NEWS

41st Junior PGA Championship draws elite field to Rhode Island's Wannamoisett Country Club

Published on
41st Junior PGA Championship draws elite field to Rhode Island's Wannamoisett Country Club

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The 41st Junior PGA Championship presented by Under Armour and Genesis Networks – one of the elite events in junior golf – visits New England for the first time and will be contested at venerable Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, R.I., Aug. 9-12.

An elite field of 156 players – 78 boys vying for the Jack Nicklaus Trophy and 78 girls competing for the Patty Berg Trophy – will tee it up at Wannamoisett, a distinct Donald Ross par-69 layout (par-71 for the girls in the field) that is steeped in amateur golf heritage.

Wannamoisett’s storied past includes the 1931 PGA Championship – contested in a match-play format – and won by 20-year-old Tom Creavy, who edged Hall-of-Famer Denny Shute, 2 and 1, in the final.

Wannamoisett, since 1962, has also hosted the prestigious Northeast Amateur, whose champions include recent U.S. Open Champion Dustin Johnson, who won at Wannamoisett in 2007, along with other PGA Tour notables John Cook, Ben Crenshaw, Luke Donald, David Duval, Scott Hoch and Hal Sutton.

While the 2015 boys’ Junior PGA Champion, Brad Dalke, is ineligible to defend his title (he now studies and competes collegiately at the University of Oklahoma), Elizabeth Wang of San Marino, Calif., will be at Wannamoisett with the hope of repeating in the girls division.

Wang edged Mariel Galdiano in a playoff last year at Miramont Country Club in Bryan, Texas. The spoils of Wang’s win at Miramont last year included an exemption in June’s ShopRite LPGA Classic, where she not only made the cut, but finished in a tie for 31st place (73-66-69 - 208) at 5-under par.

The Junior PGA Championship’s field includes eight PGA Junior Series event champions, players from all 41 PGA Sections, many of the top players from the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings and Polo Golf Rankings, as well as select national junior tournament winners. Nine of the juniors (six boys, three girls) playing in the Junior PGA Championship hail from New England.

The boys’ field is headlined by Noah Goodwin of Corinth, Texas, who finished runner-up in last month’s U.S. Junior Amateur. Goodwin is Golfweek’s top-ranked junior and is committed to play college golf at Southern Methodist University.

Joining Goodwin in the boys’ division will be Davis Shore of Knoxville, Tenn. and Eugene Hong of Sanford, Florida. Shore (University of Alabama commitment) and Hong (University of Florida commitment) are ranked second and third, respectively, in the boys rankings by Golfweek.

Yujeong Son of Norman, Okla., leads the 78-player girls’ division. Son, the top-ranked girls’ player per Golfweek, recently won her third straight Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur. In last year’s Junior PGA Championship, Son matched the lowest girls round (64, Round 1) in Championship history en route to a third-place finish.

Kaitlyn Papp of Austin, Texas, and Alyaa Abdulghany of Newport Beach, Calif., join Son as headliners. Papp – a University of Texas commitment – is the No. 3 ranked junior girl by Golfweek, while Abdulghany occupies the No. 6 slot. Abdulghany is slated to play collegiately at the University of Southern California.

Eight of the top-10 girl finishers last year return to the Junior PGA Championship, while 12 of the leaderboard’s top 20 boys are scheduled to be at Wannamoisett.

The Junior PGA Championship also provides a final opportunity for junior boys and girls to earn exemptions or points for September’s Junior Ryder Cup, which will feature a 12-player United States of America team that will compete against a European squad at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn.

The U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team, which is seeking its fifth consecutive victory, will consist of six boys and six girls who are United States citizens and are in the high school graduating class of 2017, or younger.

The U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team will be announced by the PGA of America on Aug. 16, 2016. The team will depart for the Junior Ryder Cup at Interlachen and a Friendship Match at Hazeltine National, both to be played in conjunction with the 41st Ryder Cup, on Sept. 22.

The complete field for the 41st Junior PGA Championship, as of Wednesday, August 3:

