The two-week global championship returned to the Pinehurst, Sandhills, and Aberdeen area July 23–August 2, featuring 25 individual tournaments across the World Teen Championship and World Championship weeks.
PINEHURST, N.C. — U.S. Kids Golf announced full details for the 2026 U.S. Kids Golf World Championships, the organization’s marquee junior golf event, played July 23 through August 2, 2026, across ten courses in the Pinehurst, Sandhills and Aberdeen area of North Carolina. The two-week championships welcomed 2,048 players representing 48 U.S. states and 58 countries, continuing its designation as the largest junior golf tournament in the world.
“We can’t thank the Pinehurst and Sandhills area enough. Year after year, the community welcomes us with open arms. There’s nothing like having a global event like this…and it would be hard to duplicate anywhere else,” said Chris Vonderkall, SVP U.S. Kids Golf Foundation. “We also want to recognize the volunteers who help run this championship. Over 400 individuals take time to help register, start, score, transport, run scorecards, keep pace of play, and much more during the two weeks…and that is a heavy lift!” Vonderkall added.
Now in its 27th year, the World Championships is comprised of 23 individual tournaments held across two age-based championship weeks: the World Teen Championships and the World Championships.
World Teen Championship
July 21–26, 2026 | Tournament Play Dates: July 23–25
The World Teen Championships drew 647 players ages 13 to 18, who started the week with the World Teen Parent/Child event, then the World Teen Championships with individual divisions for Boys 13, Boys 14, Boys 15-18, Girls 13, Girls 14, and Girls 15-18, and end the week with the World Teen Van Horn Cup, which is a one-day best ball tournament contested on Pinehurst No. 4, featuring the four top finishing boys and girls from each age group.
World Championship
July 26–August 2, 2026 | Tournament Play Dates: July 30 – August 2
The World Championships brought together 1,401 players ages 6 & under through 12, competing in the *Veterans Golf Association Qualifier, World Parent/Child Boys, World Parent/Child Girls events, then the World Championships with individual boys’ and girls’ age divisions spanning 6 & under through 12. The week begins with the famed Parade of Nations, where 5,000 strong make their way through the village of Pinehurst proudly carrying their national and state flags with great enthusiasm. The week ends with the top finishing 12-year-olds in the World Van Horn Cup, a one-day best ball tournament contested on Pinehurst No. 4., featuring 16 boys and 12 girls.
*The Veterans Golf Association partners with U.S. Kids Golf to host a one-day qualifier for every age category and is open to veterans’ kids.
The 2026 World Championship winners are listed below.
| First Name | Last Name | Country | Score | |
| World Teen | ||||
| Boys 13 | Lucas | Loaiza | Colombia | -11 |
| Boys 14 | Nathan | Dunbar | United States (MN) | -13 |
| Boys 15-18 | Blake | Brown | United States (UT) | -6 |
| Girls 13 | Alice | Okuri | United States (CA) | -11 |
| Girls 14 | Natkrita | Thongrattana | Thailand | -3 |
| Girls 15-18 | Kennedy | Gallentine | United States (NC) | -7 |
| World | ||||
| Boys 6&U | Noah | Yoon | United States (CA) | -3 |
| Boys 7 | Juhan | Choi | United States (NJ) | -2 |
| Boys 8 | Nikita | Elchaninov | Russian Federation | -7 |
| Boys 9 | Cillian | Hirst | Ireland | -16 |
| Boys 10 | Jules | Blondeau Benite | France | -12 |
| Boys 11 | Charlie | Magee | United States (MS) | -10 |
| Boys 12 | Skyy | Wilding | Thailand | -15 |
| Girls 7&U | Chloe | Zhang | United States (CA) | -7 |
| Girls 8 | Zhihan | Li | United States (GA) | -10 |
| Girls 9 | Leyou (Yoyo) | Zhang | Canada | -7 |
| Girls 10 | Kamilla Edrianna | Guerrero Del Mundo | Philippines | -17 |
| Girls 11 | Madelyn | Dickerson | United States (FL) | -18 |
| Girls 12 | Bella | Simoes | United States (FL) | -15 |
Dan Van Horn, founder and president of U.S. Kids Golf said, “This event has become the largest youth golf tournament in the world, and we love that it serves young players and their families. Even though there are winners, the scoreboard isn’t the point. It’s about serving our families, with our mission always in mind.” Van Horn goes on to say, “We see these young players grow up on these courses, year after year, and watch friendships form that outlast any scorecard. That is our mission personified.
About U.S. Kids Golf
Founded in 1996 by Dan Van Horn, U.S. Kids Golf Foundation (a 501(c)(3) public charity) is the world’s leading organization for junior golf tournaments and coaching. The company manages kid-friendly development programs, trains coaches around the world, and hosts more tournaments than any other organization in golf, all in support of its mission: To help kids have fun learning the lifelong game of golf and encourage family interaction that builds lasting memories.
Media Contact
John Kim
Media and Foundation Relations
jkim@uskidsgolf.com
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