Twenty-four juniors honored by the AJGA and Transamerica for achievements on the golf course, in the classroom
BRASELTON, Ga. – Twenty-four of the nation’s brightest minds and best junior golfers were named to the 2018 Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team, the American Junior Golf Association announced on October 4. Created in 1988, the team consists of 12 young men and 12 young women who demonstrate the ability to excel not only on the golf course, but also in the classroom and in the community.
“These 24 exceptional young men and women are impressive on so many levels,” said Brian Forbes, director of sponsorships for Transamerica. “They exemplify sportsmanship on the golf course and citizenship in their schools and in their communities. At Transamerica, we share their commitment and passion for a healthy and active lifestyle. We are proud to support their efforts, and we congratulate them on their outstanding achievements.”
To be eligible to apply for the Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team, applicants must be high school juniors or seniors with a top finish in an AJGA Open or Invitational event (boys: top 10, girls: top five). After qualifying, selections were based on the following criteria (in order of importance): standardized test scores, GPA, school leadership and community service. The AJGA uses an adjusted GPA scale to systematically compare applicants.
Dee Xie of Toronto, Ontario, earned repeat Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America honors; he was also honored in 2017. Eight recipients also have given a verbal commitment to play college golf, while a total of five honorees were named to the 2017 Transamerica Scholastic Honor Roll.
The AJGA uses an adjusted GPA scale to systematically compare applicants. The 2018 Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America team has an average AJGA-adjusted GPA of 4.6, an average SAT score of 1493.64 and an average ACT score of 34.62.
During the 2018 season, the 12 girls have combined for 15 top-five finishes, while the 12 boys have earned 16 top-10 finishes.
Six honorees have either won an AJGA championship or earned medalist honors at a Junior Golf Hub Preview Series event in 2018. Brooke Seay of Rancho Santa Fe, California, highlights the AJGA champions with two victories, including the 2017 ANNIKA Invitational. The Stanford University commit was a 2017 first team Rolex Junior All-American and is No. 12 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
2018 Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Boys:
Connor Belcastro of Rowayton, Connecticut (2019)
Muzzy Donohue of Mendota Heights, Minnesota (2019)
Max Farley of Orland Park, Illinois (2020)
Vijay Jain of Plano, Texas (2019)
Chris Kim of Cary, North Carolina (2019)
Brian Li (China) of Warren, New Jersey (2019)
Josh Lundmark of Hinsdale, Illinois (2019)
Harrison Ornstein of Naples, Florida (2019)
Max Wang (Canada) of Brampton, Ontario (2019)
Edward Wu of Temple City, California (2019)
Adam Xiao of Manhasset, New York (2019)
Dee Xie (Canada) of Toronto, Ontario (2019)
2018 Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Girls:
Ashley Zi-Tong Au of Westerville, Ohio (2019)
Madelyn Jones of Austin, Texas (2019)
Lauren Lehigh of Loveland, Colorado (2019)
Amanda Levy of Bethesda, Maryland (2019)
Selina Li of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (2019)
Celine Niu of Newport Beach, California (2019)
Kaylee Sakoda of Cypress, California (2019)
Brooke Seay of Rancho Santa Fe, California (2019)
Gabrielle Shieh of Carlisle, Massachusetts (2020)
Alexis Sudjianto of Charlotte, North Carolina (2019)
Annie Sun (Canada) of Beijing, China (2019)
Michelle Wong of La Habra Heights, California (2019)
The Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America Team will be honored at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet, November 18, at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. By being named to the team, each player is also eligible to participate in the Rolex Tournament of Champions, one of the most prestigious events in junior golf, which will take place on PGA National Resort & Spa's Champion and Fazio Courses, November 17-22.
Former Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-Americans have gone on to successful amateur and professional golf careers, including Casey Martin (1989), Wendy Ward (1990), Kellee Booth (1992), Cristie Kerr (1994), Matt Kuchar (1994), Scott Langley (2005) and Patrick Rodgers (2009, 2010).
For more information, please contact Phil Poupore (ppoupore@ajga.org ) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1786, or visit ajga.org.
About Transamerica
With a history that dates back more than 100 years, Transamerica is recognized as a leading provider of life insurance, savings, retirement and investment solutions, serving millions of customers throughout the United States. Acknowledging the fundamental connection between wealth and health, Transamerica’s dedicated professionals work to help people live better today and worry less about tomorrow by empowering them to take the necessary steps to achieve a lifetime of financial security. We believe everyone deserves to feel confident and secure about their future. We make wellness a central part of everything we do and we strive to inspire people to do the same. We believe that making smart decisions today can lead to big rewards down the road. The simple habits we form today can have an exponential impact on our future. We provide the tools, guidance and insight to help people make the wealth-health connection and get on the path to a brighter tomorrow – adding more years to their lives, and more life to their years. For more information, visit www.transamerica.com . Transamerica is not affiliated with TaylorMade or adidas.
About the AJGA
Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2018, the American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls, ages 12-19) of more than 7,000 members from 50 states and 60 foreign countries. Through initiatives like the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant, a financial assistance program, and Leadership Links, a service-oriented platform that teaches juniors charitable-giving skills, the AJGA fosters the growth of golf’s next generation.
TaylorMade and adidas are the AJGA’s National Sponsors, supporting the AJGA for more than 25 years. TaylorMade has served as the Official Ball of the AJGA since 2016. adidas has been the Official Apparel and Footwear of the AJGA since 2017. Rolex, in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 900 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Ariya Jutanugarn, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Anna Nordqvist, Inbee Park and Lexi Thompson.