Rhode Island may be the smallest state, but it is full of great golf talent, with more on the way.
Whether it’s talent that is still playing locally or talent that has taken the next step in their careers, Rhode Island has a lot to be excited about in 2026.
With the Players to Watch, GolfNewsRI aims to highlight two men’s and two women’s players that could be/will be making moves during the 2026 season.
And not necessarily the star players.
So without further ado, here are GolfNewsRI’s Men’s Players to Watch in 2026:
Nate Jackson
The Jackson legacy at La Salle is still going strong.
Max’s younger brother, Nate, is already a soccer star for the Rams and is now quickly becoming a golf star.
Nate played on the La Salle golf team last season as a sophomore and ranked 30th in the state in iWR.
He had a scoring average of 38.6 for nine holes.
When the State Championship came around, Jackson played as an individual for the Rams, meaning his score did not count toward the team score.
Challenge Cup’s Dave Adamonis pointed out on GNRI TV that if Jackson had counted, La Salle would have won their fourth straight State Title by more than they did.
Fast forward to the summer when Jackson, playing at his home course, made the match play cut at the Rhode Island Junior Amateur and pulled off a first round upset to advance in the tournament.
Jackson will get a chance to have a bigger role for the Rams this season and then the Junior Am is at his home course, Pawtucket, again, so he will have another opportunity for a deep run.
Raj Mammen
Now a sophomore at Wheeler and star of the Wheeler Warriors golf team, Raj Mammen is a rising star in the junior ranks.
Last spring, he took medalist honors at the USwing Jr. World Qualifier and went on to compete in the tournament.
Over the summer, he won his fourth straight Warwick Junior Championship and made it to the quarterfinals of the Rhode Island Junior Amateur before falling to AJ Colonna.
Most recently, Mammen headed down to Florida to play in the Doral Jr. Classic where he competed in the 14-15 year old division of the tournament.
He made the cut in the tournament while playing against kids from all over the the world.
Watch for Mammen to be a factor in 2026 and beyond.
Honorable Mention
Davis Chatfield
Former Rhode Island Amateur Champ Davis Chatfield has full status on the PGA Tour starting in a little over a week.
So for that, he gets an honorable mention as a player to watch.
Chatfield earned PGA Tour status after finishing inside the top 20 on the points list last season on the Korn Ferry Tour.
He begins his PGA Tour run on January 15 in Hawaii at the Sony Open.