Monthly Archives: February 2026
PGA of America Partners with Punta Coral in Colombia
New Resort Development to include first PGA of America Golf Academy in South America
FRISCO, Texas. — The PGA of America has announced a strategic partnership with Punta Coral in Cartagena, Colombia, to develop PGA Punta Coral—the first PGA-affiliated golf facility in South America. Construction is scheduled to begin this spring.
Punta Coral is a premier mixed-use resort development that will showcase the 18-hole facility designed by award-winning architects Ron Garl and Ricky Nix. The course, designed for both residents and visiting players, will also host the first PGA of America Golf Academy in Colombia. The academy will introduce the Association’s player engagement programs, with a strong focus on beginner and junior development.
A new academy building, which will be located alongside the state-of-the-art practice areas, will also serve local golf professionals seeking to complete the PGA of America’s education pathways, supporting career growth and professional development in Colombia’s expanding golf market.
“Punta Coral’s dedication to creating a world-class golf facility and fostering the growth of the game in Colombia aligns seamlessly with the PGA of America’s mission to promote sustainable, long-term development of the game worldwide,” said PGA of America Director of Global Development Sean Thornberry, PGA. “This partnership unlocks new opportunities to grow the sport in one of the most promising golf regions in South America.”
“The arrival of the PGA of America to the Continent for the first time is not just a mark of quality, it’s an immense achievement and a sign for what’s to come,” said German Calle, VP of Marketing for Punta Coral. “We will work together for the good of golf in the entire region.”
With this agreement, the PGA of America now has branded golf-facility partnerships in eight countries, including Mexico, Dominican Republic, Morocco, China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam and Colombia.
Entries Open for 126th U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that online entry applications are now available for the 126th U.S. Open Championship, to be played from June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.
Thousands of golfers will attempt to qualify for the championship through a two-stage process, with a final field of 156 players advancing to Shinnecock, where a U.S. Open champion will be crowned. Non-exempt players will compete in one of 110 18-hole local qualifiers (108 in the United States and one each in Canada and Mexico) between April 20 and May 18.
Nearly 1,000 players will then compete in 36-hole final qualifying, scheduled at 13 sites worldwide. Final qualifying is set to be contested in England (May 18), Japan (May 25) and Canada (June 8) as well as 10 U.S. sites, one on May 18 in Dallas, Texas, and nine on June 8, which also is known throughout the industry as “Golf’s Longest Day.”
There are 25 categories for full exemptions into the U.S. Open, including the top 5 players in the 2026 FedExCup standings as of May 18, who are not otherwise exempt. Players can also gain access by being among the top 60 points leaders (and ties) in the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 18 and those who move into a second OWGR top 60 on June 15. The top player in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai as of May 18 who is not otherwise exempt also will gain entry into the field.
Entry applications, along with a list of qualifying sites, can be accessed at champs.usga.org, and entries will be accepted through Wednesday, April 9, at 5 p.m. EDT. To be eligible for 2026 U.S. Open qualifying, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 0.4, or be a professional.
Allied Golf Associations (AGAs) in the United States, as well as the DP World Tour, Japan Golf Association, Golf Canada and Mexican Golf Federation, are working with the USGA to provide thousands of entrants from all backgrounds with the opportunity to compete for a spot in the year’s third major championship. This collaboration with AGAs allows for an open qualifying process in all five USGA Open Championships.
Since 2004, an average of 77.9 players (virtually half) in the U.S. Open field have advanced through one or both stages of qualifying. At the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, 70 players in the 156-player field earned their spot through qualifying. Of those 70 players, 15 made the cut, including four finishing in the top 20 overall. Carlos Ortiz, of Mexico, finished in a tie for fourth and is now exempt into this year’s championship.
Entry applications for four other USGA Open Championships are also now available. The 81st U.S. Women’s Open Championship Presented by Ally will be played June 4-7 at The Riviera Country Club, in Pacific Palisades, Calif. The 46th U.S. Senior Open Championship will be contested July 2-5 at Scioto Country Club, in Columbus, Ohio., and the 8th U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship will be held Aug. 20-23, at Barton Hills Country Club, in Ann Arbor, Mich. The 5th U.S. Adaptive Open will be held from July 6-8 at Woodmont Country Club’s South Course, in Rockville, Md.
Past U.S. Opens contested at Shinnecock Hills include the second U.S. Open in 1896, when James Foulis outlasted defending champion Horace Rawlins by three strokes, and the 100th U.S. Open in 1995, won by Corey Pavin over Greg Norman by two strokes.
