The road to Baltimore runs through 50 qualifying sites. Here is the complete 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur qualifying guide — how the one-round format works, every qualifying venue with dates, status and live scoring, and what awaits the 156 players who reach Baltimore Country Club's famed East Course.
The U.S. Senior Amateur is the ultimate prize for the 55-and-over set, and for all but a handful of exempt players, the only way in is to qualify. The championship uses a single-stage format: one 18-hole stroke-play qualifier, contested at 50 sites from June 24 through July 30. Post the number and you earn a place in the 156-player field at Baltimore Country Club (East Course) in Lutherville, Maryland, August 29 – September 3, 2026 — the 71st playing of the championship.
This guide tracks the entire 2026 qualifying season — every site, every date — with results linked as they post. For results, news and full coverage from qualifying through the match-play bracket, see our U.S. Senior Amateur championship hub; for fields and history from the qualifying season, see our U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying page.
📝 How U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying Works
Like the U.S. Women's Amateur, this is a one-round, one-chance proposition — no local-and-final funnel. Each qualifier is an 18-hole stroke-play test, with the number of spots at each site (varying with field size, generally one to four, plus alternates) going to the low scorers; ties for the last spot are settled by playoff. Eligibility is straightforward and unforgiving: players must be at least 55 years old at the start of the championship and carry a Handicap Index of 5.4 or lower. That makes these fields a who's-who of career amateurs, reinstated professionals, state association legends and mid-am greats who have aged into the senior ranks.
| Detail | 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur |
|---|---|
| Qualifying format | Single stage — one 18-hole stroke-play qualifier |
| Qualifying window | 50 sites · June 24 – July 30, 2026 |
| Eligibility | Age 55+ at the start of the championship · Handicap Index 5.4 or lower |
| Entries | Opened April 15 · Closed June 17, 2026 |
| Championship | Baltimore Country Club (East Course), Lutherville, MD · Aug 29 – Sep 3, 2026 |
| Field | 156 players — 36 holes stroke play, low 64 to match play, 18-hole final |
| Defending champion | Mike McCoy (def. Greg Sanders 3&2 at Oak Hills in 2025) |
📊 Following the results
Qualifying is underway now — eight of 50 sites are complete, with two more playing today, July 2, at Wynlakes in Alabama and Glen Echo in St. Louis. Forty sites follow through the July 30 finale at Turtle Creek Club in Florida. Click any site below for results as they post, and follow the season-long picture — who is advancing toward Baltimore — on our U.S. Senior Amateur championship hub.
🏌️ 2026 Qualifying Sites — June 24 to July 30
| Qualifying Site | Location | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport Country Club | Bridgeport, WV | Jun 24, 2026 | Complete |
| Ellington Ridge Country Club | Ellington, CT | Jun 24, 2026 | Complete |
| Stillwater Golf & Country Club | St. Johns, FL | Jun 29, 2026 | Complete |
| Black Mesa Golf Club | Espanola, NM | Jun 29, 2026 | Complete |
| Winters Run Golf Club | Bel Air, MD | Jun 29, 2026 | Complete |
| Dedham Country & Polo Club | Dedham, MA | Jun 29, 2026 | Complete |
| Mendon Golf Club | Rochester, NY | Jun 29, 2026 | Complete |
| Port Ludlow Golf Course | Port Ludlow, WA | Jul 1, 2026 | Complete |
| Wynlakes Golf & Country Club | Montgomery, AL | Jul 2, 2026 | Today |
| Glen Echo Country Club | St. Louis, MO | Jul 2, 2026 | Today |
| Hackensack Golf Club | Emerson, NJ | Jul 6, 2026 | Upcoming |
| The Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Club | Rockford, IL | Jul 6, 2026 | Upcoming |
| St. Ives Country Club | Duluth, GA | Jul 6, 2026 | Upcoming |
| OGA Golf Course | Woodburn, OR | Jul 6, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Winchester Country Club | Winchester, KY | Jul 6, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Silver Lake Country Club | Silver Lake, OH | Jul 7, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Mirabel Club | Scottsdale, AZ | Jul 9, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Eagle Creek Golf & Country Club | Naples, FL | Jul 9, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Indian Peaks Golf Course | Lafayette, CO | Jul 13, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Green Valley Country Club | Fairfield, CA | Jul 13, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Oakmont Country Club | Corinth, TX | Jul 13, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Pine Forest Country Club (Green & Gold Courses) | Houston, TX | Jul 13, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Red Rock Country Club (Mountain Course) | Las Vegas, NV | Jul 13, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Country Club of Lexington | Lexington, SC | Jul 15, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Soule Park Golf Club | Ojai, CA | Jul 15, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Wakonda Club | Des Moines, IA | Jul 15, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Cleveland Country Club | Cleveland, MS | Jul 16, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Pelican Point Golf & Country Club | Gonzales, LA | Jul 16, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Mount Vernon Country Club | Alexandria, VA | Jul 16, 2026 | Upcoming |
