126th U.S. Amateur Championship Fact Sheet

The 126th U.S. Amateur Championship kicks off Monday from Philadelphia Country Club for stroke play and Merion Golf Club for match play.

Merion Golf Club’s East Course will be set up at 6,939 yards and will play to a par of 36-34-70. Philadelphia Country Club, which will serve as the stroke-play co-host course for the two rounds of stroke play, will be set up at 7,201 yards and will play to a par of 35-35-70. (NOTE: Yardages subject to change.)

Merion Golf Club (East Course)

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
Par	4	5	3	5	4	4	4	4	3	36
Yardage	358	588	219	618	505	480	363	356	231	3,718

 

Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total
Par	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	3	4	34
Yardage	303	361	399	119	448	419	426	246	501	3,222

 

Philadelphia Country Club

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
Par	4	4	5	4	3	4	3	4	4	35
Yardage	362	428	601	478	181	497	207	386	416	3,556

 

Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total
Par	4	3	5	4	4	3	4	4	4	35
Yardage	435	189	618	403	495	224	401	433	447	3,645

 

THE COURSES
Merion Golf Club was originally established in 1896, when members of the Merion Cricket Club built a nine-hole course in Haverford, Pa. By 1900, the course had expanded to 18 holes and later hosted the 1904 and 1909 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships. Following the development of the Haskell rubber-core golf ball, the Haverford course could no longer accommodate the game’s longest hitters, leading Merion to turn to club member Hugh Wilson to design a new 18-hole course. The iconic East Course, opened in 1912 in Ardmore, Pa., has been the host for some of the most iconic moments in golf history including Bobby Jones’ Grand Slam in 1930, Ben Hogan’s playoff-forcing 1-iron on the 18th hole of the 1950 U.S. Open and the playoff duel between Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus at the 1971 U.S. Open. In 2019, Gil Hanse and Jim Wager led a restoration project to return the course features to their original 1912 design, rebuilding every bunker and green complex on the property.

FAST FACT

In 1899, Philadelphia Country Club became the seventh member club of the USGA, and it is one of the four founding clubs of the Golf Association of Philadelphia.

COURSE RATING AND SLOPE

Based on the course setup for the championship, the Course Rating™ for Merion Golf Club’s East Course is 75.3 and its Slope Rating® is 153. The Course Rating™ for Philadelphia Country Club is 75.4 and its Slope Rating® is 144.

 

ENTRIES
The USGA accepted 5,111 entries for the 2026 U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. The championship is open to amateur golfers with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 0.4. In 2023, the USGA accepted a record 8,253 entries. The previous record was 7,920 in 1999.

 

TWO-STAGE QUALIFYING 

Local qualifying, over 18 holes, took place at 48 sites from June 1-30, followed by Final Qualifying, also over 18 holes, at 19 sites from July 13-22.  View the full list of qualifying results here.

 

CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD

The starting field of 312 players will play 18 holes of stroke play on Aug. 10 and 11, one round on each of the two qualifying courses, after which the field will be cut to the low 64 scorers. Six rounds of match play begin on Aug. 12, and the championship concludes with a 36-hole championship match on Aug. 16.

 

EXEMPT PLAYERS

There are currently 164 players who are fully exempt through final qualifying in the U.S. Amateur. The list includes eight USGA champions – Lawrence Allan (2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Evan Beck (2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Lawrence Allan (2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Louis Brown (2024 U.S. Senior Amateur), Hamilton Coleman (2025 U.S. Junior Amateur), Brandon Holtz (2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Mason Howell (2025 U.S. Amateur) and Michael McCoy (2025 U.S. Senior Amateur).

SCHEDULE OF PLAY   

Practice rounds will take place Aug. 8-9. The championship schedule is as follows:
Aug. 10 (Monday): First round, stroke play (18 holes)
Aug. 11 (Tuesday): Second round, stroke play (18 holes)
Aug. 12 (Wednesday): Round of 64, match play
Aug. 13 (Thursday): Rounds of 32 and 16, match play
Aug. 14 (Friday): Quarterfinal round, match play

Aug. 15 (Saturday): Semifinal round, match play

Aug. 16 (Sunday): Championship match (36 holes)

WHAT THE CHAMPION RECEIVES

Among the benefits enjoyed by the U.S. Amateur champion are:
► A gold medal and custody of the Havemeyer Trophy for the ensuing year
► An exemption from local and final qualifying for the 2027 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links
► An exemption from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Amateurs
► An exemption from qualifying for the next Open Championship, conducted by The R&A
► A likely invitation to the 2027 Masters Tournament

► Name engraved into the 2026 USGA Champions’ plaque that resides in the USGA Museum's Hall of Champions in Liberty Corner, N.J.

