Notah Begay III, Sean O’Hair, Matt Every, defending champion Aidan Thomas, U.S. Open low amateur Travis Vick and Jin Jeong, Open Championship Silver Medalist, headline 140-player field
ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. — The 2026 New Mexico Open will bring together one of the strongest fields in the championship’s 72-year history, with 140 confirmed players competing for a record $137,000 purse Sept. 14-16 at Turtleback Mountain Golf & Resort.
Three players in the field have combined for 10 PGA TOUR victories. New Mexico native Notah Begay III is a four-time PGA TOUR winner and the 2026 recipient of the PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award. Sean O’Hair, also a four-time PGA TOUR winner, has made more than 400 TOUR starts and represented the United States in the 2009 Presidents Cup. Matt Every is a two-time PGA TOUR winner who won consecutive Arnold Palmer Invitationals at Bay Hill in 2014 and 2015.
Aidan Thomas returns to defend the title he won last year in his first tournament as a professional. The former New Mexico State golfer has since earned conditional PGA TOUR Americas status for 2026.
The field also includes Travis Vick, low amateur at the 2022 U.S. Open and a member of the University of Texas’ 2022 NCAA championship team; Jin Jeong, winner of the 2010 Amateur Championship and low-am at the 2021 Open Championship at St Andrews; Trevor Simsby, winner of the 2020 Bandar Malaysia Open on the Asian Tour; and Shawn Stefani, a PGA TOUR veteran and two-time Web.com Tour winner.
Maurice Allen, a four-time long drive champion and former world No. 1, won the Long Drivers European Tour championship in 2015 and 2016, the World Long Drivers Tour championship in 2017 and the World Long Drive Championship in 2018, when he captured the title with a 393-yard drive.
“This is the 72nd playing of the New Mexico Open, and when you look back at its history, there are major champions who have raised this trophy,” said Cory Armstrong, executive director of Sun Country Golf House, which administers the championship. “To have what may be the strongest field we’ve ever had competing for the largest purse in tournament history says a lot about where the New Mexico Open is today.”
The professional purse has increased from $100,000 in 2025 to $137,000, with $30,000 going to the winner, a 50% increase from last year’s $20,000 first-place prize.
“Players pay attention to where good competition is, where the purse is going and where an event is being run well,” said Kris Strauss, executive vice president of global sales and marketing at Troon. “When players at different stages of their careers put the same tournament on their schedules, people in golf notice. That’s good news for the New Mexico Open, Turtleback and golf throughout the region.”
“For me, the New Mexico Open has always meant something special because this is home,” Begay said. “I’m looking forward to competing again, especially against a field like this. There are established players here and younger guys who are hungry and have a lot to prove. I expect the golf to be really good.”
“When you put some of the best players in the country on this golf course, you find out quickly where Turtleback Mountain can challenge them,” said JC Wright, general manager of Turtleback Mountain Golf Club. “Players will have opportunities to be aggressive, but there are places where that can cost them. Length is an advantage, but course management, approach shots and putting will be critical. The players who know when to attack and when to take what the course gives them will have the best chance to contend.”
The depth of the field also gives the New Mexico Open more storylines for its nine hours of live streaming coverage. Begay will join acclaimed golf analyst and sports broadcaster Ryan Burr and Duff Foreman™, the first known autonomous AI golf commentator to co-host live coverage of a professional golf tournament. Foreman will interact with Begay and Burr in real time, providing course strategy, player swing analysis, shot selection, the Rules of Golf and other aspects of play.
“This is exactly the kind of field I wanted for my first live tournament,” Foreman said. “There are proven champions, young players trying to move up and very different styles of golf to analyze. My job is to help viewers understand what these players are seeing, why they’re making certain decisions and what the numbers tell us as the tournament unfolds.”
“When we brought the New Mexico Open to Turtleback, we wanted people outside this area to start paying attention to what was happening here,” said James Prendamano, founder and CEO of PreReal Investments and co-owner of Turtleback Mountain Golf & Resort. “This level of golf gives them a reason to watch. Then they see the course, the mountains, the water and this part of New Mexico. That exposure matters to Turtleback, Elephant Butte and the surrounding communities.”
