Latest news with #U.S.Junior
Business Wire
2 days ago
- Sport
- Business Wire
New Champions Emerge: GM Andy Woodward, FM/WGM Zoey Tang, and GM Alex Fishbein Win in U.S. Junior, Junior Girls and Senior Championships in Saint Louis
SAINT LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The next generation of American chess stars made their mark while legends reinforced their legacy in this year's U.S. Junior, U.S. Junior Girls, and U.S. Senior Championships—three of the nation's most prestigious events, hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club in Saint Louis, Mo., the official chess capital of the United States. Rising star Grandmaster Andy Woodward claimed the U.S. Junior Championship title. FIDE Master / Woman Grandmaster Zoey Tang captured the U.S. Junior Girls Championship, while Grandmaster Alex Fishbein emerged victorious in the U.S. Senior Championship. Share Rising star and the youngest competitor in his field at just 15, Grandmaster (GM) Andy Woodward claimed the U.S. Junior Championship title. FIDE Master (FM) / Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Zoey Tang captured the U.S. Junior Girls Championship, while GM Alex Fishbein emerged victorious in the U.S. Senior Championship after a dramatic playoff—marking first-time wins for all three players in their respective divisions. 'These events always deliver incredible competition, but this year's championships were truly special,' said Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, Chief Commentator and Spokesperson for the Saint Louis Chess Club. 'From the poise of our young talents to the brilliance of our seasoned champions, the level of play was inspiring across the board. It's clear that American chess has an exciting road ahead—and there's truly no better stage for it than right here in Saint Louis.' The U.S. Junior Girls, U.S. Junior, and U.S. Senior Championships continue to be mainstay events at the Saint Louis Chess Club. From July 15–25, 2025, the invitation-only tournaments took place at University Tower in Saint Louis, featuring the top 10 players in each division competing for national titles and a record-breaking combined prize fund of $225,000. GM Andy Woodward Clinches U.S. Junior Championship GM Andy Woodward won the 2025 U.S. Junior Championship and $23,000 with a mature, undefeated performance—and sealed the title with a draw against GM Kirk Ghazarian in the final round to finish clear first. His steady finish underscored his status as one of America's most promising young talents. "I'm really happy. It's a very difficult tournament to win, so I just tried to stay calm throughout. Now I can finally relax a little. This is definitely the biggest event I've won so far, and it feels really good. I'm also really excited to have qualified for the U.S. Championship—I'm looking forward to the challenge and just doing my best to compete,' said Woodward. Hot on his heels were GM Brewington Hardaway of Bronx, NY and GM Abhimanyu Mishra of Englishtown, NJ, who tied for second, each winning $11,000. Seventeen-Year-Old Zoey Tang Wins U.S. Junior Girls Championship FM/WGM Zoey Tang, 17, of Portland, OR, emerged victorious in the 2025 U.S. Junior Girls Championship, rising above a field of returning champions and rising stars. With the win, she earned $15,000 and secured an invitation to compete in the 2025 U.S. Women's Championship — a major milestone in her already impressive career. 'It still feels a little surreal. I've played this tournament so many times, and to finally win it means so much. I didn't want my fate to depend on other games—I wanted to fight for it myself. It wasn't perfect chess, but I stayed resilient, and in the end, it paid off. I'm really grateful for everyone who supported me—my coach, my mom, and my friends cheering me on back home,' said Tang. Finishing in second place was 12-year-old WFM Megan Paragua of New York, NY, who stunned the field with her poise and skill, taking home $8,500. Rounding out the top three was WFM Rachael Li, 15, of Plano, TX, who earned $6,250 for her strong performance. GM Alex Fishbein Wins U.S. Senior Championship In the U.S. Senior division, GM Alex Fishbein was crowned champion after a hard-fought playoff on the final day, clinching his first U.S. Senior Championship title and earning an impressive $23,1667. 'This win means a lot to me. I've had a long chess career, most of it while working outside the game. After stepping away from finance, I finally gave myself permission to really focus on chess again—and this tournament was my chance to see what I could do. I wasn't the most talented player in the field, but I worked incredibly hard, and to have that effort rewarded at this stage in my life is incredibly meaningful,' said Fishbein. The playoff followed a three-way tie at the top of the standings, with GM Vladimir Akopian of Glendale, CA and GM Alex Shabalov of Pittsburgh, PA finishing in a tie for second, each taking home $18,1667. The event featured a formidable field of legendary players and Hall of Famers. U.S. SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULTS PLACE PLAYER LOCATION PRIZE MONEY 1 GM Alex Fishbein Springhill, TN $23,166.67 T-2 GM Vladimir Akopian Glendale, CA $18,167 T-2 GM Alex Shabalov Pittsburgh, PA $18,167 T-4 GM Larry Christiansen Cambridge, MA $8,750 T-4 GM Alexander Goldin Lexington, KY $8,750 T-6 GM Igor Novikov Lexington, KY $5,500 T-6 GM Joel Benjamin Waldwick, NJ $5,500 T-8 GM Gregory Kaidanov Lexington, KY $4,250 T-8 GM Maxim Dlugy Albrightsville, PA $4,250 10 IM Timothy Taylor San Leandro, CA $3,500 Expand If you missed the games live, you can rewatch the action, player interviews and event commentary by GMs Yasser Seirawan and Cristian Chirila and IM Nazi Paikidze by visiting the Saint Louis Chess Club's YouTube and channels. Next up for the Saint Louis Chess Club are the final regular season events of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour, the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, taking place August 9–17, followed immediately by the Sinquefield Cup. About the Saint Louis Chess Club The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures. Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit
