The 120th Ohio Amateur Championship gets underway on Tuesday at The Virtues Golf Club.
144 players will look to make Ohio golf history this week and add their name to the Governor’s Cup.
The champion of the Ohio Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into next month’s 2026 U.S. Amateur Championship at Merion Golf Club. The top-5 finishers & ties will be exempt through local qualifying of the 2027 U.S. Amateur Championship. The top-20 finishers & ties will be exempt for the 2027 Ohio Amateur Championship.
Former champions of the Ohio Amateur Championship include Ben Curtis, Arnold Palmer, John Cook, and Jason Kokrak, among others.
ABOUT THE COURSE
The Virtues Golf Club in Nashport, Ohio is a par-72 course designed by renowned architect Arthur Hills. The golf club opened in 1999 and features wide fairways, good views, and rugged elevation.
Widely recognized as one of the best and most challenging public-access courses in the United States, it has frequently featured in top 100 public course rankings by major publications like Golf Digest and Golfweek.
New tees have been added in the past year on 7, 11, 14, 15, and 17 to extend the maximum length of the golf course by 131 yards, now totaling 7,374 yards.
INSIDE THE FIELD
Defending champion Joe Wilson IV will look to become the 11th player in Ohio Amateur Championship history to win back-to-back titles.
Other past champions in the field include Stephen Anderson, Austin Sipe, and Nathan Kerns.
Vaughn Harber, a participant in this year’s U.S. Open Championship, figures to be one of the favorites this week at The Virtues.
OTHER NOTABLES
Jeg Coughlin III: 2025 Ohio Mid-Amateur champion and U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship runner-up
Four of the last five Ohio Junior champions are in the field; including Finley Bartlett, Brady Catalano, Braden Herstich, and Liam Curtis.
TJ Kreusch: runner-up at the 2025 Ohio Amateur Championship.
Logan Sutto: runner-up at the 2025 Virtues Intercollegiate thanks to a final round 64. Sutto also co-led after day one of the 2025 Ohio Amateur Championship.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Instagram: @ohiogolf1904
X: @ohiogolf
Facebook: Ohio Golf Association
