Spirit Alumnus Sam Saunders leads Team USA of Miles Russell, Ethan Fang, Farah O’Keefe and Anna Davis
HOUSTON, Texas – The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship returns to the renowned Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas, Nov. 11-14, bringing together 80 of the world’s top amateur golfers representing 20 countries and six continents in an Olympic-style team event.
Spirit alumnus and former PGA Tour professional Sam Saunders will serve as Team USA captain, returning to the championship where he represented the United States in 2005. The grandson of Arnold Palmer, Saunders will be assisted by Alli Jarrett, executive director of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.
“Playing in The Spirit in 2005 was one of the highlights of my amateur career, and it’s incredibly special to now return as Captain of Team USA,” Saunders said. “I’ve seen firsthand what this championship means to the players who compete here, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead Team USA.”
Saunders will lead a Team USA lineup featuring four of the country’s top amateurs who are all currently ranked among the Top 25 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), including Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida; Ethan Fang of Plano, Texas; Farah O’Keefe of Austin, Texas, and Anna Davis of Spring Valley, Calif.
“We have an incredible group of players, and I’m excited to watch them represent our country at Whispering Pines,” said Saunders. “Miles, Ethan, Farah and Anna have already accomplished so much at the amateur levels and they are proven winners. They have represented the United States on some of the biggest stages in amateur golf, and they bring a tremendous amount of experience and confidence to this team. I’m excited to see what they can accomplish together and even more excited to be alongside them at The Spirit.”
Saunders represented Team USA at The Spirit in 2005 alongside Jamie Lovemark, Amanda McCurdy and Paige Mackenzie, with the team finishing tied for second with South Africa. He returned to The Spirit in 2019 as an ambassador for the Spirit Charity Challenge, which featured notable Spirit alumni competing for $100,000 for their selected charities.
Saunders succeeds Nathan Smith, who served as Team USA captain in 2024.
TEAM USA – WAGR Rankings as of Sept. 30, 2026
- Miles Russell | Jacksonville Beach, Fla. | Providence School of Jacksonville (High School) | WAGR No. 6
Russell, who is committed to Florida State University, is two-time AJGA Player of the Year and in 2026 became the first player in golf history to win medalist honors at both the U.S. Junior Amateur and Western Amateur in the same calendar year. He made his major championship debut at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, making the cut as the second-youngest player to do so since World War II. At the 2026 Walker Cup, Russell and fellow teenager Tyler Watts went 2-0 in alternate-shot matches.
- Ethan Fang | Plano, Texas | Oklahoma State University | WAGR No. 11
Fang helped Oklahoma State win the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship and represented the United States in both the Walker Cup and Arnold Palmer Cup. In 2025, he became the first American since 2007 to win The
Amateur Championship, defeating Ireland’s Gavin Tiernan at Royal St. George’s. He made his Masters debut in April.
- Farah O’Keefe | Austin, Texas | University of Texas | WAGR No. 1
O’Keefe is currently ranked No. 1 in WAGR rankings. She won the 2026 NCAA individual championship at 12-under par and played a key role in Team USA’s Curtis Cup victory, going 5-0 in her matches, only the fourth player in Curtis Cup history to accomplish the feat. The 2026 Golfweek Player of the Year also received the Honda Sport Award for Golf and the 2026 ANNIKA Award. She helped lead Team USA to the 2025 World Amateur Team Championship and represented Team USA in the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup.
- Anna Davis | Spring Valley, Calif. | Auburn | WAGR No. 22
Davis won the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship and the 2021 Girls Junior PGA
Championship. She has represented the United States in the 2023 World Amateur Team Championship, 2023 Junior Ryder Cup and 2023 Pan American Games, as well as the 2021 and 2023 Junior Solheim Cups. She also competed in three Arnold Palmer Cups, helping Team USA win the 2024 championship, and two Curtis Cups, helping lead Team USA to the 2026 championship.
