Our embrace on the final green was really genuine. And it was so special. I couldn’ t have asked for a more special moment.”
Our embrace on the final green was really genuine. And it was so special. I couldn’ t have asked for a more special moment.”
Noah
Maclauchlan
on celebrating with brother Liam
Liam
Maclauchlan
The brotherhood
Liam was as much a part of this journey as Noah was part of Liam’ s in 2025, when Liam stunned the Virginia amateur scene by winning the VSGA Amateur Championship as a 16-year-old at Birdwood Golf at Boar’ s Head Resort.
“ It was beyond words seeing him accomplish that, because, you know, we practice together, we work hard together, we grind,” Noah said.“ In that moment, to be truly honest, I was just as happy for him that he won that championship as I was when I won the U. S. Junior. I was just so proud of him, and I know it’ s the same for him when I won.”
The brothers won their second of two MAPGA / VSGA Junior Four-Ball titles in March at Williamsburg National GC, and Noah was jokingly asked if his brother’ s accomplishments in the year prior would fuel him to take his game to another level in 2026.
Much was made of Noah’ s low WAGR ranking( he was in the 2000s prior to the U. S. Junior), but to earn WAGR points, one must have access to high-level WAGR events. Russell, for one, certainly does. Noah’ s path to success, however, came through American Junior Golf Association( AJGA) events, and he followed up that four-ball title with a string of successes in junior events. He won the Junior Valentine at Hermitage CC in April by a stroke, and outdueled Ethan Evans in a playoff to win the Lanto Junior Invitational before finishing runner-up to Evans at the VSGA Junior Stroke Play.
Noah entered the U. S. Junior as one of the top 30 players in the country per the AJGA rankings, so his week at Saucon didn’ t come entirely out of nowhere.
The victory will open doors to elite playing opportunities for Noah, a key consideration as he heads to Liberty University to play college golf.
“ If you’ re a true competitor, if you truly want to be better, nothing is going to help you as a player more than getting beat,” Noah said.“ So being around these guys, the best college players, the best
amateurs, people like Preston Stout and all these amazing college kids from the SEC and ACC, it’ s truly going to be the best.
“ As far as getting better and not stalling out and continuing to get one percent better every day, to be around these players, at least the next couple of years with these exemptions, and hopefully good play, is all I can ask for.”
The turning point
The summer between sophomore and junior year in high school is crucially important for any junior when it comes to college recruiting. That was certainly the case for Liam, who turned his VSGA Amateur win into a quick commitment to the University of Virginia.
Noah’ s game had stalled out a bit at that most crucial time, and the college offers simply weren’ t coming. Christian faith is an important part of the Maclauchlan family’ s story, and Liberty had shown some interest in Maclauchlan even when his game wasn’ t at its best.
“ Liberty was a big school in my mind,” he said.“ In my mind, it was a really good place to go and try to play in the starting lineup right away as a freshman and still play in big tournaments.
“ I remember being in my dining room when things were not going the best with recruiting. Offers were looking slim. It was getting later in my junior career. I just remember specifically praying for Liberty. And then after getting runner-up to Jake Albert at the Lanto [ two years ago ], the offer had finally come and just a wave of emotion crashed over me and my family, because that was our heart’ s desire at the time. I was just so thankful.”
Once Noah reached the semifinals at Saucon Valley, Liberty’ s staff rushed the Flames’ golf bag he was set to receive when he arrived on campus up to Pennsylvania. Noah proudly wore the Liberty logo on his shirt during the championship match, and the LU social media team shared Noah’ s progress to its legion of followers.
USGA
22 V IRGINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER / O CTOBER 2026 vsga. org