Junior Achievement

In same month Denver native Wyndham Clark returned to the winner’s circle on PGA Tour, the Colorado-based AJGA event that bears his name earned a ‘Game Changer Award’; 2026 edition of The Wyndham Clark Presented by the CGA is set for next week at Walnut Creek

By Gary Baines 

It was what you might call a win-win situation.

On Sunday, Denver native Wyndham Clark ended a 27-month victory drought on the PGA Tour by winning the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Also this month, not long before that triumph, the American Junior Golf Association announced that the AJGA event that bears Clark’s name, The Wyndham Clark Presented by the Colorado Golf Association, has been named the AJGA’s Game Changer Award recipient based on last year’s event at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster.

The announcement came on the eve of The Wyndham Clark Presented by the CGA returning for its 2026 edition, set for June 2-4 at Walnut Creek.

The Game Changer Award is presented to an event that has greatly improved since the previous year.

According to the AJGA, “Among the year’s highlights was an exclusive virtual Q&A session featuring Wyndham Clark and (performance coach) Julie Elion. Clark shared insight from his journey through junior golf to the PGA Tour, while Elion, widely respected for her work in performance psychology with elite athletes, provided valuable perspective on confidence, focus and the mental side of competition.

“The event also delivered its strongest financial performance to date, generating over $81,000 in total revenue. More than $48,000 was given back to charity, marking the highest total in tournament history and benefiting both the Colorado Golf Foundation, which supports youth golf development, caddie programs and scholarship opportunities across the state, and the AJGA Foundation, which provides financial assistance to junior golfers while promoting inclusivity and access to the game. Participation also reached new milestones, with 21 paying teams in the Junior-Am, setting another event record.”

Walnut Creek has been host of this AJGA event since 2017 — back to when the tournament was called the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior. Prior to that, the event was hosted for a year each by CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and what is now the University of Denver Golf Club at Highlands Ranch.

Throughout its run, the tournament has attracted many of the state’s top junior golfers, as well as some elite-level players from across the U.S. and beyond.

“Seeing the tournament recognized as Game Changer of the Year is incredibly special,” Clark told the AJGA. “This event means a lot to me — not just because of my name on it, but because of what it represents for the next generation of golfers. I’m proud to help create opportunities for these kids to compete, grow, and believe they belong at the highest level. This award is a reflection of everyone involved who’s committed to pushing the game forward.”

Clark, of course, grew up in Colorado and graduated from Valor Christian High School. Having honed his game at Cherry Hills Country Club, he won two state high school individual titles, a CGA Junior Stroke Play and the 2010 CGA Amateur. He also captured the 2017 Pac-12 individual title at Boulder Country Club.

Clark competed in more than 20 AJGA events during his youth, winning the Under Armour/Vicky Hurst Championship in 2010 and being named a Rolex Junior All-American twice.

Clark was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2024 and was awarded an honorary membership at Cherry Hills Country Club last year. He’s now won four times on the PGA Tour, including the 2023 U.S. Open.

The spoils of victory for winners of The Wyndham Clark. (Photo: @AJGAGolf on X)

“The Wyndham Clark AJGA event is a great example of collaboration in the best sense of the word,” Ed Mate, the CEO/executive director of the CGA, told the AJGA. “The net result is a well-run event at a high-quality facility, showcasing the next generation of golf talent while raising money for a great cause. The CGA is proud to be in such a great foursome — City of Westminster, AJGA, Wyndham Clark and the Play Big Foundation, and the Colorado Golf Foundation.”

The AJGA noted the player experience at the 2025 Wyndham Clark as Municipal, a brand sponsor for Clark, donated shirts for championship competitors and pro-am participants, and players received a meal after the first round. More than 20 volunteers each day worked the event.

The Game Changer Award will be presented during next week’s tournament.

The 2026 Wyndham Clark once again will be a 54-hole affair. Among the entrants is Miles Kuhl of Boulder, who has claimed the last two boys titles at the event. In fact, Coloradans have won the boys division five of last seven years the event has been held. The last girls winner from Colorado was Hadley Ashton of Erie in 2022.

Twelve members of Team Colorado — the elite junior squad that’s part of the USGA’s National Development Program — are scheduled to tee it up at Walnut Creek, including Kuhl:

Boys

Gavin Amella of Castle Rock

Nicholas Brooks of Parker

Ash Edwards of Boulder

Brayden Forte of Aurora

Austin Hunt of Highlands Ranch

Miles Kuhl of Boulder

Gregory White of Centennial

Girls

Landry Frost of Colorado Springs

Addison Hines of Arvada

Sophia Lee of Columbine Valley

Tess Morris of Franktown

Ella Scott of Castle Rock

In addition, CheyAnne Schrick of Timnath, who like Scott just won her second straight girls state high school individual title, is expected to tee it up at Walnut Creek.

For the entire field — prior to Sunday’s qualifying tournament — 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