The initial entry list for the 2026 Junior Players Championship doesn't have two-time winner and defending champion Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach (he'll be playing in the Walker Cup on that weekend), Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island (he will have enrolled at Vanderbilt) or Charlie Woods (his American Junior Golf Association ranking dropped below the top-58, one off the eligibility requirements).
But the 20th Junior Players will have 14 of the top 25 players on the AJGA rankings as of July 31, including a pair of University of Florida commits, No. 3 Guiseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach and No. 4 Jessy Huebner of Port St. Lucie.
Also in the field are No. 6 Jaden Soong of Los Angeles (uncommitted), No. 7 Ronin Banjerjee of Irvine, Calif., (Tennessee),
No. 9 Grayson Baucom of Hickory, N.C. (uncommitted) and No. 11 Sam Carraher of Crown Point Ind. (Purdue).
The 54-hole tournament begins on Sept. 4 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Admission and parking are free.
There are two First Coast players in the field, both from St. Augustine and both juniors at Tocoi Creek, Ambrose Kinnare and Kaden James.
Jack Cole, Sophia Moody lead North team
Jack Cole of Jacksonville Beach and Sophia Moody of Fleming Island both went 2-1 for the week to help the North team beat the South for the first time since 2021 in the 20th Florida Junior Cup, at the Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach.
Cole and Moody both won in singles when the North rallied from an 8.5-7.5 deficit following two rounds of doubles. Cole beat Daniel Barcena 5 and 4 and Moody topped Brooklyn Cullen 4 and 2. Also winning in singles was Elize Nograbat of St. Johns, who beat Annie Jin 3 and 2. Easton Oliva of Ponte Vedra Beach halved with Spencer Ives.
The South led 6-2 after the Four-Ball matches but Nograbat and Jonah Nacional of St. Augustine; Moody and Ayden Febres of St. Cloud; Cole and Ryan Sillaway of Longwood won Foursomes matches to cut into the margin.
A Golden moment, again
Jeff and Greta Golden of Jacksonville successfully defended their title in the Florida State Golf Association Parent-Child 10-12 division at the ChampionsGate Country Club July 25-26.
The Goldens scored 58 points in two nine-hole rounds under a Stableford format to top Ty and Mackenzie Capps by two points.
Michael Vallencourt II and Mike Vallencourt Sr., won the Child 32 and over division at ChampionsGate and the Reunion Resort, posting rounds of 68-69―137. Len Schoenfeld II and Len Schoenfeld III were third (142).
In the Child 17-22 year-old division, Cooper and Jeff Franklin of Ponte Vedra Beach shot 64-82―136 to finish fourth. Bart and Barton Abstein and Steve and Jacob Carter of St. Augustine (136) tied for fifth.
World Golf Hall of Famer to play in Florida Open
Karrie Webb, who won 41 LPGA titles and seven majors, will play in the senior Division of the Florida Women's Open July 31-Aug. 2 at the Moorings at Hawk's Nest and Bent Pine in Vero Beach.
Area players in the Open division are led by the top two players in the First Coast Women's Amateur, winner Sadaly Campbell of Fernandina Beach and runner-up Chloe Schiavone of Jacksonville, along with University of North Florida players Ava Cottis and Brianna Castaldi, Emma Wells and Addy Vogt of Jacksonville, Cambree Hodge of Fleming Island and Nograbat.
Wells and Hodge are heading for Jacksonville University this fall after helping Daytona State College win the NCAAJC National Championship.
Playing in the senior division are Therese Quinn and Kathy Nyman of Jacksonville, Laura Baugh and Chris Hunt of Ponte Vedra Beach and Shauna Snyder of Fernandina Beach.
Aubrey Fellows headed for Annapolis
Episcopal senior Aubrey Fellows has committed to enter the U.S. Naval Academy and play on the golf team.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 20th Junior Players Championship led by 14 top-25 AJGA juniors