The Spirit brings together teams of two men and two women representing 20 countries, including Argentina, Australia,
Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, England, France, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and the United States. Teams will compete over 54 holes of four-ball stroke play in three concurrent competitions: international team, men’s team and women’s team. Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in each competition. (One more country TBD)
“The Spirit is about bringing together the very best amateur golfers from around the world, and this year’s field is a tremendous reflection of what makes this championship so special,” said Shelby DeVore, tournament director. “We have an incredible collection of rising stars, national champions and players who have already represented their countries on the biggest stages in amateur golf. To welcome them to Whispering Pines, one of the finest courses in the country, is a privilege for everyone involved with The Spirit.”
WORLD-CLASS FIELD RETURNS TO WHISPERING PINES
The 2026 Spirit field features an impressive collection of international amateur talent with 23 players currently ranked in the Top 50, including the reigning U.S. Amateur and Women’s Amateur champions, the world’s No. 3-ranked male amateur, multiple top-50 World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) players, and numerous Walker Cup and Curtis Cup competitors. Among the notable players committed are:
- Jack Whaley, England – WAGR No. 47; 2026 U.S. Amateur champion at Merion; Florida State University,
- Tyler Weaver, England – WAGR No. 3; Walker Cup player and Florida State standout
- Charlotte Naughton, England – WAGR No. 48; 2026 European Ladies Amateur champion; Curtis Cup player; University of Texas,
- Sophia Fullbrook, England – WAGR No. 23; won four matches at the 2026 Curtis Cup, Florida State University
- Valentine Delon, France – WAGR No. 35; 2026 Women’s Amateur champion at Muirfield; Virginia Tech University
- Sara Brentcheneff, France – WAGR No. 30; winner of a professional developmental-tour event as an amateur, University of Arkansas
- Lev Grinberg, France – WAGR No. 39; St Andrews Links Trophy champion and 2026 Open participant, University of Arkansas
- Raegan Denton, Australia – WAGR No. 49; Australian Master of the Amateurs champion and Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur champion, LSU
- Amelia Harris, Australia – Australian Junior Amateur champion and winner of a professional event while still an amateur, University of South Carolina
The 2026 championship marks another chapter in The Spirit’s tradition of showcasing the world’s top amateur golfers at Whispering Pines, with many past participants going on to successful professional careers.
Previous Spirit International competitors who are now or have previously been professionals on the LPGA and PGA
TOUR include Lorena Ochoa, Brooke Henderson, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Francesco Molinari, Lexi Thompson,
Brandt Snedeker, who recently led Team USA to victory at the President’s Cup, Paula Creamer, Jason Day, Bronte Law, Martin Kaymer, Maria Fassi, Viktor Hovland, Rose Zhang and more. Spirit alumni have gone on to win more than 31 major championships, 684 professional titles won on the PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour, DP World Tour, Challenger Tour, LPGA TOUR, Ladies DP World Tour; 25 PGA Tour winners, 31 European Tour winners, 41 LPGA winners and 23 Ladies European Tour winners. There are also 20 Olympic appearances with Scheffler winning gold in 2024 and CT Pan winning bronze in 2021.
The Course – Whispering Pines
Whispering Pines Golf Club is one of the best private golf clubs in the country. The club was founded not only to offer its discerning contributors a superior golf experience on an exceptional course, but also to promote amateur golf and to benefit charitable causes on a local, national and international level. Whispering Pines is currently ranked No. 1 in Texas and No. 66 on Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Courses list, and Golf Digest also ranks it No. 10 among the 50 greatest courses built since 2000. The Dallas Morning News also ranks Whispering Pines No. 1 in Texas, while Golfweek’s 2026 Top 200 Modern Courses ranking lists it tied for No. 37.
The Host – The Spirit Golf Association
The Spirit Golf Association, 501(c)(3), serves as the host for The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship. The Spirit Golf Association (SGA–formerly the World Health & Golf Association) was formed in 1999, by Houston
philanthropist Corbin (Corby) J. Robertson, Jr. With a passionate vision, Corby turned the SGA into reality by establishing a unique charitable organization that benefits health-related causes while promoting the global goodwill of amateur golf. With the encouragement of close friends and family, Corby established the SGA with a mission for philanthropic minded people to support charitable causes, membership privileges at a world class golf property, and to conduct The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship.