Shinnecock Hills also hosted the U.S. Open in 1986, when Raymond Floyd broke away from Chip Beck and Lanny Wadkins to win by two strokes, and in 2004, when Retief Goosen captured his second U.S. Open, defeating Phil Mickelson by two. Brooks Koepka successfully defended his U.S. Open title in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills, after winning at Erin Hills a year earlier.
USGA Announces Qualifying Sites for 126th U.S. Open
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. – Local and final qualifying sites for the 126th U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in Southampton, N.Y., have been announced by the USGA. The championship proper will be contested from June 18-21.
Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 110 sites in 46 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico, will take place between April 20-May 18. Those advancing players will join a group of locally exempt competitors in final qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 13 sites. Final qualifying will be held in England (May 18), Japan (May 25) and Canada (June 8) as well as 10 U.S. sites, one on May 18 and the remaining nine on June 8, known across the industry as “Golf’s Longest Day,” which will receive ten hours of coverageon Golf Channel.
“The U.S. Open is the most open championship in golf,” said USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer. “It is a global invitation into the United States’ national championship, and Allied Golf Associations in the United States, the DP World Tour, and national federations in Canada, Japan and Mexico will collaborate in providing a path to the championship through our qualifying stages. Thousands of professional and amateur golfers with diverse backgrounds will have an opportunity to earn a place in this year’s championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.”
Online player registration for the 2026 U.S. Open will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 9 a.m. ET and continue through Wednesday, April 8, at 5 p.m. ET. Competitors can register at champs.usga.org.
The USGA accepted a record 10,202 entries for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, which marked the fourth time in championship history that the number of entries exceeded 10,000. The previous record was established in 2023 when 10,187 entries were accepted for the championship at The Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club.
To be eligible, one must be an amateur with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 0.4 or be a professional. California leads the way with 14 local qualifying sites, followed by Florida with 13.
Illini Country Club, in Springfield, Ill., will hold a U.S. Open local qualifier for the 47th consecutive year in which qualifying has been conducted, and the 52nd time since 1973. Riverton (Wyo.) Country Club and Ironwood Country Club, in Palm Desert, Calif., will each host local qualifying for the 28th time. Collindale Golf Course, in Fort Collins, Colo., has been a host site since 2003.
River Landing, in Wallace, N.C., has been a regular local qualifying spot for three decades, hosting from 1998-2006 and from 2008 to the present. The Country Club of Sioux Falls (S.D.) has hosted local qualifying for the past 12 years and 17 of the last 20 years. Southampton Golf Club, adjacent to Shinnecock Hills, is hosting a local qualifier for the first time since 2022.
Woodmont Country Club, in Rockville, Md., will be a final qualifying site for the 39th time in the last 41 years, with its North Course exclusively being used for the 12th consecutive time. Springfield (Ohio) Country Club will host final qualifying for the 17th time. Century Country Club, in Purchase, N.Y., is hosting final qualifying for the 22nd time since 1970 and is paired with the Country Club of Purchase (N.Y.) for the first time. Old Oaks Country Club served as co-host the previous 22 times. The Lakes Golf & Country Club, in Westerville, Ohio, is hosting final qualifying for the 16th time since 1999.
Walton Heath Golf Club, in England, was a site when international qualifying began in 2005. The Old and New Courses will host final qualifying for the 19th time. For the second consecutive year, Lambton Golf & Country Club, in Canada’s Ontario province, will host a final qualifier ahead of the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open. Hino Golf Club, is a final qualifying site in Japan for the second time in the last three years.
Several players who made it through final qualifying finished in the top 25 at the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont, including Carlos Ortiz, of Mexico, who finished in a tie for fourth and is exempt into this year’s championship. Ortiz made his fifth U.S. Open start in 2025 after posting 8-under 134 in the Dallas final qualifier.
Other players who made it through final qualifying who finished in the top 25 at Oakmont include Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Victor Perez, Emiliano Grillo, Chris Gotterup and Matt Wallace. Gotterup, now a four-time PGA Tour winner, is exempt into the field for 2026.
Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only players to win the U.S. Open after advancing through both qualifying stages. Gene Littler (1961), Julius Boros (1963), Jerry Pate (1976), Steve Jones (1996), Michael Campbell (2005) and Lucas Glover (2009) won after advancing through final qualifying. Campbell, of New Zealand, won in the first year the USGA introduced international qualifying.