NBC Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Augusta's Hamilton Coleman holds off Minh Nguyen for U.S. Junior title
Hamilton Coleman was up big, and then he wasn't. But Coleman never lost hope, or his lead, before birdieing the 35th hole to secure a 2-and-1 victory over Minh Nguyen in Saturday's final of the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur. Coleman, a 17-year-old from Augusta, Georgia, converted a birdie from 18 feet and led 5 up after 12 holes of the scheduled 36-hole championship match at Trinity Forest in Dallas. He went into the lunch break 3 up, too, before the 18-year-old Minh, of Vietnam, clawed back to just 1 down with six holes to play. 'Getting off to that hot start, I knew that I couldn't just ease my way into winning, and I knew I had to keep hitting quality shots,' Coleman said. 'I was playing well, and he just kept making putts and hitting shots close. It got a little tight there, but I never lost faith. And I told my caddie, I was nervous, but I was never scared. I'm proud of the way I handled that.' Minh, who will attend Oregon State starting this fall, began his afternoon comeback at the par-4 first, where he curled in a 5-footer for birdie to move to 2 down. Coleman then won Nos. 22 and 23, the latter after nearly holing out his third shot on the par-5 fifth, to stretch his advantage back to 4 up. But Minh birdied four of the next seven holes, including the lengthy par-3 11th where he landed his tee ball on the front of the green and watched it roll some 50 feet to close range, to get it to 1 down. Minh nearly tied the match on the 34th hole, the par-5 16th, but his 12-footer for birdie missed. He couldn't get a similarly distanced putt to drop at the par-3 17th, which set the table for Coleman to hole his match-winner from 10 feet. 'You try not to tell yourself what it's for, to qualify for the U.S. Open and be the U.S. Junior champion,' Coleman said. 'Just stuck to my line and made a free, aggressive stroke at it, and it happened to go in.' Like Coleman said, he's into the field for next summer's U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. He's also the first U.S. Junior champion from Georgia since Andy Shim in 2012. A Georgia commit for 2026, Coleman is the first future Bulldog to win this championship since Brian Harman in 2003.
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Hamilton Coleman, Nguyen Anh Minh roll in U.S. Junior semifinals
It was an anticlimactic Friday afternoon at the U.S. Junior Amateur. Neither semifinal reached the 16th hole as Hamilton Coleman of Augusta, Georgia, and Vietnam's Nguyen Anh Minh easily advanced to Saturday's 36-hole final at Trinity Forest in Dallas. Coleman, the 17-year-old Georgia commit, took down Vanderbilt commit Luke Colton, 5 and 4. Showcasing great speed on Trinity's massive greens, Coleman made just one bogey while taking advantage of Colton's five bogeys. Coleman went 1 up with a par at the par-5 second and never looked back. A key moment was Coleman's birdie putt on the par-3 eighth, where Coleman lagged a 70-footer through multiple breaks to a couple feet to eventually win the hole after Colton couldn't get up and down. 'It's definitely hard because you feel like you can get away with things but you have to keep reminding yourself to keep the pedal down and not make silly mistakes because that's when the match can slip away from you,' Coleman said. 'So, I really just made sure I eliminated errors, and my caddie has been telling me the whole time, 'Quality golf shots.' It's hard to lose when you're hitting quality shots at your targets.' Colton, the second-ranked junior and 26th-ranked amateur in the world, was coming off a 4-and-3 win over No. 1 junior Miles Russell in the morning and had played his first 81 holes this week at Trinity in a combined 14 under with 26 birdies. But he only carded a single birdie against Coleman, and on the second hole, he injured his left wrist while playing his second shot from a bush and required medical attention. Coleman is trying to become the first player representing Georgia to win the U.S. Junior since Andy Shim, who rallied from 5 down through 18 holes to beat Jim Liu in the 2012 final. The last Georgia recruit to win this championship was Brian Harman in 2003. Waiting for Coleman in the championship match, which will begin at 8:45 a.m. ET Saturday, will be Minh, who would be the first winner from Vietnam. Minh, an incoming Oregon State freshman who is ranked No. 52 in WAGR, won five of the first six holes against China's Qiyou Wu, going 5 up in the process. He only lost one hole all match. 'I'll definitely have to keep myself in the present and hopefully just make putts,' Minh said of what it will take to win Saturday, where a berth in next year's U.S. Open will be on the line. 'It's definitely cool to have a chance to play in the U.S. Open, so that's going to be fun to play for,' Coleman said. 'And you know, I've watched this tournament a lot on TV throughout the years, and I didn't really know how far I'd get into this, but now I have a shot to live out my dreams.'