 

2025 CHAMPIONSHIP          

Mason Howell, 18, of Thomasville, Ga., a rising high school senior, defeated University of Tennessee rising sophomore Jackson Herrington, of Dickson, Tenn., 7 and 6, in the 36-hole final at The Olympic Club (Lake Course), in San Francisco, Calif. Howell became the third-youngest champion in U.S. Amateur history, and just the third No. 63 seed to claim the title since the USGA began seeding players by their stroke play scores in 1985. The victory earned the 2026 University of Georgia commitment a spot on the 2025 USA Walker Cup and World Amateur Teams as well as an exemption into the 2026 U.S. Open. Howell survived a 20-for-17 playoff on Monday morning just to get into match play.

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT MERION GOLF CLUB

1904 U.S. Women’s Amateur (Georgianna M. Bishop)

1909 U.S. Women’s Amateur (Dorothy I. Campbell)

1916 U.S. Amateur (Charles Evans Jr.)

1924 U.S. Amateur (Robert T. Jones)

1926 U.S. Women’s Amateur (Helen Stetson)

1930 U.S. Amateur (Robert T. Jones)

1934 U.S. Open (Olin Dutra)

1949 U.S. Women’s Amateur (Dorothy Porter)

1950 U.S. Open (Ben Hogan)

1954 Curtis Cup Match (USA 6, GB&I 3)

1966 U.S. Amateur (Gary Cowan)

1971 U.S. Open (Lee Trevino)

1981 U.S. Open (David Graham)

1989 U.S. Amateur (Chris Patton)

1998 U.S. Girls’ Junior (Leigh Anne Hardin)

2005 U.S. Amateur (Edoardo Molinari)

2009 Walker Cup Match (USA 16½, GB&I 9½)  

2013 U.S. Open (Justin Rose)

2022 Curtis Cup Match (USA 17, GB&I 9) 

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT PHILADELPHIA COUNTRY CLUB

1899 U.S. Women's Amateur (Ruth Underhill)
1939 U.S. Open (Byron Nelson)
1949 U.S. Girls' Junior (Marlene Bauer)
2003 U.S. Women's Amateur (Virada Nirapathpongporn)

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PENNSYLVANIA

The 2026 U.S. Amateur Championship will be the 97th USGA championship conducted in Pennsylvania.

 

Merion G.C., Ardmore (19)
1904, 1909, 1926, 1949 Women’s Amateur
1916, 1924, 1930, 1966, 1989, 2005 Amateur
1934, 1950, 1971, 1981, 2013 Open
1954, 2022 Curtis Cup
1998 Girls’ Junior
2009 Walker Cup

Oakmont C.C., Oakmont (18)
1919, 1925, 1938, 1969, 2003, 2021 Amateur
1927, 1935, 1953, 1962, 1973, 1983, 1994, 2007, 2016, 2025 Open
1992, 2010 Women’s Open

Saucon Valley C.C., Bethlehem (9)
1951 Amateur
1983 Junior Amateur
1987 Senior Amateur
1992, 2000, 2022 Senior Open
2009 Women’s Open
2014 Mid-Amateur

2026 Junior Amateur

Fox Chapel G.C., Pittsburgh (4)
1965 Senior Amateur
1985 Women’s Amateur
2002 Curtis Cup
2024 Senior Women's Open

Philadelphia C.C., Gladwyne (4)
1899, 2003 Women’s Amateur
1939 Open
1949 Girls’ Junior

Allegheny C.C., Sewickley (3)
1954 Women’s Amateur
1990 Women’s Mid-Amateur
2001 Senior Women’s Amateur

 

Kahkwa Club, Erie (3)
1971 Women’s Open
2004 Women’s Amateur
2016 Women’s Mid-Amateur

Manufacturers’ G. & C.C., Fort Washington (3)
1962, 1972, 1987 Senior Women’s Amateur

 

Philadelphia Cricket Club, Flourtown (3)
1907, 1910 Open
2024 Amateur Four-Ball

Aronimink G.C., Newton Square (2)
1977 Amateur
1997 Junior Amateur

Center Square G.C., Norristown (2)
1980, 1997 Women’s Amateur Public Links

Gulph Mills G.C., King of Prussia (2)
1954 Girls’ Junior
1983 Senior Women’s Amateur

Hershey G.C., Hershey (2)
1957 Amateur Public Links
2012 Senior Women’s Amateur

Lancaster C.C., Lancaster (2)
2015, 2024 Women’s Open

Rolling Green G.C., Springfield (2)
1976 Women’s Open
2016 Women’s Amateur

Stonewall, Elverson (2)
2016 Mid-Amateur
2023 Women's Mid-Amateur

Sunnybrook G.C., Plymouth Meeting (2)
1971 Senior Amateur
1978 Women’s Amateur

Bala G.C., Philadelphia
1952 Women’s Open (conducted by LPGA)

