AJGA All-American teams announced

AJGA names Rolex Junior All-America Teams

97 boys and girls recognized as the world’s top junior golfers

BRASELTON, Ga. − Junior golf’s top honors were announced Tuesday, Oct. 29, as 49 boys and 48 girls were named Rolex Junior All-Americans by Rolex and the American Junior Golf Association.

                Introduced by the AJGA in 1978, the Rolex Junior All-America Teams annually recognize players who have proven to be the world’s premier junior golfers. This year’s selections distinguished themselves through their outstanding play in 114 national events, 100 of which were conducted by the AJGA. The Rolex Junior All-America Teams were determined exclusively through the Polo Golf Rankings as of Oct. 16.

                The teams are comprised of 97 junior golfers, ages 13-18, from 24 states, Puerto Rico and seven foreign countries (Bolivia, China, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and Zimbabwe). These standouts will be honored at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet, Nov. 24, at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

              
Rolex Junior All-America First Team – Boys Division Overview

Brad Dalke of Hobart, Okla., and Adam Wood of Zionsville, Ind., are the only two 2012 first-team Rolex Junior All-Americans to return to the Boys Division First Team in 2013.

Dalke is a first-team Rolex Junior All-American for the third consecutive year on the strength of two AJGA Invitational victories, the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods and The PING Invitational, a semifinal appearance at the Polo Golf Junior Classic, and two top-10 finishes in national competition in 2013. At No. 2 in the Polo Golf Rankings, he competed for the victorious West Team at the 2013 Wyndham Cup and has verbally committed to Oklahoma. With Dalke’s win at The PING Invitational, he became the second-youngest AJGA boy to win three Invitationals.

Wood opened his 2013 campaign with a victory at the Polo Golf Junior Classic, defeating Rolex Junior Player of the Year Scott Scheffler of Dallas, 3 and 1. He went on to finish second at the Rolex Tournament of Champions, eighth at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf, and compete for the East Team at the 2013 Wyndham Cup. Verbally committed to Duke, Wood is No. 6 in the Polo Golf Rankings and a three-time overall honoree.

                Scott Scheffler returns to the First Team after a one-year absence. In search of his inaugural junior title, he tallied a string of consecutive runner-up finishes at the Jones Cup Junior Invitational in December, HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods in February and the Thunderbird International Junior in May. After finishing T10 at the Rolex Tournament of Champions, Scheffler’s breakout performance came at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship where he defeated Davis Riley, 3 and 2. The No. 1-ranked boy has verbally committed to Texas.

                With honorable mention accolades in 2011 and 2012, Matt Gilchrest of Southlake, Texas, secured his spot on the Rolex Junior All-America First Team after he claimed his fifth AJGA victory at the FJ Invitational. He had four top-10 finishes, a including third-place showing at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and T5 finish at the Thunderbird International Junior.
The other eight players on the Boys Division Rolex Junior All-America First Team are: Zachary Bauchou of Forest, Va.; Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas; George Cunningham of Tucson, Ariz.; Jorge Garcia of Miami, Fla.; Benjamin Griffin of Chapel Hill, N.C.; Collin Morikawa of La Canada Flintridge, Calif.; Austen Truslow of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.; and Andy Zhang of Reunion, Fla.

Rolex Junior All-America First Team – Girls Division Overview

                Five girls from the 2012 Rolex Junior All-America First Team return in 2013, including Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif., who makes her sixth consecutive appearance on the First Team. In her final junior golf season, Lee won all three starts of the year, competed for the victorious squads at the Wyndham Cup (West Team) and PING Junior Solheim Cup (United States), and earned the No. 1 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings. The six-time, first-team Rolex Junior All-American totaled nine career AJGA victories, four coming at Invitationals

Also celebrating six years on the Rolex Junior All-America Team is Karen Chung of Livingston, N.J., who returns to the First Team for the third consecutive year. Chung earned her spot after five top-10 finishes in AJGA competition in 2013. The year began with a runner-up finish at the ANNIKA Invitational in January and two months later, she won the Goodman Networks Junior at Traditions with a tournament-low, final-round 68. Chung also tied for second at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, an event she has competed in consecutively since 2008.    

                Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wis., makes her third appearance on the Rolex Junior All-America Team after previous years on the First Team (2012) and Second Team (2011). In her final season with the AJGA, Danielson finished third at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and competed on the victorious PING Junior Solheim Cup United States team. Danielson, a former AJGA Player Representative, is a freshman on the Stanford women’s golf team.

                Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, Calif., was named a first-team Rolex Junior All-American for the second consecutive year. At No. 5 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Lee posted six top-six finishes, highlighted by runner-up showings at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and The PING Invitational. After helping the West Team win the Wyndham Cup, she helped capture the PING Junior Solheim Cup for the U.S. team.

                The fifth girl to return to the First Team is Nicole Morales of South Salem, N.Y., who recorded four top-four AJGA finishes this season. Morales played in the quarterfinals of the Polo Golf Junior Classic in November 2012 and won the Thunderbird International Junior in May. She tied for fourth at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and The PING Invitational later in the year. The 2013 AJGA Player Representative played on the winning PING Junior Solheim Cup United States team as well as the East Team at the 2013 Wyndham Cup.

                The seven remaining First Team selections are: Abbey Carlson of Lake Mary, Fla.; Yueer Cindy Feng of Orlando, Fla.; Megan Khang of Rockland, Mass.; Amy Lee of Brea, Calif.; Gabriella Then of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; Lilia Vu of Fountain Valley, Calif.; and Bethany Wu of Diamond Bar, Calif.