| The Country Club of Rancho Bernardo | San Diego, CA | Jul 20, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Franklin Hills Country Club | Franklin, MI | Jul 20, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Leilehua Golf Course | Wahiawa, HI | Jul 20, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Harpeth Hills Golf Course | Nashville, TN | Jul 20, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Fremont Golf Club | Fremont, NE | Jul 21, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Pleasant Valley Country Club | Little Rock, AR | Jul 22, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Dakota Dunes Country Club | Dakota Dunes, SD | Jul 23, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Oakwood Country Club | Enid, OK | Jul 23, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Miami View Golf Club | Cleves, OH | Jul 23, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Pinewild Country Club (Magnolia Course) | Pinehurst, NC | Jul 27, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Willingers Golf Club | Northfield, MN | Jul 27, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Sycamore Hills Golf Club | Fort Wayne, IN | Jul 27, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Red Hawk Golf and Resort (Lakes Course) | Sparks, NV | Jul 27, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Settlers Bay Golf Course | Wasilla, AK | Jul 27, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Shadow Glen Golf Club | Olathe, KS | Jul 27, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Bonneville Golf Course | Salt Lake City, UT | Jul 27, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Manchester Country Club | Manchester, VT | Jul 28, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Eagle Hills Golf Course | Eagle, ID | Jul 29, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Naga-Waukee Golf Course | Waukesha, WI | Jul 29, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Talamore at Oak Terrace Country Club | Ambler, PA | Jul 29, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Turtle Creek Club | Tequesta, FL | Jul 30, 2026 | Upcoming |
50 qualifying sites. Locations per the USGA; click a venue for results and coverage in our database.
⛳ The Prize: Baltimore Country Club
The 71st U.S. Senior Amateur lands on hallowed ground. Baltimore Country Club's East Course at Five Farms is an A.W. Tillinghast masterwork from 1926 — a fitting sequel, given that last year's championship was decided on Tillinghast's Oak Hills. The club's championship history stretches back to the 1899 U.S. Open, when Willie Smith won by 11 strokes, and includes the 1932 U.S. Amateur, the 1965 Walker Cup, the 1928 PGA Championship and the 1988 U.S. Women's Open, won by Liselotte Neumann. This is the USGA's first championship at the club since 1988. The 156-player field opens with 36 holes of stroke play before the low 64 advance to single-elimination match play and an 18-hole final on Thursday, September 3. One player who won't need to qualify: defending champion Mike McCoy, who made history at Oak Hills last August as the first player ever to win both the U.S. Mid-Amateur and U.S. Senior Amateur.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How do you qualify for the 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur?
For all but exempt players, qualifying is a single-stage process: one 18-hole stroke-play qualifier at one of 50 sites held between June 24 and July 30, 2026. The low scorers at each site earn places in the 156-player field at Baltimore Country Club, August 29 – September 3.
Who is eligible for the U.S. Senior Amateur?
Amateur golfers who are at least 55 years old at the start of the championship with a Handicap Index that does not exceed 5.4.
How many players advance from each qualifying site?
It varies with field size, but most sites advance roughly one to four players plus alternates. The lowest scorers move on; ties for the final spot are settled by a playoff.
Where is the 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur being played?
Baltimore Country Club's East Course at Five Farms in Lutherville, Maryland, August 29 – September 3, 2026 — the 71st playing of the championship and the club's first USGA championship since the 1988 U.S. Women's Open.
Who is the defending U.S. Senior Amateur champion?
Mike McCoy of Iowa, who defeated Greg Sanders 3&2 at Oak Hills Country Club in 2025 to become the first player in USGA history to win both the U.S. Mid-Amateur and U.S. Senior Amateur.
🔗 Keep Reading: U.S. Senior Amateur Coverage
- U.S. Senior Amateur Championship Hub — results, news and full coverage of every edition.
- U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying — fields, results and history for the qualifying season.
- 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur Event Details — the championship at Baltimore Country Club, Aug 29 – Sep 3.
- USGA Qualifiers Hub — every qualifying path, all season long.
Qualifying results from every 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur site are tracked all season at AmateurGolf.com.