Stellar Performance

Aurora’s Brayden Forte becomes first Colorado golfer to make Sweet 16 at U.S. Junior Amateur since Wyndham Clark in 2009; but a U.S. National Junior Team player ends Coloradan’s run

By Gary Baines 

The last time a Colorado golfer had advanced to the Sweet 16 of match play at the U.S. Junior Amateur, Brayden Forte was merely a toddler.

That was in 2009, when a teenager from Greenwood Village named Wyndham Clark made the final 16. Yes, that Wyndham Clark, who nowadays is the proud owner of two U.S. Open titles.

As for Forte, on Thursday the 18-year-old from Aurora ended Colorado’s Sweet 16 drought at arguably the most prestigious junior golf championship in the world.

After finishing strong in the round of 32 to score a 3-and-1 victory on Thursday morning, Forte hit the end of the road on Thursday afternoon in Bethlehem, Pa., where one of the stroke-play co-medalists beat him 4 and 2.

Sohan Patel of Weston, Fla., a second-year member of the U.S. National Junior Team, never trailed in his round-of-16 match against Forte, though the San Diego State-bound Coloradan was just 1 down after 12 holes. But Patel, who will advance to the USJA quarterfinals for a second straight year, won the 13th hole with a par, and the 15th and 16th with birdies to close things out.

Forte, competing in the U.S. Junior Am for the second straight year, finished the match 2 over par thru 16 holes, while Patel was 2 under.

In Thursday morning’s round of 32, Forte finished strong for the second straight match, defeating 14th-seeded Henry Mayor of Mission Hills, Kan., 3 and 1.

The two players were tied after 14 holes, but Forte won three straight to close out the match, going birdie, par, par. It was a less dramatic version of what he had done in the round of 64, when he went 6 under par in his last five holes to close out the match.

All told at Saucon Valley Country Club, Forte finished 39th in the stroke-play portion of the event, then beat two top-20 seeds in his first two matches before falling to a stroke-play co-medalist in the round of 16.

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

MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 16 THURSDAY

Sohan Patel, Weston, Fla. def. Brayden Forte, Aurora, 4 and 2

MATCH PLAY ROUND OF 32 THURSDAY

Brayden Forte, Aurora, def. Henry Mayor, Mission Hills, Kan., 3 and 1

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