Santa Lucia Preserve. Whether Sisk defends his title or a new name joins the list of past champions, this year's edition promises another memorable chapter in the event's history.
The Berkeley Cup
October 16-18, 2026
Berkeley Hills Country Club
Defending Champion: Elliott Grayson
The Berkeley Cup returns to Berkeley Hills Country Club as a no cut, 54-hole stroke-play event, so every player in the field gets three full rounds to post a number. With a demanding layout and a history of testing course setups, Berkeley Hills rewards golfers who can pair solid ball striking with patient, disciplined course management.
Elliott Grayson returns as defending champion after a wire-to-wire win last fall. He posted rounds of 71–69–72 to finish at 4-under 212, and his closing even-par 72 turned a two-shot 36-hole lead into a comfortable six-stroke margin. The chasing pack will be hungry to close that gap. Runner-up Lucas Armstrong, third-place Tyler LeRoy and top-five finishers Andy Labanauskas and Bill Dukes all showed they can handle the course.
The Berkeley Cup has built a reputation for showcasing the depth of Georgia's Mid-Am scene, and this year's edition should be no different. Will Grayson join the short list of repeat champions, or will a new name break through at Berkeley Hills? Either way, three days of competitive golf await as the state's best mid-amateurs tee it up for one of the fall season's most coveted titles.
The Tree Farm Invitational
October 26-27, 2026
The Tree Farm Golf Club
Defending Champion: New Event
The Tree Farm Invitational was pushed back after January weather forced a postponement, and the wait may make its debut even sweeter. The new event is being played at The Tree Farm, PGA Tour player Zac Blair's club just outside Aiken, South Carolina, and it gives mid-ams a rare chance to compete on one of the most talked-about new courses in the country. Tom Doak and Kye Goalby designed the course on rolling, sandy pine country, with wide fairways and bold green complexes that reward creativity and a good ground game as much as raw power. It made Top100GolfCourses' USA ranking soon after opening and remains a fixture in conversations about the best modern designs in the Southeast.
The Tree Farm is as much about atmosphere as architecture. Blair built the club around walking, fast rounds and camaraderie, borrowing ideas like members' weeks and inter-club matches from the clubs of Britain and Ireland. The clubhouse sits just steps from the 1st tee and 18th green, and pine-shaded cabins line a ridge above the 3rd and 18th holes. For a first-year event, it's hard to picture a better home, and the players who earned invitations are in for a treat.
Carlton Woods Invitational
October 26-28, 2026
Carlton Woods
Defending Champion: Robert Gwin
The Carlton Woods Invitational moves to the fall this year, running October 26–28 at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, after being played in early June in 2025. The invitation-only field of 90 will again be split into a Mid-Am Division for players 25 to 54 and a Senior Division for players 55 and over. Both play 54 holes of stroke play on the Nicklaus Signature Course. The date change adds a new wrinkle: autumn in the Houston area should mean firmer turf and friendlier temperatures, and a very different test from the steamy early-summer conditions players have come to expect.
Robert Gwin arrives as the man to beat after a finish nobody who saw it will forget. Sitting one shot back entering the final round, he posted a 69 with clutch birdies on 10, 13 and 15 to reach 4-under 212. He then beat Joseph Deraney in a playoff to lift the Eagle Trophy. It was a big leap forward for Gwin, who had finished solo ninth here the year before. Deraney will surely have that one circled on the calendar. The 36-hole leader opened 69-70 and still had a chance after a birdie on 16, but a costly late bogey let Gwin in.
The Nicklaus design has a habit of producing tight finishes, and there's little reason to expect otherwise this time around. Gwin shot better each round last year (73-70-69), a reminder that a slow start at Carlton Woods is far from fatal. Anyone hoping to take home the Eagle Trophy will need to stay patient through the middle of the round and be ready when the closing stretch opens up. We'll be on the grounds again in The Woodlands, so stay tuned for coverage from Texas.
