The Terra Cotta Invitational is ranked as the 10th best amateur golf tournament in the United States, excluding collegiate events, among more than 3,000 such competitions nationwide.
The Terra Cotta Invitational is underway at Naples National Golf Club, with Puebla opening with a 64 to take the early lead in the 30th edition of one of the nation’s premier amateur golf tournaments.
Puebla’s round of 64 placed him at the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the 54-hole stroke play event, which began Thursday, April 16, 2026, and will run through Saturday, April 18, at Naples National Golf Club in Southwest Florida.
The tournament features a 72-player field described as one of the strongest in the event’s history, including 24 of the top 25 Rolex Junior All-Americans, 60 players ranked in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and seven members of the U.S. National Junior Team.
Among the notable competitors are two-time defending champion Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, who is seeking to become the first golfer to win the Terra Cotta Invitational three times in a row, and Miles Russell, the nation’s No. 1-ranked junior golfer and a Florida State commit.
Colton, Russell, and U.S. Amateur runner-up Noah Kent are grouped together in one of the marquee pairings for the opening round, teeing off at 9:10 a.m. From the first hole.
The field also includes current U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell, adding another major titleholder to an already elite lineup.
Last year, Colton won the event by eight shots with a score of 14-under, a total that tied the tournament’s lowest 54-hole score.
The Terra Cotta Invitational is ranked as the 10th best amateur golf tournament in the United States, excluding collegiate events, among more than 3,000 such competitions nationwide.
Naples National Golf Club continues to host the invitation-only tournament, which has grown in stature over its 30-year history to attract an ever-increasing number of the sport’s top junior, mid-amateur, and collegiate players.