By: Stephen Hanjack
WORCESTER, Massachusetts (July 20, 2026) – Each year, the Massachusetts Young Golfers’ Amateur Championship powered by KOHR Golf brings together the future of the game. This year, a field of 27 players, all 13-and-under, took on the Donald Ross designed Tatnuck Country Club in the 12th playing of the event.
Using a Modified Stableford Format, the scoring puts an emphasis on positive play, while limiting the downside of difficult holes. With a breakdown of eagle (4 points), birdie (3 points), par (2 points), and bogey (1 point), the event serves as a welcoming pathway to competitive golf for the next generation.
Benjamin Sheng (Milton, MA) shot the round of the day, collecting 39 Stableford Points with his sizzling 67 (-3) to win the 2026 Young Golfers Amateur. The round was highlighted by 4 birdies, including one on the 17th hole, which proved to be the difference.
Speaking about the win Benjamin Sheng said “Oh, I’m really excited. I really wanted to win this. Yeah, I saw last year Jack Cheever played really well, and I just wanted to follow him.”
And while memory of the win will stay with Sheng, so too will his play on the 17th hole. “I knew I just wanted a birdie, so I made like a 15-footer, and that made me go from 2-under to 3-under.”
With the win, Sheng will look to follow the footsteps of some other past champions in Michael Thorbjornsen and Conner Willett, both of whom went on to win the Massachusetts Amateur Championship six years after their YGA victory. Thorbjornsen, now a member of the PGA TOUR, finished at 1-under-par, and tied with Rory McIlroy (T40), at this past week’s Open Championship.
Finishing with 36 Stableford Points and placing solo-2nd was Callen Cronin (Youth on Course/Mass Golf), who also made four birdies on Monday. Cronin made two-straight birdies to close out his front nine at 2-under par. On the back, Cronin took care of the par-5 13th (4th hole) with another birdie, and finished strong with three straight pars on holes 7-9, the most difficult stretch of the course. He is no stranger to the event, having finished solo 5th last year at Marion Golf Club.
Playing alongside Cronin, Thomas Leblanc (Youth on Course/Mass Golf) finished one back of his playing partner with 35 Stableford Points. Like Sheng and Cronin, Leblanc made four birdies on the day. This is the second straight year Leblanc finished one back of Cronin on the final leaderboard as he placed T6 last year.
What’s Next:
The top 5 finishers from this year’s event will be exempt into the 2027 Massachusetts Junior Amateur Championship.
Tatnuck Country Club was founded in 1898 and was one of the first 100 golf clubs established in the United States. Situated just 560 yards from the runway of the Worcester Regional Airport, Tatnuck is private club with a stunning 9-hole layout designed by Donald Ross.
Tatnuck was also instrumental in developing one of the greatest golfers Massachusetts has ever seen. Having grown up on Robertson Road (which runs along the club’s entry drive), Paul Harney, both caddied and played the rolling layout countless times. Harney went on to win 6 times on the PGA TOUR including twice at the LA Open (now Genesis Invitational).
While proud of its past, the club has also put an emphasis on the future, hosting several elite amateur events. In addition to the Young Golfers’ Amateur the club also hosts the Worcester County Women’s Amateur. The event began in 2023, in conjunction with the club’s 125th anniversary, and has been contested every year since. Just a few weeks ago, Katie Cullen (a Mass Golf 1929 Club Member) claimed victory at the 4th Worcester County Women’s Am with a two-day total of 149 (+3).
