Finishing in Style

Coloradan Brayden Forte plays last 5 holes in 6 under to advance to round of 32 at U.S. Junior Am; he’s first Coloradan to make it that far since 2017

By Gary Baines 

Aurora resident Brayden Forte may have been the underdog — based on stroke-play seeding — in Wednesday’s match-play round of 64 at the U.S. Junior Amateur, but you would have never known it based on the results.

The Team Colorado elite junior squad member, seeded 46th, routed 19th-seeded Cooper Smith of Jasper, Ga., 6 and 5 to cruise into Thursday’s road of 32 at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa.

Forte, the 2025 CGA State Junior champion who will play his college golf at San Diego State starting in the fall, becomes the first Coloradan to make the round of 32 at the U.S. Junior Am since Jackson Solem of Longmont did so in 2017.

Forte was just 1 up after eight holes on Wednesday, but won the next five holes to end the match. And it was a stellar run at that, with the Cherokee Trail High School graduate going birdie, birdie, birdie, eagle (on a par-4), birdie. In other words 6 under par in five holes.

For the 13 holes he played on Wednesday, Forte was 5 under par.

In Thursday’s round of 32, he’ll face 14th-seeded Henry Mayor of Mission Hills, Kan. If Forte wins that match, he’ll advance to a round-of-16 match on Thursday afternoon.

Here are the results for all the Coloradans at the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur:

MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 64 WEDNESDAY

Brayden Forte, Aurora, def. Cooper Smith, Jasper, Ga., 6 and 5

STROKE PLAY MONDAY AND TUESDAY

Advanced to Match Play

40. Brayden Forte, Aurora 73-71–144

Failed to Make Match Play

77. Brayden Destefano, Peyton 75-72–147

160. Ash Edwards, Boulder 76-76–152

191. Elijah Johnson, Denver 79-75–154

For all the results, CLICK HERE.

About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com