Moscow, Idaho. – The 71st Pacific Northwest Junior Boys’ Amateur and 70th Junior Girls’ Amateur championships are being held concurrently this week, August 10-14, at Vandal Golf Course in Moscow, Idaho. 

We will post the great work of the PNGA Media departments preview and tournament updates on this post so check back for the latest reports.

8/12/2026

Top-seeded players maintain momentum at PNGA Junior Boys’, Girls’ Amateurs

Moscow, Idaho – The quarterfinalist matches in both the PNGA Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Amateurs are set. The Boys’ championship had its rounds of 32 and 16 today, and the Girls’ championship had just its round of 16. Both championships are being held concurrently this week, August 10-14, at Vandal Golf Course in Moscow, Idaho.

Championship Links:

Junior Boys 

In the boys’ Round of 32, many of the top seeds from the week’s stroke play portion advanced. Top seed Christian Harlow (Vancouver, Wash.) defeated Jiatong (Justin) Li with by a 3 & 2 margin, earning him a round with Alex Yang in the Round of 16.

Maintaining a consistently strong playing form, Harlow was 3-up over Yang by the time they made the turn and eventually won the match 4 & 3.

Jack Brigham (Spokane, Wash.) won his Round of 32 match in 20 holes over Charlie Hilvers (Boise). Brigham was as far back as 3-down following the 11th hole, but rallied back with wins on 13, 14, 17 and 18 to tie the match and send it to extra holes. He defeated Hilvers with a birdie on the par-4 third hole.

Brigham then met Ethan Yang in the Round of 16 and never trailed. Brigham won the opening two holes, went out 2-up, and took four of the first five holes on the back side to claim a 6 & 4 win over Yang.

Justin Krasselt (Spokane) was also one of the more efficient boys’ players, claiming his Round of 32 match 7 & 5 over Owen Vestergaard. In the Round of 16, Krasselt found himself tied with Hudson O’Connell through 10 holes, but won each of holes 11-14 to take what would ultimately be a 3 & 2 win.

Results

Junior Girls

In the Junior Girls’ championship, each of the top eight seeds won their matches, though of varying margins. Qualifier Medalist Niuniu Zhao (Woodinville, Wash.) won three back-to-back pairs of holes in her match against Emily Stillert, ultimately recording a 6 & 5 victory.

No. 2 seed Amanda Peng (Bellevue, Wash.) gradually made her way to a 4 & 2 victory in her match with Evangeline Fulton. Peng won holes 1, 4 and 8 to make the turn 3-up. Fulton won the 12th to inch closer, but a par from Peng on the par-4 16th sealed her spot into the quarterfinals.

The longest match of the Girls’ championship was that of Riley Wilfong (Cle Elum) and Poppy Leigh (Kirkland). Wilfong went 2-up through the opening two holes, but neither player had a lead greater than 1-up after that. Both players went out in 39, and Wilfong eventually regained a 1-up lead at the 13th. But rallying back, Leigh won two of the next four to herself take the lead, which Wilfong evened again at the 18th. Both players tied the first three extra holes before a birdie at the par-5 fourth hole finally gave Wilfong a 22-hole victory.

The other girls’ players to advance include: 

• Finlay Nihei of Corona, Calif. 
• Cienna Lee of Lacey, Wash. 
• Yettie Bin of Surrey, B.C. 
• Ira Upadhyay of Issaquah, Wash. 
• Ella Wilson, of Hayden, Idaho

Results

To be eligible for the PNGA Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur Championships, contestants must not have reached their 19th birthday by midnight on August 14, 2026, and must have a Handicap Index or Factor not exceeding 8.4 for boys or 12.4 for girls. They must also be members in good standing of a PNGA Member Association (Alaska Golf Association, BC Golf, IGA, MSGA, OGA, WA Golf) or have received a Presidential Invitation.

The PNGA Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur championships are two of 11 major, regional amateur championships for men, women, juniors and senior conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.