GIRLS DIVISION
Alyaa Abdulghany Newport Beach, Calif.
Ty Akabane Danville, Calif.
Whitney Banz Salt Lake City, Utah
Kenlie Barrett The Woodlands, Texas
Lauren Beaudreau Lemont, Ill.
Madison Braman Loudonville, N.Y.
Jennifer Chang Cary, N.C.
Jayna Choi Collierville, Tenn.
Youngin Chun Gainesville, Fla.
Jennifer Cleary Wilmington, Del.
Maria Connelly Waterville, Ohio
Hailee Cooper Montgomery, Texas
Caitlin Cotterill NEW ZEALAND
Kyra Cox South Salem, N.Y.
Caroline Curtis Richmond, Va.
Maria Davis Vallejo, Calif.
Madison DeRousse Sainte Genevieve, Mo.
Sadie Englemann Austin, Texas
Caroline Farber Providence, R.I.
Payton Fehringer American Falls, Idaho
Sarah Fite Maysville, Ky.
Lauren Freyvogel Gibsonia, Pa.
Megan Furtney South Elgin, Ill.
Victoria Gailey Tigard, Ore.
Mariel Galdiano Pearl City, Hawaii
Dominique Galloway Rio Rancho, N.M.
Angela Garvin Feeding Hills, Mass.
Melanie Green Medina, N.Y.
Virginia Green Point Clear, Ala.
Katie Hallinan Loveland, Ohio
Anni Heck Eagan, Minn.
Cailyn Henderson Carmel, Ind.
Stephanie Herzog Red Wing, Minn.
Sabrina Iqbal San Jose, Calif.
Julia Johnson St. Gabriel, La.
Auston Kim St. Augustine, Fla.
Gina Kim Chapel Hill, N.C.
Caroline Klemp Lansing, Kan.
Smith Knaffle Murrells Inlet, S.C.
Alyssa Lamoureux Seminole, Fla.
Lucy Li Redwood Shores, Calif.
Mika Liu Beverly Hills, Calif.
Lindsay May Auburn, N.Y.
Taylor McCorkle Oregon, Wis.
Emilia Migliaccio Cary, N.C.
Alyssa Montgomery Knoxville, Tenn.
Katherine Muzi Walnut, Calif.
Malia Nam Kailua, Hawaii
Grace Ni Cypress, Texas
Yealimi Noh Concord, Calif.
Allison Olberding West Des Moines, Iowa
Valeria Sofia Pacheco Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Kaitlyn Papp Austin, Texas
Elizabeth Reedy Marietta, Ga.
Ariana Saenz Porter, Texas
Karah Sanford Escondito, Calif.
Aneka Seumanutafa Emmitburg, Md.
Christine Shao Green Brook, N.J.
Erica Shepherd Greenwood, Ind.
Sarah Shipley Hastings, Mich.
Kelly Sim Edgewater, N.J.
Ellie Slama Salem, Ore.
Yujeong Son Norman, Okla.
Kelly Su Scottsdale, Ariz.
Kennedy Swann Austin, Texas
Lauren Thibodeau Hampstead, N.H.
Hannah Thiele Wahoo, Neb.
Sophia Trombetta Independence, Ohio
Brooke Tyree Sulphur, La.
Kailie Vongsaga Walnut, Calif.
Shani Waite El Segundo, Calif.
Crystal Wang Diamond Bar, Calif.
Elizabeth Wang San Marino, Calif.
Mary Weinstein Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Waverly Whiston San Diego, Calif.
Kenzie Wright McKinney, Texas
Caroline Wrigley Wexford, Pa.
Sydney Youngblood Durant, Okla.
BOYS DIVISION
Gray Albright Ocala, Fla.
Ashwin Arasu San Diego, Calif.
Luke Armbrust Wheaton, Ill.
Philip Barbaree Shreveport, La.
Garrett Barber Stuart, Fla.
Finn Boynton Milford, Conn.
Cole Bradley West Lafayette, Ind.
Eric Brown Lake Charles, La.
Joe Bultman Shawnee, Kan.
Frankie Capan North Oaks, Minn.
Davis Chatfield Attleboro, Mass.
Parker Coody Plano, Texas
Andrew Cortez American Falls, Idaho
Dylan Davidson O'Fallon Ill.
Ryan Davis Berkeley Heights, N.J.
Will Dickson Providence, R.I.
Chandler Eaton Alpharetta, Ga.
Austin Eckroat Edmond, Okla.
Dan Erickson Whittier, Calif.
Ben Fuller Birmingham, Ala.
Wilson Furr Jackson, Miss.
Matthew Garside Vadnais Heights, Minn.
Ryan Gerard Raleigh, N.C.
Brandon Gillis Nashua, N.H.
Noah Goodwin Corinth, Texas
Zack Gordon Gaffney, S.C.
Crosby Guercio Frisco, Texas
Allen Hamilton Louisville, Ky.
Cole Hammer Houston, Texas
Kevin Hara Honolulu, Hawaii
Kyle Hogan Cypress, Texas
Eugene Hong Sanford, Fla.
Brendan Hy San Ramon, Calif.
James Imai Brookline, Mass.
Brent Ito Ardsley, N.Y.
Palmer Jackson Murrysville, Pa.
Trevor Johnson Brentwood, Tenn.
Luke Kluver Norfolk, Neb.
Bennett Knapek Hartland, Wis.
Andrew Kozan Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Justin Lane Woodstock, N.Y.
Walker Lee Houston, Texas
Frank Lindwall Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Zach Mandry Solon, Ohio
Garrett Martin San Antonio, Texas
Sean Maruyama Encino, Calif.
Nate Menon Wyomissing, Pa.
Daisuke Nakano JAPAN
Mason Nome Houston, Texas
Noah Norton Chico, Calif.
Noah Nuez Laveen, Ariz.
A.J. Ott Fort Collins, Colo.
John Pak Scotch Plains, N.J.
Trueman Park Chandler, Ariz.
Jack Parker Columbia, Mo.
James Piot Canton, Mich.
Cole Ponich Farmington, Utah
Reese Ramsey Austin, Texas
Brett Roberts Coral Springs, Fla.
Alex Schaake Omaha, Neb.
Davis Shore Knoxville, Tenn.
Jeremy Sisson Skaneateles, N.Y.
Jack Snyder Phoenix, Ariz.
Luke Stanley South Wales, N.Y.
Nate Stember Portland, Ore.
Troy Taylor II Westerville, Ohio
Will Thomson Naples, Fla.
Spencer Tibbits Vancouver, Wash.
Jordan Tieman West Portsmouth, Ohio
Trent Tipton Orient, Ohio
Kyle Vance Audubon, Pa.
Travis Vick Houston, Texas
Lane Wallace Yukon, Okla.
Patrick Welch Providence, R.I.
Vince Wheeler Roanoke, Va.
Matthew Wolff Agoura Hills, Calif.
Norman Xiong Canyon Lake, Calif.
Greg Yellin El Paso, Texas