2026 “Major” Mid-Am Event Final Results
The Gasparilla Invitational - February 2026 - Hayes Brown
The Snedeker Memorial - March 2026 - Brett Patterson
Champions Cup Four-Ball - March 2026 - Stewart & Gibbons
The Giles Invitational - May 2026 - Brett Patterson
The Jupiter Invitational - May 2026 - Jon Weiss
The Walter J. Travis Invitational - May 2026 - Chris DeJohn
The Huddleston Cup - May 2026 - Bobby Massa
European Men’s Mid-Amateur - June 2026 - Pierre Tillement
Anderson Memorial Four-Ball - June 2026 - Costanza & Esteve
C.B Macdonald Invitational Tournament - June 2026 - Stewart Hagestad
George C Thomas Invitational - June 2026 - Andrew Price
The Picard Cup - August 2026 - Wyatt & Cave
Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur - August 2026 - Garrett Rank
The Valentine Invitational - August 2026 - Will Collins
USGA Women’s Mid-Am - September 2026 - Ivy Shepherd
Trans-Miss Mid-Amateur Championship - September 2026 - Ryan Terry
The Crump Cup - September 2026 - Stewart Hagestad
USGA Men’s Mid-Am - September 2026 - Andrew Bailey
The Farrell - October 2026
The Stocker Cup - October 2026
John R. Williams Four-Ball - October 2026
The Berkeley Cup - October 2026
The Tree Farm Invitational - October 2026
Carlton Woods Invitational - October 2026
National Invitational Tournament - November 2026
Ewing Cup Four-Ball - November 2026
East West Matches
Mid-Am Standings
As of September 30, 2026
Christian Cavaliere | East | 1,562.50
Bobby Massa | West | 1,220.68
Andrew Bailey | East | 771.00
Andrew Price | East | 770.00
Stewart Hagestad | West | 717.00
Chris Wheeler | West | 688.00
Will Davenport | East | 660.15
Evan Beck | East | 602.00
Drew Kittleson | West | 579.00
Brett Patterson | East | 525.00
Johnny Spellerberg | West | 515.68
Bobby Wyatt | East | 495.00
Hayes Brown | East | 475.50
Brandon Holtz | East | 475.00
Nate Smith | West | 454.00
Ryan Terry | East | 442.50
Michael Buttacavoli | East | 439.30
Christian Brand | East | 421.00
Ben Reeves | East | 414.60
Stephen Behr | East | 402.49
Parker Edens | West | 382.49
Dan Walters | East | 382.00
Jeronimo Esteve | East | 381.00
Jeg Coughlin | East | 350.00
Brad Nurski | West | 332.25
Worth the Detour
Every April, the golf world descends on Augusta, and most of it never makes the 30-minute drive east into South Carolina. That's a mistake. Just across the Savannah River sits Aiken, a horse-country town of shaded streets and old Winter Colony charm that has quietly become one of the most compelling golf destinations in the Southeast. This month the debut of the Tree Farm Invitational, pushed back from its original January date by weather, gives mid-ams the perfect excuse to finally make that detour.
What makes Aiken special is how naturally the old and the new sit side by side. Palmetto Golf Club dates to 1892, making it one of the oldest courses in the country, and its layout carries the fingerprints of Herbert Leeds and Alister MacKenzie. Downtown, the Aiken Golf Club has been going since 1912 and still offers wonderfully quirky, old-school golf at green fees that feel like a typo. Then there's the new wave. Zac Blair's Tree Farm, routed by Tom Doak across a former pine farm, opened in 2023 and has already cracked national rankings. Old Barnwell has joined it nearby, and 21 Golf Club, which plans a recreation of MacKenzie's never-built El Boquerón, is on the way. The reason is right under your feet: Aiken sits on an ancient sandy ridge that drains like a links, and architects have noticed.
The best part is that none of it feels like a scene. Aiken golf is walking, fast rounds, a cold drink on the porch, and a room full of people who care about the game for the right reasons. That understated, tradition-first spirit is also why Holderness & Bourne feels so at home here. Their clothing is made for golfers who would rather play Palmetto at dusk than be seen anywhere else, and who value timeless design and quality over flash. Pack accordingly.
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Until next month…..