9th January 2026

Round 1 will commence at 9.00am (2.00pm GMT) on Friday 9th January. 

Click here to view the – 2026 Jones Cup Invitational Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2026 Jones Cup Invitational Results

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7th January 2026 – Preview

The 22nd Jones Cup Invitational will be played between 9th-11th January 2026 at Ocean Forest G.C. on the northern tip of Sea Island in Georgia.

Historically a top 10 ranked amateur tournament it has always attracted a strong field.

The Jones Cup Invitational was first played in January 2001 as a prelude to that year’s Walker Cup match which was being staged at Ocean Forest in the following August.

The Sea Island resort is a big supporter of amateur golf with the Jones Cup Junior Invitational, Jones Cup Senior Invitational and Sea Island Women’s Amateur also played at the nearby Seaside Course since 2009, 2012 and 2021 respectively.

I will be updating this article with daily reports throughout the tournament.

Format

The Jones Cup Invitational is a 54 hole individual stroke play competition played over three days.

Given the relatively small field there is no cut. 

Prizes

The winner receives the silver Jones Cup and the Layne Williams Medal which was awarded for the first time in 2022. Layne Williams was a rules official for the Georgia State Golf Association.

The winner of the Jones Cup Invitational, subject to them remaining an amateur, has historically also received an exemption into the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic played at Sea Island in November. 

Players

The Jones Cup Invitational Committee invites 84 players to contest their tournament.

The majority of invites are granted based on each player’s previous performances and their world amateur rankings.

75 players contested an 18 hole qualifier on Sea Island’s Retreat Course on 15th December with Matt VOGT (USA) -3, Thad WHITFIELD (USA) -2 and Brandon KNIGHT (USA) -2 all securing spots in the field. Click here to view the – 2026 Jones Cup Invitational Qualifier Results 

Ayden FYNAUT (USA), the winner of the Jones Cup Junior Invitational which was played a few weeks ago on 19th-21st December also earned an exemption. Click here to view the – 2025 Jones Cup Junior Invitational Results 

A record 17 golfers from Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) are competing this year, making up 20% of the field. They are (in alphabetical order with their 7th January 2026 WAGRs): –

Eliot BAKER (ENG) #61
Jonathan BALE (WAL) #196
Jack BIGHAM (ENG) #91
Tomi BOWEN (WAL) #293
Oli BLACKADDER (SCO) #1894
Caolan BURFORD (WAL) #1192
Seb CAVE (ENG) #146
Brodie CUNNINGHAM (SCO) #1850
Jamie DEAN (WAL) #1668
Matthew DODD-BERRY (ENG) #102
Stuart GREHAN (IRL) #54
Luke POULTER (ENG) #22
Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) #41
Harley SMITH (ENG) #116
Gavin TIERNAN (IRL) #307
Freddie TURNELL (ENG) #101
Tyler WEAVER (ENG) #12

In addition to Weaver, Poulter and Shiels-Donegan there are 19 other players in the WAGR Top 50 who are competing (in rank order): –

Gunnlaugur ÁRNI SVEINSSON (ISL) #8
Tommy MORRISON (USA) #9
Wells WILLIAMS (USA) #13
Miles RUSSELL (USA) #14
Daniel BENNETT (RSA) #15
Jacob MODLESKI (USA) #16
Jack TURNER (USA) #17
Cameron TANKERSLEY (USA) #21
Max HERENDEEN (USA) #23
Lance SIMPSON (USA) #24
William SIDES (USA) #34
Paul CHANG (CHN) #35
Ryan VOOIS (USA) #37
Luke COLTON (USA) #40
Daniel SVARD (SWE) #43
Garrett ENDICOTT (USA) #46
Clark VAN GAALEN(USA) #47
Frankie HARRIS (USA) #48
Tom FISCHER (USA) #49

2011 champion John PETERSON (USA), now 36 and a reinstated amateur since 2024, makes a return to the field too.

