For 28 years, the Memorial Amateur Championship has been one of the most respected men's amateur events on the West Coast — a Memorial Day Weekend tradition at Ancil Hoffman that has launched the careers of Cameron Champ, John Catlin, and Derek Ernst. In 2026, it gets bigger.
For the first time in tournament history, the Memorial Amateur will stage an elite Women's Division alongside its long-running men's championship — a landmark expansion announced in January by tournament founder and director John Rochelle. The 29th annual event tees off May 23–25, 2026 at Ancil Hoffman Golf Course in Carmichael, California.
"Our committee and I believe the time has come to offer a top-level women's event to complement the very strong men's tournament we've staged for nearly three decades. We expect it will generate excitement for top women's golfers worldwide." — John Rochelle, Tournament Founder & Director
📌 2026 Quick Facts
- Dates: May 23–25, 2026 (Memorial Day Weekend)
- Venue: Ancil Hoffman Golf Course, Carmichael, CA
- Format: 54-hole stroke play, 36-hole cut
- Divisions: Men's and — for the first time — Women's
- Women's Setup: Par 73, 6,012 yards (separate tees)
- Edition: 29th annual
- Founder/Director: John Rochelle
🏌️♀️ A Landmark Moment for Women's Amateur Golf
The new Women's Division will feature an elite field of top-ranked female amateurs from around the world, playing the same Ancil Hoffman layout from a separate set of tees. The course will set up as a par 73 at 6,012 yards for the women's championship — a demanding test that mirrors the precision premium that has defined the men's event for nearly three decades. A full field announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
For top women amateurs preparing for U.S. Women's Amateur qualifying and the heart of the summer schedule, the Memorial Amateur slots into a strategic window — three days of competitive stroke play just before the bulk of national qualifiers ramp up.
🏆 The Men's Storyline: Lee Returns, Knight Defends Spot
The men's championship enters 2026 with a deep returning cast. Aidan Lee, the 2025 champion, has now won the title twice in three years (2023, 2025) — and a third Memorial Amateur trophy would put him alongside John Catlin (2011, 2012) as a multi-time winner. He would need to match Jim Wilson, the only player ever to win it three times (2000, 2001, 2002), to claim a place at the top of the championship's all-time list.
Brandon Knight, the 2024 champion out of the University of Colorado, is the wild card in the equation. His 13-under run two years ago showed the kind of scoring ceiling Ancil Hoffman can yield, and he'll be among the favorites if he returns to defend his place in the rotation of recent champions.
🔍 What Sets Winners Apart at Ancil Hoffman
- Consistency over fireworks: Champions minimize big numbers more than they chase birdies.
- Early leads pay off: Every Memorial Amateur winner of the last five years was inside the top 3 after 36 holes.
- Sunday wind: The final round at Ancil Hoffman regularly tests nerves and shot selection in the closing stretch.
- Short game supremacy: Scrambling and putting around small, firm greens have decided more titles than driving distance.
🏌️ Ancil Hoffman: Course Snapshot
Tucked along the American River in suburban Sacramento, Ancil Hoffman is a William Bell design that opened in 1965 and is managed today by CourseCo. The course rewards shotmakers and punishes guesswork — tree-lined fairways, strategic angles into firm greens, and a closing stretch where Sunday's championship is annually decided.
- Toughest hole: #6 — historically the field's hardest scoring average
- Birdie opportunity: #12 — the most-yielding hole on the card
- "The Gauntlet": Holes 14–16 — where Sunday titles are won and lost
📊 Scoring Insights (Men's Division, 1998–2025)
- Lowest 54-hole total: 200 (–16) — Joshua Stone, 2013
- Last 5-year winning average: 204.4 (≈ –11.6)
- Most prolific champion: Jim Wilson (3 — 2000, 2001, 2002)
- Multi-time winners: Wilson (3), Catlin (2), Aidan Lee (2)
🚀 The PGA Tour Pipeline
The Memorial Amateur's alumni list reads like a scouting report for tomorrow's tour pros:
- Cameron Champ (2014) — Won at Ancil Hoffman before his PGA Tour breakthrough.
- John Catlin (2011, 2012) — Back-to-back Memorial winner, now competing on international tours.
- Derek Ernst (2009) — Memorial title preceded his PGA Tour win at the 2013 Wells Fargo Championship.
🎯 Follow Both Divisions Live at the 2026 Memorial Amateur
AmateurGolf.com Premium members get full access to live leaderboards, archived scorecards, hole-by-hole stats, and the world's largest amateur tournament database — covering both the Men's and brand-new Women's Divisions.
- 3,000+ tournament records and player profiles
- AI-driven performance and pathway tools
- Historical scoring trends and round-by-round archives
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About the Memorial Amateur
Founded in 1998 by Vietnam veteran John Rochelle, the Memorial Amateur Championship is held each Memorial Day Weekend at Ancil Hoffman Golf Course in Carmichael, California. The 54-hole stroke-play event with a 36-hole cut has become one of the premier independent amateur championships in the United States, blending patriotic tradition with elite competition. In 2026, the event marks its 29th edition and debuts an Elite Women's Division alongside its long-running men's championship. For more information, visit memorialamateur.com.