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8/11/2026

Harlow and Zhao earn medalist honors as PNGA Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Championships turn to match play

(Photo Credits PNGA)

Moscow, Idaho – Christian Harlow of Vancouver, Wash. shot rounds of 65-63 (-12) to earn medalist honors at the 71st PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur, while Niuniu Zhao of Woodinville, Wash. shot rounds of 70-71 (-3) to earn medalist honors at the 70th PNGA Junior Girls’ Amateur Championship. Both championships are being held concurrently this week, August 10-14, at Vandal Golf Course in Moscow, Idaho. 

This concludes the 36-hole stroke play portion of the championships to determine the seeding for their respective match-play brackets. For the Boys’ championship, 32 players advanced; for the Girls’, 16 advanced. 

Championship Links: 

Junior Boys  

Harlow’s 12-under par score was five strokes clear of second-place Moses Haddad (Lake Owego, Ore.). Harlow was one of three players to record an opening round of 65 Monday and maintained form Tuesday. He birdied four of his first eight holes in round 2, eventually going out in 31 as a result. In the absence of any bogeys, he carded three more birdies on the back nine to secure a clean and very low round of 63. 

Harlow frequently plays in Oregon and earned a top-5 finish at the AJGA Adidas Junior All-Star at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in August 2025. On the Rocky Mountain Junior Tour that same year, he won the boys’ 14-18 division in The Southern Experience event. 

Haddad will be the Boys’ second seed, followed by Andy Metzler (Boise, -6). Six players tied at 3-under. 

Full Results

Junior Girls 

In the Girls’ championship, Zhao was the only player to record both stroke play rounds under par. After opening with a 70 that included four birdies, Zhao returned on Tuesday’s morning wave and turned in only three pars on her opening nine holes. She extinguished the damage of a third-hole double bogey with birdies on holes 4, 6 and 7, but dropped two more shots with bogeys on 8 and 9 to make the turn in 38. Settling in, she birdied the 13th before carding another grinding stretch of birdie-bogey-birdie on holes 15-17. It totaled to a back side of 33 and total of 71, a 1-under round that secured her top seed for the match play portion. 

Zhao is one of the Northwest’s best junior players. She has four total World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) contributing wins, including the 2026 Washington State Junior Amateur and 2025 WJGA State Championship. She is ranked No. 65 in the Rolex AJGA Ranking and won the 2025 K.J. Choi Foundation Seattle Junior Championship held in her hometown.  

Behind Zhao, Amanda Peng (Bellevue, Wash., -1), Ira Upadhyay (Issaquah, Wash., +2), Riley Wilfong (Cle Elum, Wash., +3) and Finlay Nihei (Corona, Calif., +5) rounded out the top five seeds. 

Full Results

To be eligible for the PNGA Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur Championships, contestants must not have reached their 19th birthday by midnight on August 14, 2026, and must have a Handicap Index or Factor not exceeding 8.4 for boys or 12.4 for girls. They must also be members in good standing of a PNGA Member Association (Alaska Golf Association, BC Golf, IGA, MSGA, OGA, WA Golf) or have received a Presidential Invitation.  

The PNGA Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur championships are two of 11 major, regional amateur championships for men, women, juniors and senior conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest. 

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8/10/2026

(Photo Credit Golf Course Gurus)

Preview

PNGA Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Amateurs being held at Vandal Golf Course

Moscow, Idaho. – The 71st Pacific Northwest Junior Boys’ Amateur and 70th Junior Girls’ Amateur championships are being held concurrently this week, August 10-14, at Vandal Golf Course in Moscow, Idaho. 

Championship Links: 

Junior Boys’: 

• Live Scoring
• Pairings
• Complete information

Junior Girls’:

• Pairings (Live Scoring available at 1:00 p.m.)
• Complete information

Both championships will consist of 36 holes of stroke play qualifying (August 10-11) to determine seeding for the match play portion of the championships. For the Boys’ championship, 32 players will advance to match play; for the Girls’, 16 players will advance. 

