Hamilton Coleman, a 17-year-old from Augusta, Ga., made a birdie putt on the 35th hole Saturday to win the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in Dallas, 2 and 1, over Minh Nguyen of Vietnam.
Coleman held on after taking a 5-up lead after 12 holes.
As the players moved down the back nine, Nguyen, 18, couldn’t tie the match, and Coleman birdied the par-3 17th for the second time in the final to earn the title in the match-play tournament at Trinity Forest.
The two played 35 of the 36 holes on Saturday. The winner was two strokes ahead with one hole to play, negating the need for the 36th hole.
“I knew I couldn’t ease my way into winning. I had to keep hitting quality shots,” Coleman said during the trophy presentation. “It got a little tight there, but I never lost faith. I told my caddie I was nervous but not scared. I was proud of that.”
Coleman beat Sohan Patel on Friday in the quarterfinals before defeating Luke Colton in the semifinals.
Both players will receive exemptions into the U.S. Amateur at Olympic Club in San Francisco in August. Coleman also will receive a berth in the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.
–Field Level Media
