Deng headlines a strong list of exempt players that also includes 2024 runner-up Asterisk Talley, 2025 runner-up Xingtong Chen, semifinalist Grace Carter, and several of the top age-eligible players in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.

The champion will again receive a gold medal, custody of the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy for one year, exemptions into future U.S. Girls’ Juniors while age eligible, a spot in the 2027 U.S. Women’s Open at Inverness Club, exemptions into the 2026 and 2027 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships, and an invitation to the 2027 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

U.S. Junior Amateur returns to historic Saucon Valley

One week later, the 78th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship will take place at Saucon Valley Country Club, with the Old Course serving as the primary championship venue and the Grace Course serving as the stroke-play co-host.

The championship field will include 264 players, and eligibility is open to male amateurs who have not reached their 19th birthday by July 25, 2026, and whose Handicap Index® does not exceed 2.4.

Saucon Valley is one of the great championship venues in American golf and has a deep USGA history. Among the major events previously contested there are the 1951 U.S. Amateur, the 1983 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open, the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur, and the 2022 U.S. Senior Open.

The defending champion is Hamilton Coleman of Augusta, Georgia, who defeated Minh Nguyen of Vietnam, 2 and 1, in the 36-hole final at Trinity Forest Golf Club in 2025. Coleman’s title run included surviving a 25-hole opening-round marathon before riding that momentum all the way to the trophy. He’ll return in 2026 trying to become just the second player ever to successfully defend the title.

Coleman leads a notable exempt list that also features Miles Russell, Tyler Watts, Qiyou Wu, and many of the top age-eligible players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

The U.S. Junior Amateur champion will earn a gold medal, custody of the U.S. Junior Amateur Trophy for one year, exemptions from qualifying into future U.S. Junior Amateurs, a spot in the 2027 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links as long as he remains an amateur, and exemptions into the 2026 and 2027 U.S. Amateur Championships.

Qualifying season stretches from May through early July

Qualifying for both championships begins in late May and runs into early July, with sites spread across the United States as well as Canada and Mexico.

For the U.S. Girls’ Junior, qualifying runs from May 20 through July 1. Sites include Katy, Texas; Scarsdale, New York; Beach Park, Illinois; Stanford, California; Paradise Valley, Arizona; Salisbury, North Carolina; and Aurora, Colorado. International qualifying will also be held in Canada and Mexico.

For the U.S. Junior Amateur, qualifying runs from May 26 through July 1. Boys’ qualifying sites include Port Orchard, Washington; Scarsdale, New York; Beach Park, Illinois; Birmingham, Alabama; Stanford, California; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Ohio; Peoria, Arizona; Boynton Beach, Florida; Athens, Georgia; and Beatrice, Nebraska, along with additional sites in Canada and Mexico.

The broad qualifying footprint gives players from all regions a chance to earn their spot, while also underscoring the scale and prestige of both championships.

Match play remains the ultimate proving ground

Both championships will follow the same familiar format: two rounds of stroke play to determine the field for match play, with the low 64 players advancing. If necessary, a playoff will be used to trim the field to exactly 64.

At the Girls’ Junior, match play begins on Wednesday, July 15, with the 36-hole championship match scheduled for Saturday, July 18.

At the Junior Amateur, match play begins on Wednesday, July 22, with the 36-hole final set for Saturday, July 25.

That combination of medal play pressure and match play survival is what makes these championships such a launching pad. The list of past champions on both sides is packed with future stars.

The U.S. Girls’ Junior has crowned names such as Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Nancy Lopez, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson, Ariya Jutanugarn, Minjee Lee, Rose Zhang, Kiara Romero, and Rianne Malixi.

The U.S. Junior Amateur’s champion list includes Johnny Miller, David Duval, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris, Min Woo Lee, and Nick Dunlap.

Entry day marks the start of the journey

For many junior golfers, today is more than an administrative deadline. It is the starting point for one of the most important goals of the season.

The chance to tee it up in a USGA junior championship has long represented a milestone in elite amateur golf. For a few players, it becomes something even bigger: a breakthrough moment on the path to college golf, international competition, and eventually the professional game.

With entries now open, that journey toward Durham and Bethlehem officially begins.