Former Rolex Junior All-Americans in professional golf

                Former Rolex Junior All-Americans comprise the top players on the PGA and LPGA Tours. The top 10 of the PGA TOUR’s final FedEx Cup rankings boasts three former Rolex Junior Players of the Year, including Phil Mickelson (1986-88), Tiger Woods (1991-92) and Jordan Spieth (2009), as well as former Rolex Junior All-American Matt Kuchar.

On the 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup Team, nine of the 12 players competed in AJGA tournaments as teenagers, and eight were named Rolex Junior All-Americans during their careers: Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Jessica Korda, Brittany Lang, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Lizette Salas and Lexi Thompson.

                Other notable AJGA alumni who were named Rolex Junior All-Americans include Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Ryan Moore, Webb Simpson, Bubba Watson, Belen Mozo and Inbee Park.

                Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex, which is in its fourth decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.

                AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 500 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Stacy Lewis, Vicky Hurst, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lincicome and Morgan Pressel.

2013 Rolex Junior All-America Teams
First Team – Boys
Zachary Bauchou, Forest, Va.
Austin Connelly, Irving, Texas
George Cunningham, Tucson, Ariz.
Brad Dalke, Hobart, Okla.
Jorge Garcia, Miami, Fla.
Matt Gilchrest, Southlake, Texas
Benjamin Griffin, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Collin Morikawa, La Canada Flintridge, Calif.
Scott Scheffler, Dallas, Texas
Austen Truslow, New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
Adam Wood, Zionsville, Ind.
Andy Zhang, Reunion, Fla.

Second Team – Boys
Dawson Armstrong, Brentwood, Tenn.
Sam Burns, Shreveport, La.
Doug Ghim, Arlington Heights, Ill.
Justin Kim, Fullerton, Calif.
Peter Kim, Metuchen, N.J.
KK Limbhasut, Loma Linda, Calif.
Dylan Meyer, Evansville, Ind.
Christopher Petefish, Danville, Calif.
William Register, Burlington, N.C.
Davis Riley, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Jacob Solomon, Dublin, Calif.
Yechun (Carl) Yuan, Lake Mary, Fla.

Honorable Mention – Boys
Wes Artac, Kingwood, Texas
John Augenstein, Owensboro, Ky.
Connor Black, Humble, Texas
Kristian Caparros, Hollywood, Fla.
Cameron Champ, Sacramento, Calif.
Sean Crocker, Westlake Village, Calif.

Ben Dietrich, Bluffton, S.C.

William Gordon, Davidson, N.C.

Jonathan Hardee, Greer, S.C.

Nick Hardy, Northbrook, Ill.

Theo Humphrey, Greenwich, Conn.

Cheng Jin, Singapore, Singapore

Samuel Kim, Irvine, Calif.

David Mackey, Bogart, Ga.

Patrick Martin, Birmingham, Ala.

Jose Montano, Bradenton, Fla.

Taisei Negishi, San Diego, Calif.

Alvaro Ortiz, Zapopan, Mexico

Matthew Perrine, Austin, Texas

Corey Shaun, Encinitas, Calif.

Jimmy Stanger, Tampa, Fla.
Aaron Terrazas, Veracruz, Mexico

Braden Thornberry, Olive Branch, Miss.

Peter Thorseth, Richmond, Texas
Youxin (Robin) Wang, Lake Mary, Fla.

First Team – Girls
Abbey Carlson, Lake Mary, Fla.

Karen Chung, Livingston, N.J.

Casey Danielson, Osceola, Wis.
Yueer Cindy Feng, Orlando, Fla.

Megan Khang, Rockland, Mass.

Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif.
Amy Lee, Brea, Calif.
Andrea Lee, Hermosa Beach, Calif.

Nicole Morales, South Salem, N.Y.

Gabriella Then, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Lilia Vu, Fountain Valley, Calif.

Bethany Wu, Diamond Bar, Calif.

Second Team – Girls
Lakareber Abe, Angleton, Texas

Mariel Galdiano, Pearl City, Hawaii

Kristen Gillman, Austin, Texas
Alexandra Kaui, Las Vegas, Nev.
Nelly Korda, Bradenton, Fla.

Hannah O'Sullivan, Paradise Valley, Ariz.

Kaitlyn Papp, Austin, Texas
Robynn Ree, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Kathleen Scavo, Benicia, Calif.

Sierra Sims, Austin, Texas

Samantha Wagner, Windermere, Fla.
Angel Yin, Arcadia, Calif.

Honorable Mention – Girls
Sierra Brooks, Sorrento, Fla.
Emily Campbell, Carrollton, Texas

Alice Chen, Princeton, N.J.

Lydia Choi, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Hailee Cooper, Montgomery, Texas
Allisen Corpuz, Honolulu, Hawaii

Rachel Dai, Milton, Ga.

Mai Dechathipat, Howey in the Hills, Fla.
Alexandra Farnsworth, Nashville, Tenn.
Muni He, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Kayla Jones, Milton, Ga.
Jiayu Kong, Arcadia, Calif.
Marianne Li, Bellevue, Wash.
Mika Liu, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Amy Matsuoka, Newport Beach, Calif.
Rinko Mitsunaga, Roswell, Ga.
Krystal Quihuis, Tucson, Ariz.
Lauren Stephenson, Lexington, S.C.

Maddie Szeryk, Allen, Texas

Bailey Tardy, Norcross, Ga.

Taylor Tomlinson, Gainesville, Fla.

Maria Torres, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Elizabeth Wang, San Marino, Calif.

Anna Zhou, Palo Alto, Calif.