Eighty-four amateur golfers are gathered at the Ocean Forest Golf Club at the moment. All of them only have one goal in mind: To win the 2026 Jones Cup Invitational. Playing in the 22nd edition of the event, all of them will be eager to emerge victorious in Sea Island, Georgia. But what will they win if they do end up at the top of the leaderboard?

Top Stories

Amid Brooks Koepka’s Appeal, PGA Tour Reinstates Another Ex-LIV Pro Without Punishment

Tiger Woods’s GF Vanessa Trump Wasn’t On Board With Daughter Kai’s New Family Addition

PGA Tour Pro Rejecting 8-figure LIV Golf Offer Forces Re-Signing of Sacked Golfer

PGA Tour Makes Feelings Clear as $14 Billion Sponsor Cuts All Ties After 17 Years

Tiger Woods Comparisons Escalate After Teen’s Record-Breaking Win in America

Does the Jones Cup Invitational 2026 have prize money?

Since 2001, the Jones Cup Invitational has been one of the most important events on the calendar for an amateur golfer. It is considered a category A tournament by the World Amateur Golf Rankings. But it’s not just ranking points that encourage amateurs to participate in the event.

Winning the Jones Cup Invitational comes with some other privileges. They get to take home the Jones Cup silver trophy. The champions are also given the Layne Williams Medal for their amazing accomplishment. Moreover, the winner also gets an automatic qualification to the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic played in Sea Island during the same season. Last year’s champion, Gray Albright, also received 24.21 WAGR points. That helped him jump up 31 places to his career best amateur rank of 31.

However, the Jones Cup Invitational 2026 does not offer prize money, according to Golf Bible. The 54-hole event, which has been cut down to 36 holes this year due to weather disruptions, doesn’t have a purse. The tournament is a symbol of tradition, camaraderie, and growth for amateur golfers. Hence, anyone who participates in the event does so simply for the bragging rights to hold the cup.

Over the years, a few big names have won the Jones Cup Invitational event. The likes of Ludvig Aberg (2021), Akshay Bhatia (2019), Justin Thomas (2012), and Patrick Reed (2010) have all won the prestigious title.

The field this year is also packed with some interesting amateur golfers. And they will be eager to join the elite list of champions.

Who is competing for the 2026 Jones Cup Invitational?

The field at the Ocean Forest Golf Club is packed with some exciting players. After one round of action, world #98, Grayson Wood, is leading the field by one stroke with a score of 6-under 66. Sitting at T9 is Ian Poulter‘s son, Luke, with a score of 2-under par.

One of the most exciting young stars of this generation, Miles Russell, is just one stroke behind Poulter. After experiencing a few hiccups on the back-9, he got pushed down to T13. John Daly‘s son, Daly II, is also on the field. Notably, he hasn’t had a great time in Georgia as he shot a 6-over 78 after the first set of 18 holes.

With just one more round to go, the competition is about to get intense on Sunday. Poulter & Co. will be eager to push Wood to his limits and steal a win. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the end.