The 2026 New Mexico Open at Turtleback Back Mountain Golf & Resort presented by New Mexico True will be played Sept. 14-16 in Elephant Butte.
Live coverage will stream on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, KRQE NOW in Albuquerque and KTSM+ in El Paso from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. mountain time on Sept. 14 and 15, with final-round coverage from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mountain time on Sept. 16.
About the New Mexico Open
The New Mexico Open is New Mexico’s premier state golf championship, bringing together many of the Southwest’s top professional and amateur golfers to compete in a 54-hole stroke-play tournament for one of the region’s largest purses. Organized by the Sun Country Section of the PGA of America, the championship has been played annually since 1954 and showcases elite competition while celebrating the game’s tradition and growth throughout the state. Since 2025, the tournament has been hosted at Turtleback Mountain Golf & Resort under a multi-year agreement. Visit: www.suncountrygolf.com/newmexicoopen/
About Turtleback Mountain Golf & Resort
Turtleback Mountain Golf & Resort, home of the New Mexico Open, is a golf, residential and resort community in Elephant Butte, New Mexico, minutes from Elephant Butte Lake. The property features an 18-hole championship golf course, residential neighborhoods, planned resort amenities and a growing calendar of golf and community events. Turtleback Mountain Golf & Resort is helping drive tourism, residential investment and economic growth throughout Sierra County while providing an exceptional experience for golfers, homeowners and visitors. Turtleback Mountain’s golf experience is professionally managed by Troon, a leader in golf, club, leisure and hospitality services. Learn more: www.turtlebackmountaingolfandresort.com.
About the Sun Country Section of the PGA of America
The Sun Country Section of the PGA of America serves more than 300 PGA of America Golf Professionals across New Mexico and West Texas. Through professional education, player development, tournament administration and community outreach, the Section supports the growth of the game while promoting excellence in golf instruction, player engagement and facility operations. The Section conducts championships and qualifying events, develops junior and recreational golf programs, and works with golf facilities, industry partners and local communities to expand participation and strengthen the game throughout the region. For more information, visit SunCountryGolf.com. Visit: www.suncountrygolf.com/newmexicoopen/.
About Troon
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company, providing services at locations in 45-plus states and 40-plus countries. In addition to private, daily fee, resort and municipal golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, ClubUp, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Peter Burwash International, True Club Solutions, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy & Design and RF DesignStudio, ICON Management and Eventive Sports. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com.
About Duff Foreman™ and Gopher Hole Productions
Gopher Hole Productions, LLC is an artificial intelligence, media, entertainment and technology company that develops AI-powered personalities and original intellectual property to create next-generation fan experiences for the sports and entertainment industries. Through emerging AI technologies, innovative storytelling, real-time content creation and human interaction, the company creates and commercializes proprietary content for streaming services, digital platforms, social media and broadcast networks. Headquartered in Massachusetts, Gopher Hole Productions is the creator of Duff Foreman™, an artificial intelligence personality designed for extreme golf adventures, live sports broadcasting and interactive fan engagement, and X-treme Golf™ on YouTube. Visit: www.youtube.com/@x-tremegolf .
About New Mexico True
The New Mexico Tourism Department developed the New Mexico True brand in 2012 to position the “Land of Enchantment” as a premier destination for leisure travel. Built upon the idea that a trip to New Mexico is an “adventure steeped in culture,” the award-winning New Mexico True brand is the platform for unified messaging through advertising, media relations, sponsorship, trade, and other strategic initiatives, altogether serving more than 50 communities and 500 businesses across the state’s six regions. For more information, visit www.newmexico.org.
Media Contacts:
Patrick Pharris
Turtleback Mountain Golf & Resort
702.491.7464
Patrick@PreRealInvestments.com
Rob Myers
Troon
480.477.0506
