If you haven’t heard of Tyler Watts by now, you’ve probably had a power outage. Last summer Watts burst onto the scene by becoming the youngest Sunnehanna Amateur champion at age 17, and last month he became the youngest Northeast Amateur champion at 18. These are tournaments in which he’s competing against the best amateurs of all ages.
With his impressive performances, the Huntsville, Alabama, golfer has risen to fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and put the goal that he set himself at the start of this year within reach.
“My main goal was to make the Walker Cup team,” Watts said. “That was and still is my goal. I wanted to play well enough to get into the [WAGR] top three and not have to worry about getting picked. I wanted to go and earn it.”
With the Northeast Amateur victory, Watts is now the second highest-ranked American player in the WAGR behind Preston Stout. And if he remains among the top three Americans when the ranking updates on Wednesday, the USGA will grant Watts an automatic exemption onto the U.S. Walker Cup team that will face Great Britain & Ireland at Ireland’s Lahinch Golf Club in September.
While Watts says making the team and representing the United States would be the highest honor, he has never been someone to rest on his laurels and he won’t start now.
“I’ve put in a bunch of hard work and it’s definitely starting to show and pay off,” Watts said. “I have to continue to do that if I want to keep competing at the highest level.”
After Watts’ Sunnehanna Amateur victory last year and consistent finishes afterward, he was in line to be a captain’s pick for the 2025 Walker Cup at Cypress Point. However, he failed to advance to match play in the U.S. Amateur at the Olympic Club and was not selected.
But Watts says he looks back on these moments as blessings in disguise.
“After that I had a lot of motivation to improve mentally and physically and realized that I can’t just give up,” Watts said. “If I want to make those teams you have to be willing to put in the work.”
“Obviously last year was a really good year but I always wanted to be perfect and that’s never going to happen in this game.”
Tyler Watts
Watts lives by the saying “if you take a day off, it takes two days to get back to where you were.” It’s important to be consistent in practice and preparation, and Watts says he works on his game and his body for at least three-and-a-half hours a day before he arrives at the course.
He’s also placed emphasis on improving his mental game.
“Obviously last year was a really good year but I always wanted to be perfect and that’s never going to happen in this game,” Watts said.
Bad swings and mistakes are going to happen. It’s about not getting flustered when they do.
“I’ve tried to do a much better job of understanding that those mistakes are going to happen and I’m OK with them because I know that I’m such a good player that I can make up for them,” Watts said.
It’s often a strong mental game that separates the best from the rest. And last year, Watts got his first taste of PGA Tour golf at the Procore Championship in September and the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in November. He made the cut in both events, and at the Procore Championship, Watts played in a field that included every 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team member except Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele.
“I definitely learned how good those guys are,” Watts said. “They go low in Round 1, they go low in Round 2 and then they just keep going low. You have to be playing pretty much perfect out there if you want to win and contend.”
Tyler Watts at a Walker Cup practice session in December
But the experience gave him confidence.
“I feel like I was able to compete against them,” Watts said. “I didn’t see much of a difference [in terms of physical skills]. But they do have a lot of experience, which I will gain over time.”
Last December, Watts was one of 18 players invited to the Walker Cup practice session at Seminole Golf Club. Also invited were seven members of the 2025 team: Jackson Koivun, Ethan Fang, Stout, Michael La Sasso, Jacob Modleski, Mason Howell and Stewart Hagestad.
“I heard a lot of the guys who were on the team last year talk about how it was the best experience of their life,” Watts said. “That definitely gave me a lot of motivation to be on that team.”
Watts’ Northeast Amateur victory, in which he broke the competitive course record at Wannamoisett Country Club with a 9-under-par 60 in the second round, was the culmination of his continued work. And despite taking a four-stroke lead into the final round, Watts refused to take the situation lightly.
“I definitely came out in the final round with that killer mentality,” Watts said. “I told myself I play my best golf when I play offense and I play aggressive. I was going to go out there and try to make a statement.”
It wasn’t until afterward that he learned he was the youngest champion ever.
“Obviously it’s really cool and it’s an honor because there are so many high-level names who’ve played in and won those events,” Watts said. “If you win either of those golf tournaments [the Sunnehanna and the Northeast] it doesn’t matter what age you are, it’s pretty impressive.”
This is a big year for Watts, as he’ll not only likely represent the United States in the Walker Cup, but he will also start college at the University of Tennessee. His future certainly appears bright.
“I feel like I’m prepared because I’ve been playing against all these high-level collegiate amateur golfers for a couple years now,” Watts said. “I can still improve which is a good thing. I’m excited to compete with my teammates and try to chase a national championship.”
Top: Tyler Watts has risen to fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
PHOTOS: EDWARD M. PIO RODA, COURTESY USGA