All matches will be contested over 18 holes in a single-elimination format, except for the two final matches, which will both be played over 36 holes on Friday, August 14. 

This will mark the third time Vandal Golf Course – home of the University of Idaho – has hosted the Boys’ championship (2001, 2009) and the first time it will have hosted the Girls’ event. The course, formerly known as the University of Idaho Golf Course, has been open since 1936 and has a long history of hosting several state and regional championships, such as the 2019 Idaho Junior Amateur. Designed by Francis L. James, Vandal GC is situated in the rolling hills of the Palouse region of western Idaho, providing its challengers with scenic views as they navigate the layout of roughly 6,700 yards.

Players to watch for this year in the Junior Boys’: 

• Andy Metzler (Boise, Idaho) – Runner-up in 2025 PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship. 
• Taighan Chea (Bothell, Wash.) – Named 2025 Washington Junior Boys’ Player of the Year. Placed third in Washington State Junior Amateur and 13th in Washington Men’s Amateur. 
• Conner Holden (Canby, Ore.) – Won 2026 Callaway FCG World Championship, boys 15–18. Won 2026 FCG Callaway West Coast Championship, college prep. 
• Mateo Gramstad (Portland, Ore.) – Won 2026 Oregon Junior Stroke Play.

The rich history of the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship includes past champions such as World Golf Hall of Fame member Fred Couples, Korn Ferry Tour players Alex Prugh and Andrew Yun, and John Bodenhamer, the former CEO and executive director of the PNGA, who is now the chief championships officer at the USGA.  

Players to watch for this year in the Junior Girls’: 

• Madeleine Conser (Portland, Ore.) – Won 2025 PNGA Junior Girls’ Amateur. Ranked No. 201 in Rolex AJGA Ranking. In 2026, has won Girls Junior Americas Cup, Oregon Women’s Amateur, Bob Norquist Oregon Junior Amateur, AJGA Junior at Geneva. 
• Niuniu Zhao (Woodinville, Wash.) — Won 2026 Washington State Junior Amateur, 2025 WJGA State Championship. Four total WAGR wins. No. 60 in Rolex AJGA Ranking. 
• Cienna Lee (Lacey, Wash.) – Won 2025, 2026 Washington Champion of Champions. Placed third in 2026 Washington State Junior Amateur. 
• Yettie Bin (Taichung, Taiwan) – T2, 2026 AJGA Junior Open at The Bridges. T3,  AJGA Renewal by Andersen Junior Open hosted by D.A. Points. 
• Amanda Peng (Bellevue, Wash.) – Won 2026 WJGA Cup. Placed third in 2026 Washington Women’s Amateur. Qualified for 2026 U.S. Girls Junior Championship.

The storied history of the PNGA Junior Girls’ Amateur includes past champions such as Jo Ann Washam, Peggy Conley, Joan Edwards-Powell, Mary Budke, and JoAnne Gunderson Carner, all of whom were later inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame after distinguished amateur and professional careers. Other past champions include LPGA Tour players Paige Mackenzie and Jimin Kang. 

To be eligible for the PNGA Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur Championships, contestants must not have reached their 19th birthday by midnight on August 14, 2026, and must have a Handicap Index or Factor not exceeding 8.4 for boys or 12.4 for girls. They must also be members in good standing of a PNGA Member Association (Alaska Golf Association, BC Golf, IGA, MSGA, OGA, WA Golf) or have received a Presidential Invitation. 

The PNGA Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur championships are two of 11 major, regional amateur championships for men, women, juniors and senior conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.

About the Pacific Northwest Golf Association 

The PNGA was founded on February 4, 1899. It is a 501c3 charitable, international, amateur golf association dedicated to preserving the true spirit of golf by supporting its member associations, conducting quality championships, and promoting activities beneficial to golfers in the Pacific Northwest. The PNGA remains committed to being a truly regional organization providing benefits and support to its member associations throughout the Northwest. For more information visit thepnga.org.