ELMSFORD, N.Y. (August 3, 2026) – The 24th Carter Cup takes place Tuesday, August 4, once again at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. This is the second year that the junior invitational will crown a pair of winners following the addition of a girls’ division in 2025.
Related: Pairings | Carter Cup History | Carter Cup Records
The invitation is one of the most coveted in junior golf, as competitors vie for the title over both the Upper and Lower Course. Last year, the championship began on the Lower and concluded on the Upper, which had just opened earlier in the year after a complete renovation led by Gil Hanse. Hanse also renovated the Lower Course in 2020.
This year, juniors will return to the traditional sequence, playing the Upper in the morning before deciding the winners on the Lower in the afternoon.
The Carter Cup was first played in 2003 and is named in honor of Michael P. Carter, an accomplished junior player at Baltusrol and standout member of the golf team at New Jersey’s Delbarton School who died in a car accident in 2002. Carter had won the junior club championships at both Baltusrol and Winged Foot, and at the time of his death, played for Penn State.
The boys’ division has long featured the region’s top players, as invites are determined by top results in area events. In its second year, the girls’ division continues its growth.
New Winners in ‘26
After wins last year by Lucas Rizo-Patron of Rye, N.Y., and Amelie Phung of Forest Hills, N.Y., neither player is in the field this year, so a new champion will be crowned in both divisions. Rizo-Patron had a strong first year at Richmond University, winning the Atlantic 10 individual title. This year he heads to UCLA to continue to his collegiate career.
Continued Expansion
The MGA and Baltusrol are proud of the addition of a girls’ division to the field in 2025. The field contains some of the region’s most accomplished players, many having achieved victories this season or competed on the national stage:
Jessica Kim, Tenafly, N.J. – Competed in U.S. Girls’ Junior and Junior PGA Championship
Sharon Kim, Fort Lee, N.J. – Winner, WMGA Junior Girls’ Open
Eve Krinsky, New York, N.Y. – Winner, Borck Junior (CSGA)
Taerin Lee, Jericho, N.Y. – Winner, MGA/WMGA Women’s Public Links and New York Girls’ 14U
Anna Park, Martinsville, N.J. – Multiple wins across NJPGA and U.S. Kid’s Teen Series
Alexandra Phung, Forest Hills, N.Y. – Dye Junior Invitational (Ind.), Palm Beach County Women’s Amateur (Fla.)
Boys’-Carter Cup Double
Cameron Wilson is the only player to have won both the MGA/MetLife Boys’ Championship and the Carter Cup in his career, a feat accomplished in 2009. Four players have the opportunity to complete the double: Ken Fernandes of Chappaqua, N.Y. (2023); Zach Berger of Remsenberg, N.Y. (2024); Minho Chung of Mahopac, N.Y. (2025); and Palmer Vetri of New York, N.Y. (2026).
Junior Player of the Year
The Carter Cup is another marquee event in the season-long race for the MGA Junior Player of the Year Award, Presented by Callaway, which is now in its 10th year. This year’s Met Junior champion Rory Asselta leads the way, but is not in the field, giving others a chance to trim the deficit. Seven of the top 10 players in the current points standings are in the field, including Josh Yan of Newburgh, N.Y. (3rd, 385 pts behind Asselta).
Amateur to Carter Cup
Six players in the field are continuing busy summers by going from the Met Amateur last week at Deepdale to the Carter Cup at Baltusrol: Enzo Allain, Zach Berger, Christopher Capello, Felix Petrillo, Ryan Sun, and Walker Sventy.
Coverage
• Hole-by-hole scoring throughout both rounds
• Social media: MGA1897 on Instagram, X, and Facebook
• Scoring, recaps, photos, and videos on mgagolf.org
