2026 Season Preview: Can Anyone Finally Beat Michael Salomone Twice?

The Council's 2026 calendar keeps its now-familiar shape: the Southeast Regional Open in the spring, five other regional series through the summer, and the National Pineapple Championship closing out the season in September. The bigger question, as always, is whether anyone can do what only Jake Winslow has ever managed — beat Michael Salomone in a National Championship final.

Winslow remains the only man to have done it once, back in 2022, and has finished second to Salomone three times since. Priya Natarajan's 2024 run at the title in her home state of Texas came closer on paper than the final margin suggested. Hana Kahale's 2025 podium breakthrough has fans wondering whether the Aloha Invitational's toughest competitor might be ready for a mainland run at the whole thing.

Salomone himself, for his part, has said little about the upcoming season beyond confirming he intends to defend both his Southeast Regional Open and National Championship titles. Council oddsmakers, such as they are, still consider him the heavy favorite in both.