when the championship begins this coming weekend on the Lido course at Sand Valley in Wisconsin. The 35-year-old is among the favorites once again after claiming victory at another one of mid-amateur golf’s top events: the Crump Cup at Pine Valley. Hagestad won the title for the second time on Sunday, defeating Andrew Price, 3 and 2, to become a rare multiple winner. As the USGA wrestles with the thorny issue of amateur reinstatement, the fact Hagestad never turned pro and has had the success he has (six Walker Cup appearances) is impressive. Yes, it’s not like he’s a blue-collar worker sneaking golf in on the weekends—which he acknowledged to Golf Digest a few years back—but his longevity without having played the game for a living is duly impressive.
Then again, Bob Toski is no ordinary golf professional. The Massachusetts native was the eighth of nine surviving children whose mother died when he was just 5. To help the father pay the bills, Bob worked as a shop boy at Northampton C.C. with his brothers. After turning pro in 1947, he went broke twice on winter tours before becoming a full-time member in 1950. He was just 5 feet, 7 inches—Sam Snead nicknamed him “mouse”—but had the energy and personality to succeed on tour and eventually become one of the most respected golf instructors of all time. As today marks Toski’s 100th birthday, do yourself a favor and read this 2025 Golf Digest story from Jaime Diaz about the oldest living PGA Tour winner. If you don’t come away impressed by the man, then we question just how much you really love golf.
Matt Kuchar won six individual tournaments, was the Fred Haskins Award winner in 1998 and wound up a two-time first-team All-American. Yet this week, Cameron topped his old man when he claimed the title at the Bearcat Invitational, sharing medalist honors with Liberty’s Michael Lugiano after shooting rounds of 68-67-69 (nine under) at Coldstream C.C. outside Cincinnati, Ohio. This was just the second college start for Cameron, a decorated junior player before earning his first title. In contract, Matt Kuchar won his first title at Tech in his third career start.
That would be the case again if a bill introduced this week in Congress becomes law. Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) have authored what they’re calling the Training and Education for Americans Members in University Sports and Athletics (TEAM USA) Act (H.R. 10351). The proposed legislation would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 by limiting the number of international student-athletes on a college roster to a maximum of 20 percent. “American colleges and universities should first and foremost provide opportunities for American students,” said Walberg, chair of the House Committee on Education & Workforce, in a press release. Division I college golf rosters are set at around eight or nine players, meaning teams could carry essentially one international player if the bill were to become law. According to Walberg, since 2001, the number of international student-athletes receiving scholarships has nearly tripled, from approximately 8,945 to roughly 25,000. It’s unclear how much support this bill, which would look to go into effect during the 2029-30 academic year, has as Congress also wrestles with the Protect College Sports Act.
That was only solidified Tuesday when the USGA announced that the club will hold five more women’s championships in the coming years. In addition to another U.S. Women’s Open in 2044, Lancaster will be the site of the 2028 U.S. Girls’ Junior, 2033 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, 2037 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and the 2040 U.S. Women’s Amateur. John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer, applauded the club’s “multi-generational” commitment of the club. “Few clubs have the history, the golf course and the community support to take on that kind of responsibility, and Lancaster has already proven it on the game's biggest stage." What was even more uplifting is what Lancaster Country Club president Lauren Stadel said: “What makes this announcement so meaningful is what it represents for our entire community. These championships will inspire young girls to come out and watch the game’s best compete—and see champions crowned right here in their own backyard.”
But they had to be appreciate the drama that both matches provided. Each was played away from the shadow of the PGA Tour, giving the event golf's center stage to showcase the suspense and theater that hard core followers have witnessed for years. That’s what makes it so disappointing to realize that in 2028, the Walker Cup at Bandon Dunes and the Solheim Cup at Valhalla will be played on the same weekend (Sept. 8-10). Seriously?!? Unfortunately. The one saving grace is that Bandon is on the West Coast, allowing for live coverage in prime time out east. Even so, it’s a disservice to everybody that the USGA and LPGA couldn’t have somehow coordinated their dates to avoid the overlap.
But the spoils that Team Europe shared Sunday night on the team bus after claiming the 20th Solheim Cup were delivered with some remarkable snark. A day after a viral video of U.S. captain Angela Stanford handing out celebratory drinks to her team on Saturday night, European Solheim Cup legend Laura Davies handed out libations to her side, with the players adding this impressive retort. Take a listen:
“They drink on Saturday. We drink on Sunday.” Quite the chef’s kiss.
