Headlining the boys on the Rolex Junior All-America First Team is Jordan Spieth of Dallas. A two-time first-team selection, Spieth ascended to the No. 1 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings after winning the U.S. Junior Amateur in July. His 2009 season also included runner-up finishes at the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods and the Junior PGA Championship. In all, Spieth posted top-10 finishes at each of the eight national tournaments in which he competed.
For the record-setting fifth consecutive year, Andrew Yun of Chandler, Ariz., has earned Rolex Junior All-America honors. A first-team selection in 2006, 2008 and 2009, Yun joins Justin Leonard as the only five-time Rolex Junior All-Americans in AJGA history (Leonard’s run includes two years as a Rolex Junior All-American in the 11-14-year-old boys division). Yun, who is currently a freshman at Stanford, has 19 AJGA top-five finishes and four victories in his six-year junior career.
Patrick Cantlay of Los Alamitos, Calif., is the third returning member to the Rolex Junior All-America First Team. Previous Rolex Junior All-Americans earning first-team accolades for the first time are James Back of Cerritos, Calif., Michael Hebert of Orlando, Fla., Jeffrey Kang of Fullerton, Calif., and Bobby Wyatt of Mobile, Ala.
Additionally, five first-time Rolex Junior All-Americans are making their debut on the first team: Emiliano Grillo of Resistencia, Argentina; Shun Yat Hak of Lake Mary, Fla.; Gavin Hall of Pittsford, N.Y.; Yaroslav Merkulov of Penfield, N.Y.; and Patrick Winther of Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
More about the First Team
James Back, Cerritos, Calif.
Back, 18, is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and has three AJGA victories to his credit, including a win at the 2009 Heather Farr Classic presented by Longbow Golf Club. In 2009, Back recorded five top-10 finishes, earning him a place on the Rolex Junior All-America First Team and the No. 11 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings.
Patrick Cantlay, Los Alamitos, Calif.
Cantlay, 17, ended the year ranked No. 6 in the Polo Golf Rankings behind the strength of five top-10 finishes. A two-time first-team selection, Cantlay posted a runner-up finish at the Western Junior Championship and a tie for third at the Thunderbird International Junior.
Emiliano Grillo, Bradenton, Fla.
Grillo, 17, has climbed his way to No. 5 in the Polo Golf Rankings after carding six top-10 finishes in 2009. A native of Resistencia, Argentina, Grillo finished sixth at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and won the Junior World Golf Championship. He punctuated his year with a win at the season-ending PING Invitational.
Shun Yat Hak, Lake Mary, Fla.
Hak, 15, earned first-team honors with the help from wins at the Mizuno Junior at Innisbrook and the AJGA Cliffs Championship. A tie for fourth at the Rolex Tournament of Champions also helped propel Hak to the No. 9 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings.
Gavin Hall, Pittsford, N.Y.
Hall, 15, was named a first-team Rolex Junior All-American on the strength of four top-15 finishes in 2009. With a final Polo Golf Ranking of 10, Hall posted runner-up finishes at the AJGA Cliffs Championship and the Rolex Tournament of Champions. He also competed on the Canon Cup East Team in 2009.
Michael Hebert, Orlando, Fla.
Hebert, 18, is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and recorded a pair of second-place finishes in his final junior golf season. A tie for second at the Mizuno Junior at Innisbrook along with a runner-up finish at the Thunderbird International Junior helped Hebert earn first-team honors. A 2009 Canon Cup East Team member, Hebert is currently a freshman at Florida State.
Jeffrey Kang, Fullerton, Calif.
Kang, 18, is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and ended the season in the No. 8 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings. His season featured eight top-15 finishes, including a victory at the West Junior Open and a tie for third at The Junior PLAYERS Championship. Additionally, he went 3-1-0 at the 2009 Canon Cup and won the Cup-clinching point for the West Team.
Yaroslav Merkulov, Penfield, N.Y.
Merkulov, 17, ended the season No. 3 in the Polo Golf Rankings. He had four top-10 finishes in national tournaments in 2009, including a second-place finish at The Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Merkulov also posted a tie for fourth at the Western Junior Championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Junior Amateur. He also competed on the Canon Cup East Team and has verbally committed to play golf at Duke University next fall.
Jordan Spieth, Dallas, Texas
Spieth, 16, ascended to the No. 1 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings after winning the U.S. Junior Amateur in July. His 2009 season also included runner-up finishes at the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods and the Junior PGA Championship. In all, Spieth posted top-10 finishes at each of the eight national tournaments in which he competed.
Patrick Winther, Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
Winther, 17, notched wins at the 2008 Polo Golf Junior Classic and the 2009 HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods, two of the AJGA’s most prestigious tournaments. A 2009 Canon Cup East Team member, Winther ended the season No. 4 in the Polo Golf Rankings and has earned Rolex Junior All-America honors for the first time in his career.
Bobby Wyatt, Mobile, Ala.
Wyatt, 17, earned first-team honors after being an honorable mention selection in 2008. His 2009 season was highlighted by a win at The Junior PLAYERS Championship, held The PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass over Labor Day weekend. This victory, coupled with a T3 showing at the HP Boys Championship at Carlton Woods, helped Wyatt ascend to the No. 2 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings.
Andrew Yun, Chandler, Ariz.
Yun, 18, has earned Rolex Junior All-America honors for a record-setting fifth consecutive year. A first-team selection in 2006, 2008 and 2009, Yun joins Justin Leonard as the only five-time Rolex Junior All-Americans in AJGA history (Leonard’s run includes two years as a Rolex Junior All-American in the 11-14-year-old boys division). Yun, who is currently a freshman at Stanford, has 19 AJGA top-five finishes and four victories in his six-year junior career.
Second Team
Austin Cody, North Charleston, S.C.
Logan Harrell, Huntersville, N.C.
Daniel Lee, Valencia, Calif.
Jim Liu, Smithtown, N.Y.
Cheng-Tsung Pan, Upland, Calif.
Anthony Paolucci, Dallas, Texas
Patrick Rodgers, Avon, Ind.
Oliver Schniederjans, Powder Springs, Ga.
Johnathan Schnitzer, Houston, Texas
Justin Thomas, Goshen, Ky.
Preston Valder, Yorba Linda, Calif.
Cameron Wilson, Rowayton, Conn.
Honorable Mention
Byeong-hun An, Bradenton, Fla.
Anton Arboleda, La Canada, Calif.
Sam Bernstein, Riverdale, N.Y.
Lucas Bjerregaard, Frederikshavn, Denmark
Thomas Bradshaw, Columbia, S.C.
Matthew Ceravolo, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Wyndham Clark, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Mario Clemens, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Payne Denman, Riverwatch, Tenn.
Joey Garber, Petoskey, Mich.
Zachary Herr, New Hope, Pa.
Ben Itterman, Carlsbad, Calif.
Billy Kennerly, Alpharetta, Ga.
Tanner Kesterson, Plano, Texas
Tom Lovelady, Birmingham, Ala.
M.J. Maguire, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Ian McConnell, Riverview, Fla.
Will Pearson, Memphis, Tenn.
Andrew Presley, Fort Worth, Texas
Nicholas Reach, Moscow, Pa.
Curtis Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla.
Jay Vandeventer, Bristol, Tenn.
Richard Werenski, South Hadley, Mass.
Motin Yeung, Orlando, Fla.
About the Rolex Junior All-America Teams
Detailed information on the Rolex Junior All-America Girls Team