THE WOODLANDS, Texas — The 19th Carlton Woods Invitational tees off Monday on the Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods, where 99 of the country's best mid-amateurs and seniors will play 54 holes for the Eagle Trophy, Oct. 26–28. It's the tournament's first October playing; past editions were held in May or June. Both defending champions are back: Robert Gwin, who won the Mid-Am title in a playoff in June 2025, and Senior champion Robert Funk.
Follow live scoring · Full field · Tournament website
Round-by-round updates will be posted here as play unfolds.
At a glance
- Dates: Monday–Wednesday, Oct. 26–28 (practice round Sunday)
- Course: Nicklaus Signature Course (renovated in 2023), The Club at Carlton Woods, The Woodlands, Texas
- Format: 54 holes of stroke play in two divisions: Mid-Am (ages 25–54) and Senior (55 and older)
- Field: 99 players by invitation: 66 in the Mid-Am Division, 33 in the Senior Division
- Tee times: Rounds 1 and 2 start at 7:30 a.m. In Wednesday's final round, the low six in each division tee off at 8 a.m. and the rest of the field starts on a shotgun.
Mid-Am Division
Gwin, of Montgomery, Texas, started the 2025 final round one shot back, shot 69 with birdies at 10, 13 and 15, and beat Joseph Deraney in a playoff after both finished at 4-under 212. Gwin had finished ninth the year before. Deraney, of Belden, Miss., who led after 36 holes last year, is back in the field.
So is 2024 champion Shane Heise of The Woodlands, who birdied the 16th in the final round to break a five-way tie and win by one at 3-under. Colby Harwell of San Antonio, the 2013 champion, tied for fourth last year, alongside John Hunter of Spring, Texas, who opened 72-66. Hunter and Houston's Justin Kaplan are also past Carlton Woods champions.
The Mid-Am field also has an international flavor, with Gonzalo Gallegos and Roberto Terrazas of Mexico, Mike Dunne of Panama, and Canadians Simon McInnis and David Lang.
Senior Division
Funk, of Canyon Lake, Calif., opened with a 69 and followed with a 71 last year, then held on through a closing 78 to win at 2-over 218 by one shot over Andy Hydorn and Miles McConnell. Hydorn, of Houston, is back, as is fellow Houstonian Gary Durbin, who tied for fourth.
Houston's Mike Booker has more Carlton Woods history than anyone in the division: he won back-to-back Senior titles in 2011 and 2012. Lewis Stephenson of Edmond, Okla., the 2019 Senior champion, is also entered. So are Doug Dvorak, the 2024 runner-up, and Billy Joe Tolliver of Baton Rouge, who finished third that year.
The tradition
The Carlton Woods Invitational was first played in 2006. Its first editions used both the Nicklaus Signature and Tom Fazio courses; since 2008, all three rounds have been played on one course. It is a Golfweek nationally designated tournament, and each contestant's state flag flies during the week. The winners' trophies and the tournament logo feature an American bald eagle, a nod to a pair of eagles that nest near the 4th tee of the Nicklaus course.
The Nicklaus Signature Course, designed personally by Jack Nicklaus, opened in 2001 and was named Golf Digest's Best New Private Course in Texas. In 2014, Nicklaus listed it among the top 18 course designs of his career.
A renovated Nicklaus course
The Nicklaus course closed in May 2023 for a full restoration led by Chris Cochran of Nicklaus Design and reopened that October. The project kept the 2023 Invitational from being played, and this is the third edition on the restored layout. The work included:
- Greens rebuilt to USGA specifications with TifEagle Bermudagrass surfaces
- Tees laser-leveled, with many enlarged and some new ones added
- Bunkers renovated with new lining, drainage and Pro Angle sand
- A new direct-wire irrigation system and added drainage throughout the course
The renovation began right after the course hosted its first Chevron Championship, the LPGA major, in April 2023.
A fall date
It has been 16 months since the last Carlton Woods Invitational. The tournament has moved from its June date to October starting this year.
AmateurGolf.com operates the Carlton Woods Invitational website. Live scoring starts Monday at 7:30 a.m. CT.