Tournament: 99th Women’s Western Junior Championship
Dates: June 9-12, 2026
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Course: Meridian Hills Country Club
Par/Yards: 72/6,371
Format: 36 holes stroke play qualifying, low 16 advance to match play
Live Scoring: GolfGenius

INDIANAPOLIS – Some of the world’s top junior golfers will compete June 9-12 at Meridian Hills Country Club in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the 99th Women’s Western Junior Championship.

First held in 1920, the Women’s Western Junior is one of the oldest junior golf championships in the United States and has long served as a proving ground for future LPGA stars. The championship’s list of past winners includes Candie Kung (1998), Cristie Kerr (1994), Grace Park (1993) and Nancy Lopez, who captured three consecutive titles from 1972-74.

Alumni of the championship have combined for 218 LPGA Tour victories, 10 Solheim Cup appearances and six major championship victories.

This year's championship features an elite field of junior golfers from across the United States and around the world competing for one of junior golf's most prestigious titles.

Championship play begins with 36 holes of stroke play qualifying. The field of 78 will then be cut to the low 16 for match play. The championship's winner and runner-up will earn exemptions into the 2026 Women's Western Amateur, scheduled for July 6-11 at River Forest Country Club in Elmhurst, Illinois.

Among the 78 players in this year’s field, 25 have committed to playing collegiate golf. Players in the field represent 20 different states, as well as six foreign countries. The field includes several of the nation’s top-ranked junior golfers, highlighted by:

  • Grace Carter (Jupiter, Florida) – The highest-ranked player in the field at No. 11 in the AJGA Rankings and No. 139 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Carter was a semifinalist at the 2025 U.S. Girls’ Junior and recently captured the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship after rounds of 69-66-66. She also finished runner-up at The Nelly Invitational in May.
  • Iris Lee (Orlando, Florida) – Ranked No. 24 nationally, Lee enters the championship following two AJGA victories in 2025, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational Junior. She also won the 2026 Florida Junior Tour President’s Day Major and posted a top-10 finish at The Nelly Invitational.
  • Alexandra Snyder (Orlando, Florida) – Ranked No. 32 nationally, Snyder captured the 2025 CDW Girls Junior All-Star Championship, highlighted by a course-record 64 in the final round. She also owns victories at the 2026 PKBGT RocketTour Girls Championship and the 2025 Visit Goldsboro NC Junior Championship. Snyder enters the championship following a T-11 finish at The Nelly Invitational.
  • Maria Isabella Errichetto (Southern Pines, North Carolina) – A Virginia commit ranked No. 49 nationally, Errichetto has already won two events in 2026: the AJGA Junior at Indiana and the Campeonato Sudamericano Juvenil. She also captured the 2025 PKBGT Tour Championship, finished sixth at last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational Junior and placed 14th at the World Junior Girls Championship.
  • Kara An (Valencia, California) – A Clemson commit ranked No. 96 nationally, An returns after finishing runner-up at the 2025 Women’s Western Junior Championship. She has recorded multiple top-10 AJGA finishes in 2026, including appearances at the AJGA Junior at Rayburn Resort and AJGA Junior at Old Hickory. An most recently finished T-6 at the Ochsner Health/AJGA New Orleans Classic.

INDIANA CONNECTIONS

  • Ava Bunker (Edinburgh) – The Indiana University commit and AJGA No. 51-ranked player is one of the top Hoosier State competitors in the field. Bunker won the 2025 Pete & Alice Dye Junior Invitational and added top-10 finishes at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and North & South Junior Amateur.
  • Josie Kelley (Noblesville) – Competing on a club exemption, Kelley enters the championship following a runner-up finish at the 2025 Indiana Girls State Junior Championship. She has recorded top-10 finishes at the Indiana State Tournament in each of the past three years.
  • Taylor Snively (Zionsville) – Ranked No. 113 nationally, Snively advanced to the Round of 16 at last year's Women’s Western Junior Championship. She captured the 2025 Future Legends Junior Championship and has posted three AJGA top-20 finishes in 2026.

“This championship has long been a showcase for the next generation of stars in women’s golf,” said WWGA President Susan Buchanan. “We’re excited to welcome an exceptional field to Meridian Hills Country Club and continue a tradition that has helped shape the future of the LPGA Tour for more than a century.”

A HISTORIC HOST VENUE
Designed by William Diddel in 1923, Meridian Hills Country Club is one of the premier championship venues in the Midwest. Known for its rolling terrain, tree-lined fairways and demanding greens, the club previously hosted the 1956 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 1992 USGA Girls’ Junior Championship.

The 2026 Women’s Western Junior marks the first Women’s Western Golf Association championship ever contested at Meridian Hills.

Attendance and parking for the Women’s Western Junior are free.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Live scoring for the Women’s Western Junior can be found on GolfGenius. Fans can also follow the championship throughout the week on the WWGA’s social media channels for live updates, highlights and match play results.

To view the full field, click here.

For tee times, click here.