Course

Ocean Forest is a challenging course with an exposed seaside links feel. Holes run alongside both the Hampton River and the Atlantic Ocean with marshes and the sea abutting a number of the fairways and greens. The remaining holes are cut through a pine forest. 

Natural sand dunes are evident albeit the defining feature is the small undulating greens. 

The course plays to 7,308 yards with a standard par of 72. If the wind blows here scores can be unusually high.

The Club was founded in 1995 by Bill Jones III. His family’s Sea Island Company having owned the land since the 1920’s.

Jones invited architect Rees Jones to design a championship course on the site with work commencing in September 1993. Some renovation work was subsequently done by Rees Jones in 2007. Beau Welling Design worked on the course in 2023 refreshing most of the tees, greens and bunkers as well as adding a number of new sandy waste areas.

President George H. Bush, Bill Jones III, former U.S. attorney general Griffin Bell, David Love III and Rees Jones played the opening round in Spring 1995. 

The course was awarded the 2001 Walker Cup shortly after opening. At just 6 years old it remains the youngest club to be afforded this honour. Peter McEvoy led GB&I to a convincing 15-9 victory.

Weather Forecast (as at 7th January)

Generally sunny weather is expected over the weekend with reasonable temperatures and moderate winds forecast.

Fri 9th Jan. – Sunny Intervals / Wind 10 mph S / Temp. Min. 13°C, Max. 23°C.
Sat 10th Jan. – Sunny / Wind 10 mph SE / Temp. Min. 13°C, Max. 24°C.
Sun 11th Jan. – Sunny / Wind 13 mph NW / Temp. Min. 5°C, Max. 17°C.

2025 Jones Cup Invitational

Gray ALBRIGHT (USA) won the 21st Jones Cup Invitational after a play-off with his Florida State University teammate Jack BIGHAM (ENG). Albright parred the 18th, the first sudden death hole, whilst Bigham bogeyed.

Gray Albright (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational) 

Both players finished on 212 (-4) two shots ahead of Luke SAMPLE (USA), Jackson VAN PARIS (USA) and Miles RUSSELL (USA) who had to settle for tied 3rd.

Out of the nine GB&I competitors Tyler WEAVER (ENG), another FSU player, and Cameron ADAM (SCO) finished tied 12th on 219 (+3).

Click here to view the – 2025 Jones Cup Invitational Results

Here is a list of the past winners with their finishing scores: –

2025 – Gray ALBRIGHT (USA) 212 (-4)
2024 – Jacob MODLESKI (USA) 215 (-1)
2023 – David FORD (USA) 204 (-12)
2022 – Palmer JACKSON (USA) 211 (-5)
2021 – Ludvig ÅBERG (SWE) 214 (-2)
2020 – Davis THOMPSON (USA) 203 (-13)
2019 – Akshay BHATIA (USA) 142 (-2) – event shortened to 36 holes due to bad weather
2018 – Garrett BARBER (USA) 212 (-4) – winner of the Jones Cup Junior Invitational in 2016
2017 – Braden THORNBERRY (USA) 212 (-4)
2016 – Beau HOSSLER (USA) 214 (-2)
2015 – Austen CONNELLY (USA) 216 (Ev) 
2014 – Corey CONNORS (CAN) 218 (+2)
2013 – Sean DALE (USA) 213 (-3)
2012 – Justin THOMAS (USA) 216 (Ev)
2011 – John PETERSON (USA) 217 (+1)
2010 – Patrick READ (USA) 222 (+6)
2009 – Kyle STANLEY (USA) 217 (+1)
2007 – Luke LIST (USA) 206 (-10) – played at Frederica G.C. due to renovation work at Ocean Forest
2005 – Nicholas THOMPSON (USA) 214 (-2)
2003 – Gregg JONES (USA) 211 (-5)
2001 – DJ TRAHAN (USA) 210 (-6)

Canada’s Corey Connors (2014) and Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg (2021) are the only non-American winners of the Jones Cup Invitational.

ME.

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