Local junior golf stars Chase Ion of Hardin-Jefferson and Reece Williams of Monsignor Kelly Catholic are set to compete in the historic 76th Annual Press Thornton Future Masters Golf Invitational, taking place June 24-28 at Dothan Country Club in Alabama. These talented local golfers will join a distinguished field that includes the sons of PGA Tour players, showcasing their skills over three days in the prestigious 15–18 age division.
Ion and Williams will be making their fourth consecutive appearance at this elite national event.
Williams, the 2025 Babe Zaharias Underclassman Player of the Year, recently earned Second Team All-State honors and qualified individually for the TAPPS 5A State Championship. He is currently ranked No. 76 in Texas (Class of 2027) by Junior Golf Scoreboard and No. 13 in Texas (Class of 2027) by the AJGA Rolex Rankings. He comes into the tournament with momentum following a 6th-place finish at the PGA Junior Championship Regional at The Quarry in San Antonio.
Ion, named 2024 Co-Underclassman Player of the Year, helped lead Hardin‑Jefferson to the UIL State Tournament this spring. His team earned three first-place finishes, including a dominant district title. Ion is currently ranked No. 83 in Texas (Class of 2027) and was the only Southeast Texas player to make the cut at last year’s Future Masters.
This year’s field will not feature defending champion Ben Shedd, now playing at Jacksonville State, nor Charlie Woods, son of Tiger Woods. Still, the event promises to deliver top-tier junior golf and national attention.
“To get a real feel for the magnitude of this tournament, consider this,” said Tournament Director Kevin Klein. “We had 24 Future Masters alumni compete in this year’s U.S. Open. That speaks volumes about the level of talent we see here every year.”
The 15-18 age group features 232 of the top junior golfers from 37 states and nine countries, including Mexico, Chile, India, Puerto Rico, Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, and Austria.
Founded in 1950, the Future Masters has served as a launching pad for PGA Tour legends like Scottie Scheffler, Bubba Watson, Lucas Glover, and Brian Harman. Even Beaumont’s own Bruce Lietzke, a Ryder Cup player and longtime PGA Tour winner, competed in the tournament during his junior career. Tournament coordinator Angelia Wade Turner has been busy with tedious preparation for this year’s big event. “We are thrilled to have some exciting names and just a new course for the kids to play. It’s going to be anxious to see how they handle the new course and see what the scores are going to be for that,” said Wade Turner. A record 900 applicants were submitted, leaving 300 on the waiting list.
Beyond the fierce competition, the Future Masters is known for its hospitality, sportsmanship, and Southern charm. This year’s tournament returns to the newly renovated Dothan Country Club, which now features improved rough and redesigned penalty areas following a 13-month course upgrade. “The course is in pristine shape, and we’re excited for the players to experience it,” said Klein.
A new mural honoring the Future Masters will also be unveiled this fall on the BLP Mobile Paints building at Main Street and Cherokee Avenue. Spearheaded by Art in Public Places and muralist Wes Hardin, the project is funded in part through sales of commemorative tournament merchandise.
“Just imagine driving down Main Street and seeing this mural,” said Tournament Coordinator Angelia Wade Turner. “What a statement that’s going to make.”
The tournament officially began Thursday, June 26, at 7 a.m., but both Ion and Williams will tee off Wednesday afternoon at Dothan Country Club as part of first round pairings. Ion will begin at 12:45 p.m. off Hole 10, followed by Williams at 1:57 p.m. off Hole 1.
Tournament updates and live leaderboard coverage are available at futuremastersgolf.com.