Several U.S. Open champions have advanced to the championship through both local and final qualifying at some point in their careers, including Glover (2009), David Graham (1981), Lou Graham (1975), Hale Irwin (1974, 1979, 1990), Tony Jacklin (1970), Lee Janzen (1993, 1998), Tom Kite (1982), Johnny Miller (1973), Corey Pavin (1995), J.J. Spaun (2025), Curtis Strange (1988, 1989), Lee Trevino (1968, 1971), Gary Woodland (2019) and Fuzzy Zoeller (1984).
Past U.S. Opens contested at Shinnecock Hills include the second U.S. Open in 1896, when James Foulis outlasted defending champion Horace Rawlins by three strokes, and the 100th U.S. Open in 1995, won by Corey Pavin over Greg Norman by two strokes.
Shinnecock Hills also hosted the U.S. Open in 1986, when Raymond Floyd broke away from Chip Beck and Lanny Wadkins to win by two strokes, and in 2004, when Retief Goosen captured his second U.S. Open, defeating Phil Mickelson by two. Brooks Koepka successfully defended his U.S. Open title in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills, holding off Tommy Fleetwood by a stroke.
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is the only course to host the national championship in three different centuries.
In 1894, Shinnecock Hills was one of the founding clubs of the USGA along with The Country Club, in Brookline, Mass., Newport (R.I.) Country Club, Chicago (Ill.) Golf Club and Saint Andrew’s Golf Club, in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. It is also the home of the first clubhouse in the United States, designed by Stanford White and opened in 1892.
2026 U.S. Open Championship Local Qualifying Sites (110)
Monday, April 20 (8)
Oro Valley (Ariz.) Country Club
Del Rio Country Club, Modesto, Calif.
Wichita Falls (Texas) Country Club
The Territory Golf and Country Club, Duncan, Okla.
Solina Golf Club, West Columbia, S.C.
Druid Hills Golf Club, Atlanta, Ga.
Eastpointe Country Club (East Course), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Persimmon Ridge Golf Club, Louisville, Ky.
Tuesday, April 21 (2)
Woodland Golf Club, Auburndale, Mass.
The Club at Nevillewood, Presto, Pa.
Wednesday, April 22 (2)
Club de Golf La Hacienda, Mexico City, Mexico
Stonewall Orchard Golf Club, Grayslake, Ill.
Monday, April 27 (10)
Parkersburg Country Club, Vienna, W.V.
Ridgewood Country Club, Waco, Texas
Barton Creek Country Club at Lakeside, Spicewood, Texas
Medford Village (N.J.) Country Club
Rams Hill Golf Club, Borrego Springs, Calif.
Four Bridges Country Club, Liberty Township, Ohio
Fairmont Country Club, Chatham, N.J.
Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, Ind.
Hidden Valley Country Club, Reno, Nev.
The Club at Carlton Woods (Nicklaus Course), The Woodlands, Texas
Tuesday, April 28 (5)
Pearl at Kalauao, Aiea, Oahu, Hawai’i
Findlay (Ohio) Country Club
Southampton (N.Y.) Golf Club
Eagle Trace Golf Club, Coral Springs, Fla.
Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course), Palm Harbor, Fla.
Thursday, April 30 (5)
Kings Country Club, Hanford, Calif.
La Purisima Golf Course, Lompoc, Calif.
Wailua Golf Club, Lihue, Hawai’i
Country Club of York (Pa.)
The Home Course, DuPont, Wash.
Monday, May 4 (18)
The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.)
Lake Nona (Fla.) Golf & Country Club
Avila Golf & Country Club, Tampa, Fla.
North Oaks (Minn.) Golf Club
Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Country Club
Brentwood Country Club, Los Angeles, Calif.
Indian Ridge Country Club (Grove Course), Palm Desert, Calif.
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, Maricopa, Ariz.
Plum Hollow Country Club, Southfield, Mich.
Illini Country Club, Springfield, Ill.
North Shore Country Club (Red & White Courses), Glenwood Landing, N.Y.
Raven Golf Club at Sandestin (Fla.)
Secession Golf Club, Beaufort, S.C.
Stonebrae Country Club, Hayward, Calif.
Morris Park Country Club, South Bend, Ind.
Crestview Country Club (North Course), Wichita, Kan.
The Country Club of Sioux Falls (S.D.)