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Quartet of lefties advance to Round of 16 at U.S. Junior Amateur, including Miles Russell
Not one, not two, not three, but four lefties are moving on at the U.S. Junior Amateur. Miles Russell, Luke Colton, Tyler Watts and Sohan Patel advanced Thursday morning into the round of 16, which takes place Thursday afternoon at Trinity Forest in Dallas, Texas. Russell and Colton, the two top-ranked juniors in the world, could face off Friday morning if they were to win their Round of 16 matches. Meanwhile, Watts and Patel could do the same. If that were to happen, the final Saturday would be guaranteed to have a lefty, as all four players are on the top half of the match-play bracket. Colton made quick work of Shiv Parmar on Thursday morning in the Round of 32, winning 6 and 5. Russell, after coming back from 2 down with three to play Wednesday and winning in 20 holes, had a comfy 3-and-2 victory to advance. Colton faces Chase Bauer on Thursday afternoon while Russell takes on Miguel Garcia, the lone player from Mexico left in the field. For Russell, ranked 18th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, a strong finish this week could help make the case he should be on the U.S. Walker Cup team in two months at Cypress Point Club. Meanwhile, if Colton were to win, he would throw his name in the hat for consideration on captain Nathan Smith's team. Watts, the defending runner-up at the U.S. Junior, won his match 1 up against Colombia's Tomas Restrepo. Patel topped Max Emberson 2 and 1 to advance. In the afternoon, Watts, a Tennessee commit, faces Georgia commit Hamilton Coleman. Patel will take on 2025 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion Tyler Mawhinney.
NBC Sports
7 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Top-ranked amateur Miles Russell survives upset bid in opening U.S. Junior match
The top-ranked player in junior golf was on the ropes Wednesday at the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur. Miles Russell, the hotshot 16-year-old from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, who is also ranked 18th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, drew Jackson Ormond in the opening round of match play at Trinity Forest in Dallas. It was Ormond, the 2026 Florida commit from Webster, New York, who an evening earlier had birdied his penultimate hole of stroke play to move the cut line and ensure that there would be no match-play playoff for the first time since 2008. That momentum carried over for Ormond, who jumped on Russell, a recent Florida State commit for 2027, taking a 2-up lead after just three holes. Russell trailed for much of the match, including 2 down with three holes remaining. He clawed back with a birdie at the par-5 16th and then drained a birdie bomb from nearly 40 feet at the par-4 18th to force extra holes. Two holes later, Russell was advancing to Thursday's Round of 32, where he'll face Lucas Latimer, an incoming freshman at D-III Mary Hardin-Baylor who was one of nine Texans to make match play this week. Texas claims eight of the last 25 U.S. Junior titles with its winners during that span including Jordan Spieth (twice), Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris. Two other Texans, Henry Guan and Luke Colton, won early matches on Wednesday. Guan, a reclassified 2025 signee for Oklahoma State, took down medalist Mason Howell, a Georgia commit, 1 up, ensuring that Matthew Rosenfeld, another Texan, is still the last medalist to go on to lift the U.S. Junior trophy (2000). Guan advances to meet Chase Bauer, a 15-year-old from Gotha, Florida, in the Round of 32. Bauer, a 2028 recruit, upset defending champion and incoming Florida freshman Trevor Gutschewski, 3 and 1; Bauer won a Florida Junior Tour major at the Gators' home club, Mark Bostick Golf Course, in January. Colton, a Vandy commit who is ranked 25th in WAGR, was 3 up through three holes before Jace Benson rallied to tie the match after 13 holes. Colton eventually won, 2 up, and will face yet another Texan, Texas A&M signee Shiv Parmar, in the next round. The third top-50 amateur in the field, Tyler Watts, made easy work of Indonesia's Rayhan Abdul Latief, who is ranked No. 118 in WAGR. Watts won, 8 and 7, to continue his hot summer, which has included a record-breaking win at the Sunnehanna Amateur, top-10 at the Northeast Amateur and runner-up at the North and South Amateur. Watts, a Tennessee commit for 2026, was runner-up to Gutschewski at last year's U.S. Junior. More than half of Wednesday's 32 matches are still undecided. Check back for updates...
