U.S. Junior Amateur 2026 LIVE: R1 Leaderboard as Charlie Woods and Miles Russell look to make fast start
U.S. Junior Amateur Championship Round 1 Leaderboard: The first round is underway at Saucon Valley as 264 players compete for a place in the match play stages.
The first round of the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship is now underway, with the likes of Charlie Woods and Miles Russell among the headline names bidding to make a fast start at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Woods, the 17-year-old son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, is making his third consecutive appearance in arguably the most prestigious event in junior golf after successfully coming through qualifying in Florida last month.
The Florida State commit carded a 3-under-par 68 at Heathrow Country Club before winning a playoff to secure the final qualifying place.
Woods teed off in Monday's opening round of the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship just after 8am local time as he looks to improve on his previous appearances in the championship.
He missed the cut in his debut at Oakland Hills in 2024 after rounds of 82 and 80, before narrowly missing out on match play last year at Trinity Forest following scores of 81 and 74.
Joining him in the field is his good friend and world amateur No. 7 Miles Russell, one of the most highly rated young players in the game.
Russell, who is scheduled to begin his opening round at 1:54pm local time, arrives as the highest-ranked player in the championship and one of the favourites to lift the title later this week.
The 264-player field begins with two rounds of stroke play across Monday and Tuesday, with competitors playing both Saucon Valley's Old Course and Grace Course.
After 36 holes, the leading 64 players progress to the match play stages, where the championship becomes a straight knockout competition culminating in a 36-hole final on Saturday.
It is a format that has helped establish the U.S. Junior Amateur as one of the sport's premier proving grounds.
Tiger Woods famously won the title a record three years in succession between 1991 and 1993, while other former champions include Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Brian Harman, David Duval, Johnny Miller and Will Zalatoris.
The 15-time major champion not only etched on the U.S. Junior Amateur trophy three times, but from this year onwards, the famous silver cup will officially be known as the Tiger Woods Trophy.
Woods is expected to be in attendance this week to support his son as Charlie attempts to make a deep run in the championship.
Defending champion Hamilton Coleman is back to defend the title he claimed last year, while a strong international field will also battle for one of the biggest prizes in amateur golf.
In addition to the championship trophy, the winner earns exemptions into the 2027 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, provided they remain an amateur, along with places in the next two U.S. Amateur Championships.
Fans hoping to watch the action will have to wait until the latter stages of the championship, with television coverage beginning on Friday.
Golf Channel will stream quarter-final highlights and the semi-finals from 4pm to 6pm ET, before airing a tape-delayed broadcast from 8pm to 10pm ET.
Saturday's 36-hole championship match will then be shown live on Golf Channel from 3pm to 5pm ET.
Until then, the best way to keep track of the opening rounds is via the live leaderboard, where every shot counts as players battle to finish inside the top 64 and book their place in the match play draw.
Click here to follow the live scores from the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
Andy Roberts first joined GolfMagic on a month's work experience back in April 2011.
Andy then assumed the role of GolfMagic Editor in 2015.
