Augusta native Hamilton Coleman hangs on to win U.S. Junior over Vietnam's Minh Nguyen

Augusta, Ga., and Vietnam seemingly occupy opposite corners of the golf spectrum, but each was represented in the U.S. Junior final on Saturday, a distinctive pairing that nonetheless delivered a dramatic finish. Maybe it was not that surprising that Augusta native Hamilton Coleman won, but neither would it have been an upset had Minh Nguyen prevailed.

Coleman, 17, and 625th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, opened a 5-up lead through 12 holes on Nguyen, 18, the more experienced player and 52nd in the amateur ranking, then rode his advantage to a narrow victory, 2 and 1, in the 36-hole final at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.

“Getting off to that hot start, I knew I couldn’t just ease my way into winning,” Coleman said. “I knew I had to keep hitting quality shots. I was playing well, but he kept making putts. It got a little tight there, but I never lost faith. I told my caddie I was nervous but was never scared.”

Nguyen chiseled his deficit to three after the morning 18, yet he was 4-down with 11 holes to play in the afternoon. He rallied to cut Coleman’s lead to one with six holes to play, but was unable to square the match, which ended when Coleman holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 35th hole.

“You know, it's really cool just seeing the names that are also on that trophy,” Coleman said. “Scottie Scheffler, Tiger Woods, all the great players of the game have come through this tournament. Just to be on that level with them is a great feeling.”

Coleman withstood Nguyen’s late rally, though it required his quelling thoughts of what it would mean if he holed that clutch putt on the 35th hole. “I was just trying to stay focused on the task I have at hand, not what this could mean for me or anything," he said. "Just (wind) the ball out right. Just kind of stick to my line and make an aggressive stroke out of it.

“I know I haven't had the best season coming into this, but I know that my game can stack up to those quality of golfers if I just keep hitting quality shots and putting pressure on. It also helps that I do hit it slightly shorter than most because I'm hitting most of the shots first, so just being able to put that pressure on and then just hitting quality shots.”

The victory earned Coleman exemptions into the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, and the 2025 and ’26 U.S. Amateurs. Nguyen already was in the ’25 Amateur at the Olympic Club next month by virtue of his World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Nguyen, who will attend Oregon State in the fall, lost in the Junior Amateur quarterfinals a year ago, but this loss seemed to sting more, especially after erasing nearly all of that five-hole deficit.

“I just told myself there still was a lot of play left,” he said. “I just kept telling myself I can do it. I still need to work harder. Just not my time, I guess.”

The upside, he said, was what Nguyen's performance might mean to golf back home in Vietnam. “It's been growing a lot,” he said. “It's really good to see all the kids playing golf now back at home, to see them working and hopefully can see them one day here at the U.S. Junior or in any USGA event. Pretty excited for the future for our country. Yeah, hopefully this will motivate them. Hopefully they can look back and see, hey, we have a chance.”

Coleman, who has verbally committed to enrolling at Georgia in 2026, already is looking forward to joining that heralded program, which over the years has featured three U.S. Junior champions. “It's really cool to continue that legacy,” Coleman said. “Yeah, I'm excited for the future with the Bulldogs.”