He joins elite squad for the second time
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. – Huntsville’s Tyler Watts, who is headed to the University of Tennessee next year to begin his college career, has been named to the USGA’s National Junior Team for 2026.
The USGA announced the boys and girls teams earlier this week. It’s the second-straight year that Watts, who is homeschooled, has been on the 12-man boys team.
The U.S. National Junior Team is a pillar of the U.S. National Development Program that was established in 2023 to create a unified pathway designed to nurture the potential of America’s top players. Building on last year’s team of 22 athletes, the 2026 roster features 12 boys and 12 girls from 10 states representing the country’s elite junior golf talent.
Fourteen of the 24 players, including Watts, were members of the 2025 team. Five of the 10 newcomers come from the development program’s State Junior Team program, including Eliana Saga, Mia Clausen and Jaden Soong from Team Southern California.
Watts has had an excellent 2025 season that included making the cut in two PGA Tour events – the Procore Championship and the Butterfield Bermuda Championship during the fall portion of the tour schedule. He also made it to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Junior Amateur, won the Sunnehanna Amateur by four shots, and finished runner-up in the North and South Amateur.
Members of the national team receive year-round support, including world-class coaching and analysis, sports psychology and nutritional guidance.
Last year’s team members made 34 collective appearances in USGA championships, led by the U.S. Junior Amateur (9), U.S. Amateur (8) and U.S. Girls’ Junior (7). The average World Amateur Golf Ranking of team members rose 132 spots with a collective gain of 2,933.
Teammates include Song, Talley, Coleman, Howell
“We are very excited about this group going into year three of our U.S. National Junior Team,” said Chris Zambri, head coach of the junior program. “We’ve seen tremendous growth over the first two years in our athletes and are excited to build on that momentum. We could not have had the successes we’ve had as a program without our continued support of our partners and generous donors.”
Four members of the 2026 U.S. National Junior Team are recipients of the junior development program’s support. Applications for 2026 grants closed in the fall. The new class of recipients will be announced in early 2026. In 2025, the USGA distributed more than $865,000 to 109 junior golfers and their families to assist with costs related to reaching the next stages of the competitive game, including tournament travel, coaching and equipment.
Asterisk Talley, 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champion, will be a member for a third consecutive year. In 2025, she competed in the U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally, earned co-medalist honors at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, won the Girl’s Junior PGA Championship and was runner-up at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She is currently the top-ranked junior in the WAGR at No. 11. Talley was the runner-up in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior, and represented the USA in that year’s Curtis Cup Match, defeating world No. 1 Lottie Woad, of England, in Sunday singles.
Hamilton Coleman and Mason Howell, who have both signed to play golf at the University of Georgia next fall, are making their first U.S. National Junior Team appearances after being on the USGA’s junior develo0pment program’s Georgia State Team in 2025.
Coleman won the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Trinity Forest in July. He needed 25 holes to survive his Round-of-64 match, the longest U.S. Junior Amateur match in 23 years. The Martinez, Ga., native represented the United States at the Junior Ryder Cup and is a three-time AJGA Rolex Junior All-American.
Howell won the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in August at just 18 years of age, becoming the third-youngest winner in championship history. The victory earned him a spot on the USA Walker Cup Team, where he went 2-0-1 for the victorious Americans at Cypress Point Club. He holed out for an eagle-2 to close out his Sunday foursomes match with partner Jacob Modleski. The Thomasville, Ga., native also was the medalist in the U.S. Junior Amateur at Trinity Forest, but lost in the opening round to 2025 USNJT member Henry Guan.
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Featured image Tyler Watts courtesy of Logan Whitton/USGA
