Champions named in first part of Future Masters

June 24, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) –The first champions have been crowned in the younger age groups at the 77th Press Thornton Future Masters.

Cole Burris from Canton, Georgia, won the 10-Under Age Group trophy after an extremely rare 3-hole playoff. Burris was off to a great start on the back nine with a birdie on the tenth hole. He split the difference on the final three holes with two bogeys and one birdie, keeping him even for par.

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Hudson Knapp, who traveled around three and a half hours from Mariette, Georgia, to Dothan this week, took the win in the 11-12 Age Group with 137. This is not Knapp’s first trophy from the Future Masters. He previously won in the 10-Under Age Group in 2023. When Knapp first won, he was playing at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Highland Oaks, where the tournament had been briefly relocated, as the Dothan Country Club course underwent a major facelift. The course was completely redesigned and overhauled. Slopes and bunkers were changed, and trees were moved. That year was the first time the Future Masters had not been held at the DCC since its inception in 1959.

But this year’s win in the 11-12 Age Group was not easily won for Knapp. On Tuesday, Mauricio Mijares, who hails from Torreon, Mexico, held onto a three-stroke advantage over the majority of the competition. He struggled on the front nine, with two bogeys on holes five and six, shooting for par or better the remainder of the round.

Coming into the final three holes, it appeared that Mijares was going to walk away with the title. But that is when Knapp stepped in. Knapp was able to shoot a birdie on the 16th hole, and then an eagle on the 17th hole.

In the oldest group of the play on Tuesday, Grey Ramsey from Choudrant, Louisiana, took home the title in the 13-14 Age Group. As the leaders of this division approached the green for the final hole, you could feel the tension in the air. A large crowd had gathered around the green, and they were near-silent, solely focused on the game playing out in front of them. The only sounds: short affirmations of “good putt” called out in soft tones. Finally, when Grey took the win, there was a great clapping followed by shouts of “boom” from the metal stands in front of the clubhouse.

But it was not just a good day for the winners. Two brothers who traveled thousands of miles to play in this prestigious tournament both came in the top 10 of their respective age groups.

Sean Wilding came in second place in the 10-Under Age Group, with a score of 70. His older brother, Skyy Wilding, came in ninth in the 11-12 Age Group with 141.

Sean had the performance of a lifetime on Tuesday, staying just one shot over on Burris’ trail, and shooting no worse than par for the final round with a birdie on hole 19.

The Wilding brothers hail from Thailand, and they traveled the farthest of any family among those at the Future Masters.

The player who traveled the second farthest is Victor Kornienko, who comes to Dothan from St. Petersburg, Russia.

Last year’s 10-Under champion, Ethan Li, had an up-and-down day after shooting three bogeys on the front nine and two more on the back nine. The former champion came in fourth for the 11-12 Age Group with 138. Li, along with the other 11-12 golfers, was meant to play on Sunday, but a constant barrage of nearby lightning strikes set the tournament back significantly, and the 11-12 Age Group could not take to the green until early Monday morning.

The first two days of the Future Masters were plagued with rain and dark skies, casting a shadow over the tournament. The harsh cry of the lightning siren, which sent golfers and families fleeing for shelter each day, was a dreaded sound, almost guaranteed when clouds moved over the course and thunder rolled in the distance.

If lightning strikes within eight miles of the course, play is immediatly suspended. If any golfers remain on the course and attempt to push forward during the thirty-minute downtime, they risk being disqualified.

Rain fell hard and constant on Sunday, and the tournament fell approximately an hour and a half behind schedule; play was eventually canceled at 3:00 p.m.

Monday was not much better in the way of weather. The course was peppered with small droplets of rain throughout the day, and in the early afternoon, after the lightning siren sounded for the first and thankfully only time of the day, the course was drenched in a blanket of precipitation.

After two days of rain, lightning, and schedule changes, it would not be a far cry to believe golfers and organizers continued to pray for clear skies above.

Thankfully, finally, their prayers were answered.

Skies were mostly clear for the repetitious 6:45 a.m, tee time, with only a smattering of dark clouds here and there. By 8:00 a.m., it was nearly a golfer’s dream, with only the constant overhang of humidity to break it. The sky was blue with fluffy white clouds floating lazily above the course, and a light breeze swayed the flags of various countries hanging on poles around a makeshift dining area.

Dark clouds from the East moved over the course in the early afternoon, and some believed they heard thunder in the distance. The fear set in that the day would once again be waylaid by Mother Nature; but thankfully, she stayed her hand, and play continued without a hitch.

Could the weather stay this dreamy for Wednesday? If not, it could affect the practice rounds for the 15-18 Age Group, which has the largest number of players, with just over 200. This group not only plays for the normal trophy, but also for the coveted blue jacket, which the champion will receive.

On Thursday, the first of these experienced golfers will take to the tee box at 6:45 a.m., each of them with that blazer on their mind.

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