Churchill Valley C.C., Pittsburgh
1959 Women’s Open

Cobb’s Creek G.C., Philadelphia
1928 Amateur Public Links

Country Club of York, York
1999 Junior Amateur

Downing G.C., Harborcreek
1969 Amateur Public Links

Laurel Valley G.C., Ligonier
1989 Senior Open

Longue Vue Club, Verona
1966 Girls’ Junior

Moselem Springs G.C., Fleetwood
1968 Women’s Open

North Park G.C., Allison Park
1965 Amateur Public Links

St. Clair C.C., Pittsburgh
1985 Girls’ Junior

Sewickley Heights G.C., Sewickley
1966 Women’s Amateur

Shawnee C.C., Shawnee on Delaware
1919 Women’s Amateur

South Park G.C., South Park
1934 Amateur Public Links

Whitemarsh Valley C.C., Lafayette Hill
1934 Women’s Amateur

 

MOST CHAMPIONSHIPS HOSTED BY A CLUB

(Includes 2026 championships)

20 - Merion G.C., Ardmore, Pa.

18 - Oakmont (Pa.) C.C.

17 - The Country Club, Brookline, Mass.

16 - Baltusrol G.C., Springfield, N.J.

14 - Pebble Beach (Calif.) G.L.

13 - Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

13 - Winged Foot G.C., Mamaroneck, N.Y.

12 - Chicago G.C., Wheaton, Ill.

12 - Oakland Hills C.C., Bloomfield Township, Mich.

12 - The Olympic Club, San Francisco, Calif.

10 - Cherry Hills C.C., Cherry Hills Village, Colo.

10 - Southern Hills C.C., Tulsa, Okla.

BROADCAST COVERAGE

The 126th U.S. Amateur will receive at least 15 hours of broadcast coverage on Golf Channel and Peacock. Rolex is the exclusive presenting partner of coverage for eight USGA championships in 2026, including the U.S. Amateur. Rolex’s commitment will allow an uninterrupted broadcast of these championships, providing fans with hours of continuous live action.

 

Date/Day		Time (EDT)		Network		Coverage
Aug. 12/Wed.		3-6 p.m.		Peacock		Round of 64 Matches
Aug. 13/Thurs.		3-6 p.m.		Peacock		Round of 16 Matches
Aug. 14/Friday		3-6 p.m.		Peacock		Quarterfinal Matches
Aug. 15/Saturday		3-4 p.m.		Peacock		Semifinals Matches
		4-6 p.m.		NBC		Semifinals Matches
Aug. 16/Sunday		3-6 p.m.		Peacock/NBCSN		Championship Match
		4-6 p.m.		NBC		Championship Match

 

CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY

Like the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Amateur championships, the U.S. Amateur has been contested since the USGA’s first championship season in 1895. The trophy was initially presented to the USGA on March 28, 1895, in honor of the association’s first president, Theodore A. Havemeyer.

 

The original Havemeyer Trophy, an ornate silver trophy produced by J.E. Caldwell and Company in Philadelphia, was presented to C.B. Macdonald at Newport Golf Club after his 1895 victory. The prize was then passed to each successive U.S. Amateur champion until Nov. 22, 1925, when it was lost in a massive fire at the home club of Bob Jones, East Lake Country Club in Atlanta, Ga.

Rather than replicate the original, the USGA decided to produce an entirely new trophy with an extended base to accommodate additional engraving. The new Havemeyer Trophy, a tall steeple cup designed in solid gold, was formally presented in January of 1926 by USGA Treasurer Edward S. Moore. It was retired in 1992 and was stolen from the USGA Golf Museum in the spring of 2012 and never recovered. A copy of the trophy, produced in 1992, is passed from champion to champion. In 1996, the USGA replicated the original silver Havemeyer Trophy using two existing photographs. A second replica was produced for display at East Lake.

 

The U.S. Amateur Trophy is on display at the USGA Golf Museum in Liberty Corner, N.J.

 

FUTURE U.S. AMATEUR SITES

Aug. 9-15, 2027 – Oak Hill Country Club, Pittsford, N.Y.

Aug. 14-20, 2028 – Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wis.

Aug. 13-19, 2029 – Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio

Aug. 12-18, 2030 – Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Ga.

Aug. 11-17, 2031 – The Honors Course, Ooltewah, Tenn.

Aug. 9-15, 2032 – Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Ore.

Aug. 15-21, 2033 – Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash.

Aug. 14-20, 2034 – The Country Club, Brookline, Mass.

Aug. 13-15, 2035 – Erin Hills, Erin, Wis. 

Aug. 11-17, 2036 – Scioto Country Club. Columbus, Ohio

TBD 2038 – Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

TBD 2039 – Baltusrol Golf Cub, Springfield, N.J.

TBD 2041 – Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Ore. 

TBD 2042 – The Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, N.J.

TBD 2044 – Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Okla.

TBD 2047 – Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

TBD 2051 – Saucon Valley Country Club, Bethlehem, Pa.