6 Michigan Men Qualify for the U.S. Amateur

By Tom Lang

    Six men from Michigan have qualified for the prestigious 126th U.S. Amateur – and three of them are MSU Spartans.

    The U.S. Am is set for play August 10-16 at Merion Golf Club, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

    All three MSU players, McCoy Biagioli, Lorenzo Pinili and Caleb Bond are each making their second trip to the historic event. For Bond it’s the second consecutive.

    Also qualifying were: PJ Maybank of Cheboygan, Ieuan Jones of Ann Arbor and Lake Orion’s Remy Stalcup.

    McCoy Biagioli:

    Two-time Michigan Amateur winner, in 2024 at Boyne and 2026 played at Eagle Eye. His high school buddy Marcus Kainhofer serves as caddy. They paired up for the Mich Am win in both 2024 and 2026, but Marcus missed 2025 due to a college internship and McCoy didn’t advance. 

    “He’s back on the bag this summer,” Biagioli told me. “We’ve been joking around the last few weeks that he’s got a better match play record than me… he’s 12-0. We have certain jokes that no one else would understand. It’s a good relationship. It’s the best friend dynamic that only the two of us would understand.”

    Lorenzo Pinili: 

    Pinili of Rochester Hills made Michigan Amateur Championship history in 2025 when he shot a course and tournament record 7-under-par 63 for a two-round tournament-record 130 total, earning medalist honors in the stroke play portion of the 114th state championship at Belvedere Golf Club.

     The 63 is the lowest round in stroke play qualifying in history. Pinili also played in the 2023 U.S. Amateur.

    “It’s very nice knowing I have teammates out there in Philly with me,” Pinili texted during his recent family visit to the Philippines. “The experience will be much more enjoyable with them – more fun and relaxing with them there and I hope to learn so much from the experience.”

    Caleb Bond:

    Bond went the deepest into match play for any Michigander since James Piot of Canton won the national title in 2021. Bond, a Williamston native, reached the round of 16 last year, after winning the Michigan Amateur to qualify.

    “It showed me how much I’ve improved over the last couple of years,” Bond said. “And in the future when I look back it will be great to know I qualified, no matter how I play (the actual event). There’s only so much I can control out there, but the goal is always to win. That would be pretty exciting being the second MSU player to do that.”

    MSU Coach Casey Lubahn added: “Playing the U.S. Amateur is always a special opportunity and these three have earned it. Our program has had a lot of success in recent years with a national champion and two others making the sweet 16. Merion is a spectacular venue – something they will always cherish.”

    Ieuan Jones: 

     Ieuan (pronounced Ian) qualified for the 126th Amateur by placing runner up at minus-2 (69) at the Scarlett Course at Ohio State in July. He was the Div. 1 state champion at Ann Arbor Skyline in 2022 and was state runner up the year prior. He now plays at Harvard.

    At Harvard, he capped off the season with a runner-up finish at the Ivy League Championship in April, carding rounds of 69 (-1) and 69 (-1) for a 138 (-2) total.

    Remy Stalcup:

    The transfer from Saginaw Valley State is now playing at Morehead State. At Saginaw he earned Honorable Mention 2023-24 All-GLIAC team as a freshman. In high school, he earned 2023 Div. 4 state champion as a senior and as a sophomore (2021) at Everest Collegiate High School, where he was named First-Team All-State as a sophomore as well as being a two-time MHSAA Super Team member.

    PJ Maybank:

    Maybank came on the golf scene from Cheboygan early in life – by reaching the finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt at Augusta National three times, winning it all in 2018. In high school, he earned the Mr. Golf Michigan title as a sophomore, then switched off the high school team to play national amateur events during the spring. This is also his second U.S. Am (2024).

    “Very excited for the U.S. Am and Merion,” Maybank, a now senior at Oklahoma, texted me recently. “It’s always an honor to play in USGA events. That’s what we all strive for and I always love representing my home state. Yes, 6 is a lot (from Michigan). Hopefully we all make a run and make Michigan proud!”

    He won the 2023 Azalea Amateur Championship by a record-breaking 11 strokes with a tournament record 262 (-22) 72-hole score, and the same year represented the United States at Junior Golf World Cup in Japan.