But the event is also doubling as a mini-training camp for the two Presidents Cup teams getting set to play at Medinah the following week. Three of Brandt Snedeker’s 12 charges will be competing—Justin Thomas, Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman—while five International players will tee it up (Nico Echavarria, Ryo Hisatsune, Corey Conners, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Nick Taylor). The event is taking place at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Asheville, N.C.
and take over for the retiring Bruce Heppler as men’s head coach at Georgia Tech sent shock waves through the college golf world. Hybl had been with the Sooners for 17 years, winning 51 tournaments there including the 2017 NCAA Championship. (Oh, and there was the little fact he was an All-American at the Tech’s biggest rival, Georgia.) But the move paid immediate dividends for Hybl and the Yellow Jackets. On Wednesday in the first event of its 2026-27 season, Georgia Tech beat Notre Dame and Texas by five shots at the Folds of Honor Collegiate. Tech freshman Max Emberson won medalist honors after shooting a final-round 67 at American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Mich. “Just so thankful for all these guys buying in,” Hybl told Golfweek. “Since June 4, our mission has been to build something that is long lasting.”
He’s one of nearly a dozen LIV golfers playing in this week’s DP World Tour event in Doonbeg, Niemann specifically competing on a sponsor’s exemption. That’s important because should LIV’s all-time victory leader be contemplating a way out of the league as it goes through bankruptcy proceedings, he has a few more hurdles to climb than some of his fellow LIV compatriots. Unlike Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and a handful of others, Niemann didn’t play the minimum number of events last year to be a member in 2026. Should he win this week, however, Niemann would be eligible for DP World Tour membership in 2027. Otherwise, to play in DP World Tour events, he’ll need more sponsor’s exemptions.
there was little surprise who topped the first PGA Tour University ranking for the 2026-27 season. Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout is in the top spot, bolstered by winning the NCAA and Big 12 titles last spring. That said, there is plenty of talent right behind him including Florida State’s Tyler Weaver (No. 2), Oklahoma’s Ryder Cowan (No. 3), Auburn’s Josiah Gilbert (No. 5), North Carolina’s Niall Sheils Donegan (No. 6) and Florida’s Luke Poulter (No. 7)—all of whom played in this past weekend’s Walker Cup. According to the PGA Tour, the top senior after the NCAA Championship next spring will earn PGA Tour membership—something Ludvig Aberg, Michael Thornbjornsen and Ben James used to their advantage in making the transition from college to the pros. The only question is how long that membership will last. A year ago, James earned a card for 2026 and 2027. But with the PGA Tour changing its structure for 2028, creating the championship and challenger series, it’s unclear what status, if any, the winner will have beyond this next season.
That’s certainly what U.S. fans are hoping for after seeing American captain Nathan Smith putting out Preston Stout and Ethan Fang in the lead foursomes pairings for Saturday’s morning session at the 51st Walker Cup. Both have missed some practice this week as they battle what’s been reported to be a stomach bug, but Smith is confident in the two veterans of the winning U.S. side in 2025 (and teammates at Oklahoma State).
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, GB&I captain Dean Robertson has all six of his veterans from Cypress Point on the tee sheet in the first session, including Tyler Weaver, who hasn’t played since April but is the top-ranked player for the home team.
For a little extra info on all the players competing this week, check out these 20 fun facts about the 20 Walker Cuppers.
with the USGA wrapping up the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in New Jersey and the U.S. Senior Amateur in Maryland. In the former at Montclair Golf Club, co-medalist Ivy Shepard faces Catherine McEvoy. Shepherd, a 26-year-old assistant women’s coach at Indiana, is playing in her first Women’s Mid-Am while McEvoy, 28, is playing for the fourth time. McEvoy overcame a 4-down deficit in her third-round match then trailed 3-down in her quarterfinal match. The winner earns a spot into the 2027 U.S. Women’s Open. In the Senior Am at Baltimore C.C.’s East Course, finalists Todd White and Mike Sposa both hail from Spartanburg, S.C., They’re also both reinstated amateurs, as were the golfers they beat in the semifinals. Both championship finals are 18-hole affairs.
