PGA of America Updates Final Official Qualifying Events for United States Junior Ryder Cup Team

June 8, 2021

The 12th Junior Ryder Cup will be contested between the U.S. and Europe
at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club near Milwaukee, Sept. 20-21, 2021

• For complete United States Junior Ryder Cup Team standings, click here.
• For European Junior Ryder Cup Team information, click here.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (June 8, 2021) – As the countdown is on to the 12th Junior Ryder Cup at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, Sept. 20-21, 2021, the PGA of America has updated the final official qualifying events and eligibility rules for the selection of the United States Junior Ryder Cup Team.

The Junior Ryder Cup is scheduled to resume this September after being postponed last year due to the pandemic. The U.S. Team will feature six boys and six girls who are U.S. citizens and members of the high school graduating class of 2022 or younger. All potential players must compete in the 2021 Girls or Boys Junior PGA Championship to be eligible, unless exceptional circumstances prevent the player from competing. There will be 10 players who qualify as exemptions, and two Captain’s picks by United States Team Captain and PGA Past President Derek Sprague. 

“The Junior PGA Championships will be super exciting, as they will determine the final teams for this year’s Junior Ryder Cup,” said Sprague, PGA General Manager of TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

The final U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team will be announced by the PGA of America on Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, following the 45th Girls Junior PGA Championship. They will face a European Junior Ryder Cup Team selected by Captain Paul Lawrie and a selection committee. Lawrie won the 1999 Open Championship and has played in two Ryder Cups.

“The best junior golfers in the United States will comprise a formidable team that will travel to Milwaukee this fall, as we proudly represent our country and compete against Europe’s top players in this special international event,” added Sprague.

The Americans are vying for their seventh straight Junior Ryder Cup victory, holding an overall record of 7-3-1 in the event. Among the competition’s alumni are major champions, PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players including: Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Hunter Mahan, Akshay Bhatia, Lexi Thompson, Alison Lee, Brittany Altomare and Yealimi Noh of the United States; and Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Nicolas Colsaerts, Suzann Pettersen, Emily Pedersen and Carlota Ciganda of Europe.

To be eligible for the 12th U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team, all players must compete in their respective Junior PGA Championship and achieve one of the following qualifications:

Exemptions:

• 2021 Boys Junior PGA Champion winner and runner-up (total of 2 boys)* – To be contested July 12-15, 2021. In an event there is a tie for 2nd place between two eligible players, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following play to determine the spot.
• 2021 Girls Junior PGA Champion and runner-up (total of 2 girls)* – To be contested July 27-30, 2021. In an event there is a tie for 2nd place between two eligible players, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following play to determine the spot.
• 2021 U.S. Girls Junior Champion** – To be contested July 12-17, 2021. If the champion is not eligible, the next highest ranked player on the United States Junior Ryder Cup points list will be selected.
• 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur Champion** –  To be contested July 19-24, 2021. If the champion is not eligible, the next highest ranked player on the United States Junior Ryder Cup points list will be selected.
• Top two boys and top two girls from the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Points List (see charts below) Events earning points include: multiple AJGA Invitationals, USGA Junior Amateurs, Junior PGA Championships and select independent events. In addition, points are awarded to those juniors who make the cut in a 2019, 2020 or 2021 PGA Tour, LPGA Tour or USGA national event. All U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Points List ties will be broken by each player’s respective 2021 Junior PGA Championship finish.

*In the event of a tie for 2nd place between two eligible players in either the 2021 Girls Junior PGA Championship and/or 2021 Boys Junior PGA Championship, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following play to determine the spot. If the champion or runner-up is not eligible, the next highest ranked player on the corresponding U.S. Junior Ryder Cup points list will be selected. 

**If the 2021 U.S. Girls Junior Champion and/or the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur Champion is not eligible, the next highest ranked player on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup points list will be selected. 

Captain’s Picks:

• The final two spots will be one boy and one girl Captain’s pick. For these selections, the PGA of America will consider multiple national ranking systems, such as Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, Junior Golf Scoreboard, Rolex AJGA Rankings and World Amateur Golf Rankings to pinpoint the remaining top boy and girl selections.

# Only the eight players advancing to elimination will receive points for the
Polo Golf Junior Classic.

CURRENT GIRLS U.S. JUNIOR RYDER CUP TEAM POINTS STANDINGS
(As of June 8, 2021)

1st – Alexa Pano, Lake Worth, Fla. – 4585 
2nd – Megha Ganne, Holmdel, N.J. – 2910
3rd – Sophie Linder, Carthage, Tenn. – 1490
4th – Avery Zweig, Dallas – 1475 
5th – Paris Hilinski, Los Angeles – 1185 
6th – Amari Avery, Riverside, Calif. – 1171.6 
7th – Sara Im, Duluth, Ga., 950  
8th – Grace Summerhays, Scottsdale, Ariz. – 872.5
9th – Kaitlyn Schroeder, Jacksonville, Fla. – 870
10th – Jacqueline Putrino, Lakewood Ranch, Fla. – 770CURRENT BOYS U.S. JUNIOR RYDER CUP TEAM POINTS STANDINGS
(As of June 8, 2021)

1st – Luke Potter, Encinitas, Calif. – 1930
2nd – Ben James, Milford, Conn. – 1610
3rd – Caleb Surratt, Indian Trail, N.C. – 1160
4th – Wells Williams, West Point, Miss. – 1091.6
5th – Nicholas Dunlap, Huntsville, Ala. – 821
6th – Luke Clanton, Miami Lakes, Fla. – 770
7th – Bruce Murphy, Johns Creek, Ga. – 735
8th – Thomas Morrison, Dallas – 585.5
9th – Sean-Karl Dobson, Austin, Texas – 580
10th – Jack Turner, Orlando, Fla. – 555 

The idea for the Junior Ryder Cup came about in 1995, when a team of Europeans, including Sergio Garcia, played an informal exhibition match against the Central New York PGA Section and area juniors. Two years later, the Junior Ryder Cup was formally introduced as an event at Alcaidesa Links Golf Course, in Cadiz, Spain, and won by the United States, 7-5. 

The United States captured the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup at Disneyland Paris 12 1/2 to 11 1/2 for its sixth consecutive victory.