Saucon Valley Country Club, in Bethlehem, Pa., has been chosen by the USGA as the host site for the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. It will be the second U.S. Junior Amateur at the 54-hole private facility. The announcement also included two future U.S. Senior Opens in 2032 and 2042, a U.S. Amateur in 2051 and a U.S. Women's Amateur in 2038.
In 2022, Saucon Valley hosted its eighth USGA championship, as Padraig Harrington posted a one-stroke victory over Steve Stricker on the club’s Old Course to win the 42nd U.S. Senior Open. Harrington became the first player from the Republic of Ireland to hoist the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy.
“Saucon Valley Country Club and the Lehigh Valley have enthusiastically supported many USGA championships for women, men, juniors and seniors for more than 70 years and we are pleased to continue that partnership,” said John Bodenhamer, chief Championships officer for the USGA. “With this agreement, Saucon Valley and its impressive three-course facility will continue to shape the state of Pennsylvania’s renowned championship history for many decades to come.”
Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course was designed by Herbert Strong and opened in 1922. Revisions were completed by William Gordon, Perry Maxwell and most recently Tom Marzolf from the Fazio Group in 2008. Saucon Valley’s historic 850-acre facility also features the Weyhill Course and the Grace Course, named for Eugene Grace, club patriarch and former chairman of Bethlehem Steel. Both layouts were designed by the father-son team of William and David Gordon; Weyhill was renovated by Tom Fazio in 2010, and Grace was restored by Andrew Green in 2014. The club, which also includes a six-hole course for juniors and novice players, is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
“On behalf of our board of governors and the entire membership, it is an honor to host five additional national championships and continue Saucon Valley’s storied history with the USGA,” said John F. Malloy, club president. “This relationship represents Saucon Valley’s broad commitment to supporting the game of golf in ways that are both diverse and inclusive on both the professional and amateur levels.”
Saucon Valley’s Old and Weyhill Courses will host the club’s second U.S. Junior Amateur in 2026. Tim Straub won the championship the first time it was played there in 1983.
Saucon Valley also hosted the 2008 and 2013 Pennsylvania State Amateurs, conducted by the Pennsylvania Golf Association, and several Golf Association of Philadelphia championships, including the 1977 Philadelphia Open and 2010 Philadelphia Amateur.
There have been 90 USGA championships contested in the state of Pennsylvania through the 2022 season and the Quaker State leads all states in that category. Pennsylvania will host several more championships in the upcoming years, including the 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Stonewall in Elverson; the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club, the 2024 U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, and the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.
