The names pop off the page: Scottie Scheffler, Lexi Thompson, Jordan Spieth, Paula Creamer, Brandt Snedeker, Will Zalatoris, Rose Zhang and plenty more.
All went on to do big things in golf. And all made their way at some point to a tiny Texas town that just happens to be home to one of the country’s most highly regarded golf courses.
The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship returns to Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas, Nov. 11-14, bringing together 80 of the world’s top amateur golfers from 20 countries and six continents for an Olympic-style team competition. The aforementioned names were just some of the many to roll through the Chet Williams-designed golf course that has ranked No. 1 in Texas on Golfweek's Best private
courses list.
This time, another familiar name is coming back. Sam Saunders will captain Team USA, returning 21 years after representing the United States at The Spirit in 2005. He’ll be assisted by Alli Jarrett, executive director of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.
Saunders won’t be lacking for talent.
Team USA features four players ranked among the top 25 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings: Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida; Ethan Fang of Plano, Texas; Farah O’Keefe of Austin, Texas; and Anna Davis of Spring Valley, California.
“We have an incredible group of players, and I’m excited to watch them represent our country at Whispering Pines,” Saunders said. “Miles, Ethan, Farah and Anna have already accomplished so much at the amateur levels and they are proven winners."
For an event with a history of providing an early look at golf’s next generation of stars, there’s always the same intriguing question: Which of this year’s names will someday pop off the page, too?
Farah O'Keefe (Texas); current WAGR: No. 1
O’Keefe leads the group at No. 1 in the world after winning the 2026 NCAA individual championship at 12 under and going 5-0 in Team USA’s Curtis Cup victory. The Texas standout, Golfweek Player of the Year and ANNIKA Award winner, became just the fourth player in Curtis Cup history to post a 5-0 record.
Miles Russell (Florida State); current WAGR: No. 6
Russell became the first golfer to earn medalist honors at both the U.S. Junior Amateur and Western Amateur in the same calendar year. The Florida State commit also made the cut in his major championship debut at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and teamed with Tyler Watts to go 2-0 in alternate-shot matches at the 2026 Walker Cup.
Ethan Fang (Oklahoma State); current WAGR: No. 11
Fang helped Oklahoma State win the 2025 NCAA Division I men’s championship and has represented the United States in the Walker Cup and Arnold Palmer Cup. He became the first American since 2007 to win The Amateur Championship when he defeated Ireland’s Gavin Tiernan at Royal St. George’s in 2025.
Anna Davis (Auburn); current WAGR: No. 22
Davis won the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and 2021 Girls Junior PGA Championship and has built an extensive résumé representing the United States, including appearances in the Curtis Cup, Arnold Palmer Cup, World Amateur Team Championship, Junior Ryder Cup, Pan American Games and Junior Solheim Cup.
"They have represented the United States on some of the biggest stages in amateur golf," Saunders said. "And they bring a tremendous amount of experience and confidence to this team.”
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor of Golfweek and the golf coordinator of the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Miles Russell, Farah O'Keefe head up U.S. roster at Spirit International
