The 19th Watson Challenge
Tournament News
Ben Wheeler Wins
The 19th Watson Challenge
Recent high school grad becomes the youngest, and just the fourth amateur to win in the Challenge.
by Alan Hoskins, feature golf writer
The par-3 17th at Shoal Creek Golf Course
Playing on rain-soaked Shoal Creek June 26, the win didn’ t come easy. Locked in a tense duel with Nicklaus Mason for 16 holes, Wheeler needed a precise chip shot on the final hole to hold off hard-charging Wade Binfield for a one-shot win. Wheeler joins Chase Hanna, Andy Spencer, and Davis Cooper as the only amateur champions in the event’ s history.
Ben Wheeler hoists the 2026 Watson Challenge Championship trophy presented by Tom Watson. Wheeler becomes the youngest, and the fourth amateur to win the prestigious championship.
( Photo courtesy Central Links Golf)
Ben Wheeler, a recent Summit Christian Academy high school graduate, won the 19th annual Watson Challenge championship trophy on June 26. Wheeler’ s triumph not only solidified his standing as a preeminent golfer in the Kansas City region but also, at age 18, made him the youngest and only the fourth amateur to attain this distinction in the 19- year history of the Challenge.
“ I was coming off a win at the Kansas Junior Am and knew my golf game was in a very good spot,” said Wheeler.“ So, I felt like I finally was able to get over that hump that gave me the confidence to grab another title. I came to win, not play for second.”
Watson Challenge Champion Ben Wheeler tees off on the par-3 11th hole at Shoal Creek.( Photo by Alan Hoskins)
Thanks to a 6-under 65 in the second round, Wheeler finished 8-under at 204, one shot in front of Binfield, whose final round 65 matched Wheeler’ s for the tourney’ s best round. Greg Diederich, another young amateur out of the National Golf Club, took third at 206 with a final round 66, while tourney veterans Davis Cooper and Sean Dougherty shared fourth with Mason at 207.
Wheeler and Mason started the final round deadlocked at 8-under 134. A former Mill Valley state champion and Kansas State All-American in his first year as a professional, Mason took a 2-shot lead into the final nine holes. Wheeler got one of those strokes back by knocking in a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 11. Both barely missed eagle putts on the par-5 13th before Wheeler got
14 August 2026 TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE