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2021 PING Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team Announced

Top 12 junior golfers from the United States to face off against European counterparts in September
2021 PJSC Team Announcement Lead Article Image

Braselton, GA – The American Junior Golf Association named 12 top junior girls to the 2021 PING Junior Solheim Cup United States team on Tuesday.

The first 10 players were selected based on a combination of the AJGA’s Rolex AJGA Rankings and the Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Rankings as of Tuesday, July 20. The final two spots on the U.S. Team were reserved for captain’s picks on Monday, August 2.

The following players earned entry through the Rolex AJGA Rankings:

  • Anna Davis of Spring Valley, California
  • Yana Wilson of Henderson, Nevada
  • Avery Zweig of McKinney, Texas
  • Kaitlyn Schroeder of Jacksonville, Florida
  • Catherine Rao of Camarillo, California

Earning entry through Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Rankings were:

  • Megha Ganne of Holmdel, New Jersey
  • Alexa Pano of Lake Worth, Florida
  • Bailey Shoemaker of West Edmeston, New York
  • Amari Avery of Riverside, California
  • Kelly Xu of Claremont, California

The final two captain’s picks were Katie Li of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and Sara Im of Duluth, Georgia. Of the 12 players selected, only Pano has experience from the 2019 PING Junior Solheim Cup, won by the United States team in Scotland.

Modeled after the Solheim Cup, the PING Junior Solheim Cup biennially features the 12 best female junior golfers (ages 12-18) from the United States against the 12 best junior girls from Europe. The team event includes foursomes, four-ball and singles matches played over two days and rotates between U.S. and European host sites coinciding with the Solheim Cup. The 11th edition of the PING Junior Solheim Cup will be hosted by Sylvania Country Club, on September 1-2, 2021, immediately prior to the Solheim Cup at Inverness Club, September 4-6, 2021.

LPGA legend Renee Powell will captain the 2021 United States team. In 1967, Powell became just the second African American woman to compete on the LPGA Tour during a difficult time of civil unrest and discrimination. She played in more than 250 professional tournaments and won the 1973 Kelly Springfield Open in Brisbane, Australia, where she set a final-round course record 67. Powell was selected to represent the United States in four team golf matches vs. Japan, toured with the USO to Vietnam, and was invited to play with the King of Morocco and President of Zambia. After retiring from professional golf, Powell dedicated her life to creating more diversity in the game through her work as a golf professional.

I am thrilled that we have 12 outstanding players now named to our 2021 USA PING Junior Solheim Cup Team. It is hard to believe that it was September of 2020 when I accepted the invitation from John Solheim to be the Captain of the USA Team. Like myself, I am sure every single player on our team is proud to be a part of representing our country and putting out 150%. Looking forward to our many supporters being in Toledo, Ohio, on September 1st & 2nd to cheer our USA Team to victory.
United States Team Captain Renee Powell

The United States Team will be co-captained by the AJGA’s Director of Recruiting, Blair (Thompson) Sumner. Sumner previously served in this role under LPGA legend Alice Miller in 2017 when the United States defeated Team Europe 14.5-9.5 at Des Moines Golf and Country Club. Of the 12 girls on that team, four have made professional starts on the Symetra and LPGA Tours, seven belong to NCAA Division One golf programs including Gina Kim of Duke University who earned medalist honors at the 2021 ACC Women’s Golf Championship, and 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Rose Zhang who is currently No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

AJGA Tournament Host, National Chairman and LPGA Legend Annika Sorenstam will captain the 12 lady European team.

The United States leads the all-time PING Junior Solheim Cup series 7-2-1 and has won six consecutive matches. Team Europe last won, 14-10, when the event was hosted in Sweden in 2007. The 2015 United States Team was the first team to win on foreign soil, 13-11, at Golf Club St. Leon-Rot in St. Leon-Rot, Germany, setting the stage for the 2019 United States’ team’s 13-11 win at Gleneagles.

AJGA alumnae who have graduated from PING Junior Solheim Cup to the Solheim Cup on Team USA include Paula Creamer, Brittany Lang, Alison Lee, Angel Yin, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, and Lexi Thompson.

