The U.S. Amateur has always been more than a championship. It is a proving ground. Future stars, elite college players, top juniors, career amateurs and mid-am contenders all funnel into the same pathway, where one great round can change a season. For 2026, that journey leads to Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, with stroke play also contested at Philadelphia Country Club.

How U.S. Amateur Qualifying Works

The path to Merion unfolds in two stages. First comes Local Qualifying, a one-day, 18-hole test held at courses throughout North America in June. Players who survive that stage advance to Final Qualifying in July, where another 18-hole round determines who claims the final spots in the championship proper.

That format creates urgency and volatility. There is no room for a slow start, and every shot matters. It is one reason U.S. Amateur qualifying consistently produces compelling storylines: elite juniors trying to break through, accomplished college players building resumes, and mid-amateurs chasing one of the game’s great career milestones.

This year’s championship also arrives with serious momentum. In 2025, Mason Howell became the third-youngest U.S. Amateur champion in history, a reminder that the U.S. Amateur remains one of the sport’s ultimate launchpads. But for most players, the story starts here — at qualifying sites spread across the continent, where a summer dream begins with one tee time.

2026 U.S. Amateur Local Qualifying Sites

Below is the complete schedule of local qualifying sites. Each link goes directly to its AmateurGolf.com tournament database page, where fields, pairings, results and updates can be tracked as qualifying season unfolds.

2026 U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying Sites

Final Qualifying represents the last hurdle before Merion. By the time players reach this stage, the fields are typically loaded with elite college talent, accomplished mid-amateurs and some of the best players to emerge from local qualifying. These July sites will determine the final additions to the championship field.

Why This Qualifying Hub Matters

This page should become one of the central reference points for U.S. Amateur qualifying season. It gives readers the complete schedule, but it also gives AmateurGolf.com a natural place to layer in updates as the summer develops — medalists, low-am stories, notable near-misses, college and junior standouts, playoff drama and final qualifiers who punch their ticket to Merion.

As registration opens, this is also the right moment to frame the championship in its full context. Merion brings immediate gravitas, the field standard remains one of the strongest in the amateur game, and qualifying itself will once again tell a major part of the championship story before the first stroke-play round even begins.