Chester Valley Golf Club, Malvern, Pa.
Tuesday, May 5 (10)
Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, Westminster, Colo.
Great River Golf Club, Milford, Conn.
Hot Springs Country Club (Arlington Course), Hot Springs, Ark.
Ruby Hill Golf Club, Pleasanton, Calif.
WingHaven Country Club, St. Louis, Mo.
Andalusia Country Club, La Quinta, Calif.
Collindale Golf Course, Fort Collins, Colo.
North Shore Country Club (Red & White), Mequon, Wis.
Red Hawk Golf Club, Las Cruces, N.M.
The Country Club, Morristown, Tenn.
Wednesday, May 6 (6)
Plantation Bay Country Club (Founders – North/South), Ormond Beach, Fla.
Moorings at Hawk’s Nest, Vero Beach, Fla.
Turf Valley Resort (Original Course), Ellicott City, Md.
Omaha (Neb.) Country Club
Pasatiempo Golf Club, Santa Cruz, Calif.
River Landing, Wallace, N.C.
Thursday, May 7 (4)
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Silver Lakes (Backbreaker/Heartbreaker), Gadsden, Ala.
Rancho La Quinta Country Club (Jones Course), La Quinta, Calif.
Thorncreek Golf Course, Thornton, Colo.
Riverton (Wyo.) Country Club
Monday, May 11 (24)
St. Thomas (Ontario, Canada) Golf & Country Club
The Club at P.B. Dye, Ijamsville, Md.
Canongate-on-White-Oak (Old Course), Newnan, Ga.
Phoenix (Ariz.) Country Club
Marsh Creek Country Club, St. Augustine, Fla.
Shingle Creek Golf Club, Orlando, Fla.
Vineyards Country Club (North Course), Naples, Fla.
The Club at Sonterra (North Course), San Antonio, Texas
Classic Club, Palm Desert, Calif.
The Links at Greystone, Walworth, N.Y.
Duke University Golf Club, Durham, N.C.
Battle Creek (Mich.) Country Club
Fairview Country Club, Greenwich, Conn.
Metropolis Country Club, White Plains, N.Y.
Elmhurst Country Club, Moscow, Pa.
Mendakota Country Club, Mendota Heights, Minn.
Willow Creek Country Club, Sandy, Utah
Scioto Reserve Country Club, Powell, Ohio
Hallbrook Country Club, Leawood, Kan.
Flossmoor (Ill.) Golf Club
Nashville Golf & Athletic Club, Brentwood, Tenn.
Papago Golf Course, Phoenix, Ariz.
Creekside Golf Club, Salem, Ore.
Shaker Ridge Country Club, Albany, N.Y.
Tuesday, May 12 (11)
Weymouth Country Club, Medina, Ohio
Keswick (Va.) Golf Club
Ironwood Country Club (South Course), Palm Desert, Calif.
Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, Mission Viejo, Calif.
Missoula (Mont.) Country Club
The Cardinal by Pete Dye, Greensboro, N.C.
Meadow Springs Country Club, Richland, Wa.
Hackberry Creek Country Club, Irving, Texas
UNM Championship Golf Course, Albuquerque, N.M.
Berkshire Hills Country Club, Pittsfield, Mass.
Kirkbrae Country Club, Lincoln, R.I.
Wednesday, May 13 (4)
Kensington Golf & Country Club, Naples, Fla.
Mallard Golf Club, Lake Charles, La.
Warm Springs Golf Course, Boise, Idaho
Casablanca Golf Club, Mesquite, Nev.
Monday, May 18 (1)
Palmer (Alaska) Golf Course
2026 U.S. Open Championship Final Qualifying Sites (13)
Monday, May 18 (2)
Dallas (Texas) Athletic Club (Blue/Gold)
Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey, England
Monday, May 25 (1)
Hino Golf Club (King Course), Shiga Prefecture, Japan
Monday, June 8 (10)
Hawks Ridge Golf Club, Ball Ground, Ga.
Lambton Golf & Country Club, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Lakes Golf & Country Club, Westerville, Ohio
Woodmont Country Club (North Course), Rockville, Md.
BallenIsles Country Club (East Course), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Century Country Club, Purchase, N.Y. & Golf Club of Purchase (N.Y.)
Gaston Country Club, Gastonia, N.C.
Del Paso Country Club, Sacramento, Calif.
Springfield (Ohio) Country Club
Emerald Valley Golf Club, Creswell, Ore.