Meet the 2021 United States Team

Amari Avery - Rolex Tournament of Champions - 2020

Amari Avery | Riverside, California

Age: 17

Class of 2022

Verbal Commitment: University of Southern California

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 62

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 9

Avery, a rising senior, has an impressive junior golf resume as she heads into her final year. Avery, who is off to the University of Southern California in January, is a four-time Rolex Junior All-American and two-time AJGA Champion. In 2021, Avery won the inaugural Mack Champ Invitational hosted by PGA TOUR professional Cameron Champ and made it to the round of 16 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Anna Davis Action - Se Ri Pak Desert Junior - 2020.JPG

Anna Davis | Spring Valley, California

Age: 15

Class of 2024

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 4

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 20

Davis claimed her first AJGA championship title in 2021. Davis won the 19th annual PING Heather Farr Classic over Easter weekend in April. In Davis’s five career AJGA stroke play starts, the California native has not finished outside the top five. In her team play debut, Davis went 3-1 for the West Team at the 2021 Wyndham Cup. Davis capped off an impressive summer with a win at the Girls Junior PGA Championship hosted at Valhalla Golf Club.

Megha Ganne - Rolex Girls Junior Championship - 2020 (2).JPG

Megha Ganne | Holmdel, New Jersey

Age: 17

Class of 2022

Verbal Commitment: Stanford University

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 2

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 2

Ganne, a Stanford University commit, took the women’s golf world by storm in 2021 earning the low amateur honors at the U.S. Women’s Open. Ganne played in the last group during the final round alongside AJGA alumnae Lexi Thompson and eventual champion Yuka Saso. Ganne ultimately finished T14. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American recently finished fourth in the Polo Golf Junior Classic at Liberty National, falling to fellow New Jersian Katie Li in the semifinal match.

Sara Im - 2020 - Rolex Tournament of Champions.JPG

Sara Im | Duluth, Georgia

Age: 16

Class of 2023

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 18

Golfweek /Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 28

Sara Im is a six-time AJGA Champion in the past three seasons. Im took home three titles in 2019, two in 2020 and one so far in 2021. Im ended 2020 earning a place on the Junior All-Star Team and as a Rolex Junior All-American. Im made her team play debut in 2021 on the winning East Team at Wyndham Cup.

Katie Li chipping - 2021- Liberty National Golf Classic  (2).JPG

Katie Li | Basking Ridge, New Jersey

Age: 16

Class of 2023

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 26

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 33

Li, a Rolex Junior All-American, is on a match play hot streak this summer. The rising junior went 5-1 at the Polo Golf Junior Classic, falling to Kiara Romero of San Jose, California, 2-down in the Championship Match. Li then went on to go 4-1 in matches at the U.S. Girls’ Junior before losing in the semifinals 1-down to Bailey Davis of White Plains, Maryland. The 2023 graduate has one AJGA win to her name at the 2019 AJGA Junior at Southpointe presented by DICK’s Sporting Goods.

Alexa Pano - 2020 - Rolex Tournament of Champions.JPG

Alexa Pano | Lake Worth, Florida

Age: 16

Class of 2022

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 11

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 3

Pano, a four-time Rolex Junior All-American, is making her second start on the PING Junior Solheim Cup US team. The 2022 graduate is the only returning member of the victorious 2019 US team, who won 13-11 at Gleneagles in Scotland. Pano will look to lead the young US team. Pano is no stranger to the team style of competition. She made her fourth appearance on the Wyndham Cup East team this past July. Pano and the East team are 3-1 in her four appearances.

Catherine Rao - AJGA Girls Invitational at Stanford - 2020.JPG

Catherine Rao | Camarillo, California

Age: 17

Class of 2022

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 13

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 15

Rao was honored in 2020 with a place on the Junior All-Star Team in addition to being recognized as a Rolex Junior All-American. The California native had two top-five Invitational finishes in 2020, solo fourth at Rolex Girls Junior Championship and T3 at The PING Invitational. Rao made her first Wyndham Cup appearance this summer on the West squad.

Kaitlyn Schroeder 2 - 2020 - Rolex Tournament of Champions.JPG

Kaitlyn Schroeder| Jacksonville, Florida

Age: 16

Class of 2023

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 14

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 17

Schroeder, a Rolex Junior All-American, has two AJGA championship titles to her name. The 2023 graduate won the AJGA Dana Incorporated Junior Open and the AJGA Junior at Innisbrook during the 2020 season. Schroeder began 2021 with a top-10 finish at the Diamond Resorts ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex and most recently made it to the Quarterfinals at the 72nd U.S. Girls’ Junior. Schroeder made her first team event start in 2021 as well, on the victorious Wyndham Cup East Team.

Bailey Shoemaker  - 2021 - Diamond Resorts ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex.JPG

Bailey Shoemaker | West Edmeston, New York

Age: 16

Class of 2023

Verbal Commitment: University of Southern California

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 6

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 7

Shoemaker, one of four girls on the 2021 US Team committed to play college golf, makes her first #JrSolheimCup appearance in 2021. The University of Southern California commit won the 2021 Kathy Whitworth Invitational and earned an exemption into the LPGA’s Volunteers of America Classic, her first LPGA start. The two-time AJGA champion earned Rolex Junior All-American honors for the first time in 2020.

Yana Wilson - 2021 - Under Armour Albane Valenzuela Girls Championship (3).JPG

Yana Wilson | Henderson, Nevada

Age: 14

Class of 2024

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 10

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 14

Wilson took home her first AJGA win this year at the Sean Foley Performance Junior Championship. Since her win in January, Wilson has not finished outside the top-10 in AJGA starts, including a solo second at the Under Armour ®/Albane Valenzuela Girls Championship and T6 at Rolex Girls Junior Championship. Wilson was also invited to play in the inaugural Mack Champ Invitational where she finished solo fourth. Most recently Wilson reached the Quarterfinals at the 72nd U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Kelly Xu - 2020 - Under Armour Alison Lee Championship presented by Irvine Technology Corporation.JPG

Kelly Xu | Claremont, California

Age: 17

Class of 2022

Verbal Commitment: Stanford University

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 36

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 10

Xu, a fellow Stanford University Golf commit, is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American. The 2022 graduate has two AJGA championship titles to her name. In 2019, she won both the AJGA Brendan Steele Junior All-Star Championship and the Kia Junior Championship. Earlier this summer the rising senior won the Southern California Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championship title.

Avery Zweig - 2021 - KJ Choi Foundation Texas Junior Championship (6).JPG

Avery Zweig | McKinney, Texas

Age: 14

Class of 2025

Rolex AJGA Ranking: 15

Golfweek / Sagarin Junior Girls Ranking: 34

Zweig, the youngest member of the 2021 squad, has an impressive resume at just age 14. The 2025 graduate kicked off 2021 by winning the Diamond Resorts ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex. She followed that up with two top-three finishes in her next two AJGA starts. Zweig made her LPGA debut in 2021 as well. Her first-place finish at the Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship earned her an exemption into the LPGA VOA Classic.

About the PING Junior Solheim Cup

The PING Junior Solheim Cup is owned and hosted by PING and will be operated by the American Junior Golf Association with assistance from the Ladies Professional Golf Association and the Ladies European Tour.

Founded by Karsten and Louise Solheim, the Karsten Manufacturing Corporation is a long-time sponsor of the LPGA and AJGA. As the makers of PING golf equipment, the Solheim family continues to ensure the same superior workmanship today that they built into their original clubs more than 46 years ago. Now under the direction of John Solheim, Karsten and Louise’s youngest son, the company continues in its efforts to manufacture the highest quality golf equipment. The PING name is known world over. Besides its presence in the United States, PING markets custom-fit and custom-built equipment to more than 70 countries.

About PING

The tournament owner and title partner, PING, designs, manufactures, and markets a complete line of golf equipment including metal woods, irons, putters, and golf bags. The family-owned company was founded in 1959 by the late Karsten Solheim. Solheim is the only person to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as a golf club manufacturer. Today, the Phoenix-based company is under the direction of Solheim's youngest son, John A. Solheim. PING game-improvement products can be found in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit ping.com .