Final two rounds to stream live on YouTube as 156 girls and 156 boys compete at the Home of the PGA of America
FRISCO, Texas — Two of junior golf’s major championships, the 50th Junior PGA Championships, tee off at Fields Ranch East & West at PGA Frisco July 28-31.
The Junior PGA Championships are open to amateurs no older than 18 years of age on July 31, 2026, who have qualified through a PGA of America Section Championship or have been granted an exemption into the field.
The Junior PGA Championships are where the best in the world get their start. Previous participants include Tiger Woods, Rose Zhang, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Lexi Thompson, Yuka Saso, Scottie Scheffler, Akshay Bhatia and Inbee Park.
The four-day, 72-hole championships will feature 312 players (156 girls and 156 boys) playing concurrently. Each division will make a 36-hole cut on Wednesday, July 29, to the low 60 scorers and ties, and a 54-hole cut Thursday, July 30, to the low 30 scorers and ties. The first two rounds will be played on both Fields Ranch East and Fields Ranch West before moving exclusively to Fields Ranch East for the final two rounds.
New for 2026, the final two rounds of the Junior PGA Championships will be streamed live on the PGA of America YouTube channel. The broadcast of the third round on Thursday, July 30, will start at 3 p.m. CDT while the final round stream on Friday, July 31, will begin at 11 a.m. CDT. The stream will run through the conclusion of play both days and the trophy presentation on Friday.
The broadcast, originating from the PGA of America Studios at the Home of the PGA of America, will be led by host Bryan Fenley, analyst Ewan Porter and analyst and on-course reporter Lauren Withrow.
The girls division features five of the country’s top 20 junior players, according to the Rolex American Junior Golf Association Rankings, highlighted by No. 5 Zoe Cusack, No. 8 Vidhi Lakhawala, No. 16 Iris Lee, No. 18 Amber Lee and No. 19 Juliet Oh.
The top male junior golfers competing in the Championship include four of the top 20 junior players: No. 10 Jaden Soong, No. 12 Rory Asselta, No. 19 Grant DeLorenzo and No. 20 Chase Bauer. Also in the field is Charlie Woods, the son of 15-time-major-winner and 1990 Junior PGA runner-up Tiger Woods, who finished T-9 at last year’s Junior PGA Championships.
Also in the two fields are 27 players from the host Northern Texas PGA Section.
The 2026 Junior PGA Championships will be the first event offering points to qualify for the U.S. Team at the 14th Junior Ryder Cup, which will be contested Sept. 14-16, 2027, at Ballyneety Golf Club and Adare Manor in Ireland.
The 2026 Junior PGA Champions will receive exemptions into the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley while the top two eligible boys and girls will earn exemptions into the 2026 NextGen World Final in Australia. The girls winner will also receive an exemption into the 2027 Augusta National Women’s Amateur while the boys winner receives an exemption into the 2027 Tulum Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour, held at PGA Riviera Maya in Mexico.
The top 15 competitors in 2026 will be granted fully exempt status with the American Junior Golf Association, and the top 20 competitors will be exempt for the 2027 Junior PGA Championships next summer at NCR Country Club in Ohio.
The 2025 Junior PGA Championships were held at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana, where 16-year-old Asterisk Talley won the Girls Division by one stroke with a score of 12-under 273, while 16-year-old Lunden Esterline captured the Boys Division by seven shots with a score of 19-under 266.
Players to Watch at the 2026 Junior PGA Championships
Girls Division:
Zoe Cusack – Potomac, Maryland
The No. 5-ranked golfer in the AJGA Rankings, Cusack competed in the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Golf Course in Pacific Palisades, Calif. She was the runner-up at last year’s Girls Junior PGA Championship at Brick Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind., and was a member of the victorious 2025 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team. This season, she has continued her strong play at The Nelly Invitational presented by Chevron (T2) and at the Mizuho Americas Open (T5). She will be playing collegiate golf this fall at the University of Virginia.
Vidhi Lakhawala – Kendall Park, New Jersey
The No. 8-ranked golfer on the AJGA Rankings, Lakhawala won the 2026 Nelly Invitational presented by Chevron at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. She also recorded a third-place finish at the Ninja Invitational hosted by Janet Xiyu Lin and a T17 finish at the Mizuho Americas Open. A 2025 Rolex Junior First Team All-American, Lakhawala played in the LPGA Tour’s Kroger Queen City Championship in 2025. The New Jersey native is committed to play collegiate golf at Wake Forest University this fall.
Iris Lee – Orlando, Florida
Currently the No. 16-ranked golfer on the AJGA Rankings, Lee won the 99th Women’s Western Junior Championship in June. Her other top finishes in 2026 include fifth at The Golf Performance Academy Junior Championship, T9 at the Mizuho Americas Open and 10th at The Nelly Invitational presented by Chevron. Lee previously won the Arnold Palmer Invitational Junior in 2025.
Boys Division:
Jaden Soong – Burbank, California
He is currently ranked No. 10 in the AJGA Rankings. In 2026, Soong finished T3 at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., and added a T7 showing at the Team TaylorMade Invitational Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla. In 2025, Soong finished T2 at The PING Invitational in 2025 at The Saticoy Club in Somis, Calif.
Rory Asselta – Ramsey, New Jersey
Currently the No. 12-ranked golfer on the AJGA Rankings, Asselta captured the 2026 RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y. in June. He also recorded a T8 finish at the Wyndham Invitational presented by Odyssey at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. Previously, the New Jersey native secured a victory at the 2025 PGA High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst in Pinehurst, N.C.
Grant DeLorenzo – Houston, Texas
Holding the No. 19 spot on the AJGA Rankings, DeLorenzo recorded a T6 finish at the Scott Robertson Memorial in May before capturing a first-place finish at the Pete & Alice Dye Junior Invitational in June. He followed that with a T5 finish at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic at Bethpage Black. Looking ahead, the Texas native is set to play collegiate golf for Texas Christian University (TCU) in 2027.
Girls From the Northern Texas PGA Section in the Field (13):
- Gia Ahlowalia, Southlake, Texas
- Delaney Anderson, Carrollton, Texas
- Serina Armendariz, Murphy, Texas
- Riya Bapna, Coppell, Texas
- Elizabeth Bellendir, Coppell, Texas
- Alivia Bravo, Lantana, Texas
- Kenzi Cho, McKinney, Texas
- Tiara Dhir, Frisco, Texas
- Eileen Lee, Plano, Texas
- Lois Lee, Northlake, Texas
- Megan Lee, Frisco, Texas
- Emma Nguyen, Frisco, Texas
- Jianne No, Dallas, Texas
Boys From the Northern Texas PGA Section in the Field (14):
- Rishi Bapna, Coppell, Texas
- Knox Barnard, Waxahachie, Texas
- Wyatt Brindza, Celina, Texas
- Miles Cooper, Lubbock, Texas
- Wilson Kidwell, Dallas, Texas
- Henry Kim, Dallas, Texas
- Ryan Lee, Plano, Texas
- Jack Lyssy, Dallas, Texas
- Rafe O’Rear, Plano, Texas
- Lincoln Rubis, Farmers Branch, Texas
- Zachary Rubis, Farmers Branch, Texas
- Andrew Scott, Wylie, Texas
- Brayden Verret, Farmers Branch, Texas
- Tripp Waller, Waxahachie, Texas
For more information about the Junior PGA Championships, visit JuniorPGAChampionship.com and follow on X and Instagram.
