06/11/2026
By Jon Johnson
A banner with the logo and dates of the upcoming Press Thornton Future Masters is mounted on the side of the building at the intersection of West Main St. and Cherokee Ave., neatly positioned next to a mural unveiled last November showcasing the famed junior golf tournament.
It provides several visuals for new Dothan Country Club director of golf and Future Masters tournament director Trevor Potts as he drives up Press Thornton Memorial Drive to work.
While Potts didn’t originally understand the true magnitude of the annual event in Dothan when he began the job six months ago after spending the past seven years as the Director of Golf at Trump National Golf Club in Mooresville, N.C., he’s been a fast learner.
“Part of the whole thing about getting here was talking about the Future Masters and what it is,” Potts said during a media luncheon Thursday. “I had never got to play in it, but once I got here, I did not realize how big of an event it was.
“So, we’re really trying to grasp our hands around it, but the whole team has made this very, very seamless and I’m here to help out with whatever I can."
Potts marvels at the amount of interest the tournament draws.
“We had over 1,000 applicants for the event this year, which is unheard of for a junior golf event, especially since we can only pick 484 players to be in the event across all the age groups," he said.
The 77th Annual Press Thornton Future Masters begins on Sunday, June 21, with the first of three 18-hole rounds in the 11-12 and 13-14 age divisions. The 10-under players will have a practice round that day in preparation for their two-day, 18-hole tournament. All three of the young age divisions play on Monday, June 22, and the final round in each age group will be held Tuesday, June 23.
The 15-18 age division players will have a practice round on Wednesday, June 24, and then begin their three-round tournament the next day with the overall champion being crowned on Saturday, June 27.
Last year’s overall champion, North Carolina native Warren Stiglitz, will not be in the field this year after winning as a 16-year-old by firing a final round 7-under par 63 for a comeback win.
“Unfortunately our past champion from the 15-18 could not be here … he had a family matter … but he hopes to return again in the next few years,” Potts said.
Two past winners from a year ago, Ethan Li who won the 10-under title and 13-14 winner Mason McCord, will both return but will be advancing to the next age group.
There are two Dothan products in the 13-14 age division in Wiley Alford and Mac Steltenpohl. Three local players are in the 15-18 division: Douglas Lee of Dothan, Parker Trawick of Enterprise and Jay Wilson of Elba.
As usual, there will be competitors from throughout the United States and Internationally.
“I didn’t really realize that we represented so many different areas of the country, and also all around the world,” Potts said. “There are 10 different countries and 39 states, so it is a well-rounded field, but what makes it really cool is everybody knows about the Future Masters.”
King Thornton, the general chairman of the tournament, made reference to a former champion who has quickly made a name for himself on the national stage.
“Mason Howell won the 13-14 age group here in 2022, and four years later he won the U.S. Amateur and played in the Masters (this year) at I think the ripe age of maybe 16 or 17,” Thornton said.
Thornton also talked about the national attention the tournament continues to get.
“At lunch yesterday, I was thinking about how many cool ways the tournament gets recognized,” Thornton said. “One of them, of course, is the mural. Anybody who has turned the corner to drive up here has seen the mural.
“Also the mentions we’ve gotten this year on the Golf Channel. We got mentioned two or three times during Drive, Chip & Putt (junior skills competition) and Smylie Kaufman’s show (podcast) mentioned the Future Masters.
“He and Harris English (both pro golfers) were having a conversation about their favorite junior golf tournament growing up and they talked about the Future Masters being it.”
To further illustrate the importance junior golfers put on the tournament, Thornton relayed how several organizations help their members prepare for the Future Masters.
“The Florida Junior Golf Association put an article out on their website called The Future Masters Tournament guide to parents, eligibility, selection and planning,” Thornton said. “Basically, it’s telling the parents of the junior golfers how to apply for the tournament, what to expect and how to plan if they get selected. I thought that was pretty cool."
Thornton also pointed out that golfers from the Country Club of Birmingham who make the Future Masters field get some tutoring on the DCC course layout before they arrive.
“They actually have a director of junior golf," Thornton said. "So, anybody that’s been accepted to play in the Future Masters, they meet and the director of junior golf goes through every hole and shows the kids the strategy of how to play the golf course.”
Before stepping away from the podium, Thornton recognized tournament coordinator Angelia Wade Turner, who is in her 30th year with the Future Masters.
“The last thing I want to do is let Angelia know how proud we are of her,” Thornton said in wrapping up his speech. “Every time I start thinking about what Angelia has done for the tournament, I get a little emotional.”
The Dothan Country Club course continues to be a challenging layout for junior golfers and appears to be in pristine condition heading into the tournament.
“I think the golf course is actually in good shape right now,” course superintendent Pearson Lowery said. “The little bit of rain we had two weeks ago really helped the rough get thick.
“We’re cutting the rough right now, but we’re going to let it grow for two weeks to try and make the golf course a little more challenging for these kids.”
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