Braselton, Ga. - The nation’s brightest minds and best junior golfers were named as Rolex Scholastic Junior All-Americans, the American Junior Golf Association announced on November 8th. Originally created in 1988, the 2022 list recognizes the achievements of top junior golfers who demonstrated excellence in academics as well as on the course.
This years group of 44 Rolex Scholastic Junior All-Americans exemplify sportsmanship on the golf course, citizenship in their schools and embody the AJGA’s mission. They are the best and brightest in the AJGA.
The 44 Rolex Scholastic Junior All-Americans are from 17 states, the District of Columbia and three countries (Canada, Taiwan, China). Katie Li of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and Ethan Gao of Alpharetta, Georgia, headline the group of 44 honorees earning scholastic recognition as well as First-team Rolex Junior All-America honors.
Li, a Duke University verbal commit, finished the season at No. 13 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Her year included five top-10 finishes, with her best at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship - solo third.
Gao finished his 2022 season at No. 5 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The Stanford University verbal commit earned a spot on the United States Junior Presidents Cup Team after a year that included three top-10 AJGA Invitational finishes and one win.
The AJGA partners with Rolex, a longstanding supporter of both the organization and of the sport of golf at all levels, to challenge the academic and athletic efforts of its members each year through the Rolex Scholastic Junior All-America honors. To determine this annual honor, the AJGA uses a junior's high school GPA to systemically compare applicants from the high school graduating class of 2023. In 2022, Rolex Scholastic Junior All-Americans averaged a high school GPA of 4.58, SAT score of 1507 and ACT score of 34.
Criteria to earn Rolex Scholastic Junior All-America honors include a top-10 finish in an AJGA Open or Invitational event (events played between between Oct. 8, 2021 – Sept. 5, 2022), a minimum test score of 1450 SAT, 33 ACT and a minimum 3.5 weighted GPA on the 4.0 scale.
In addition, the top six boys and top six girls based on the Rolex AJGA Rankings who were not already qualified as of October 13, were invited to compete in the Rolex Tournament of Champions at TPC San Antonio - Canyons Course in San Antonio, Texas, November 19-23. The event annually gathers top players, including award winners, and signals the official opening of the next season of national junior golf competition for the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
The complete list of year-end #RolexTOC invitees include:
Boys Division:
- Kush Arora
- Grant Lester
- Alexander Maloy
- Charlie Palmer
- Rahul Rajendran
- Andrew Stickel
Girls Division:
- Kexin Guan
- Vivian Hui
- Alissa Xu
- Audrey Ryu
- Madeleine Zang
- Bonnie Zhai
Ethan Gao, Carson Kim of Yorba Linda, California, Jeremey Chen of Taipei City, Taiwan, Katie Li, Maggie Ni of Cypress, Texas, and Joanne Lee of Henderson, Nevada, will also make Rolex Tournament of Champions appearances based on their year-end position in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Chen, Gao, Kim, Lee, Li, and Ni also earned Rolex Junior All-America honors this season.
Kim, who competed alongside Gao at Junior Presidents Cup, ended his year at No. 7 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Kim had five top-5 finishes in AJGA Invitationals to earn Rolex Junior All-America First-Team honors in addition to Scholastic Honors.
Former Rolex 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), Boyd Summerhays (1994), Tiffany Joh (2004), Scott Langley (2005), Patrick Rodgers (2009, 2010) and Lauren Kim (2011).
About Rolex
An unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise
Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacture. Headquartered in Geneva, the brand is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Cellini watches are certified by COSC, then tested in-house for their precision, performance and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization.
The word “Perpetual” is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. In the course of its history, Rolex has registered over 500 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops and produces the majority of its watch components, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, the brand is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.
Boys Division
Kush Arora
Pleasanton, California (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Stanford University
GPA: 4.22
Best 2022 Finish: 3, AJGA Junior at Ruby Hill presented by Visit Tri-Valley
Barnes Blake
Westfield, New Jersey (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Georgetown University
GPA: 4.27
Best 2022 Finish: 2, Golf Performance Center Junior
Jeremy Chen
Taipei City, Taiwan (2023)
GPA: 4.28
Best 2022 Finish: T2, C.T. Pan Junior Championship
Ethan Gao
Alpharetta, Georgia (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Stanford University
GPA: 4.5
Best 2022 Finish: Champion, Rome Junior Classic presented by Piedmont Bank
Carson Kim
Yorba Linda, California (2023)
Verbal Commitment to University of Southern California
GPA: 4.73
Best 2022 Finish: 3, Sergio and Angela Garcia Foundation Junior Championship
Brady Lagendyk
Meridian, Mississippi (2023)
GPA: 4.40
Best 2022 Finish: 9, Three Little Birds Memorial AJGA Open
Grant Lester
Washington, D.C. (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Columbia University
GPA: 90.6
Best 2022 Finish: 3, AJGA Princeton Championship presented by Bay Area Lyme Foundation
Justin Luan
Woodbury, Minnesota (2023)
GPA: 4.40
Best 2022 Finish: T7, Randy Wise Junior Open; Circle K Junior Championship presented by Otter Creek
Felix Luetke Meyring
Shanghai, China (2023)
GPA: 3.67
Best 2022 Finish: T8, UHY New York Junior
Stephen Ma
Columbus, Ohio (2023)
GPA: 4.22
Best 2022 Finish: 5, AJGA Dana Incorporated Junior Open
Alexander Maloy
Bethesda, Maryland (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Georgetown University
GPA: 97
Best 2022 Finish: 4, AJGA Princeton Championship presented by Bay Area Lyme Foundation
Jonathan Meng
Houston, Texas (2023)
GPA: 4.71
Best 2022 Finish: T10, Qualifier – Sergio and Angela Garcia Foundation Junior Championship
Dustin Miller
Newport Beach, California (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Emory University
GPA: 4.33
Best 2022 Finish: 10, C.T. Pan Foundation Championship
Alexander Oh
Pasadena, California (2023)
GPA: 4.36
Best 2022 Finish: 5, AJGA Preview at The Mission Club presented by Bay Area Lyme Foundation
Sam O'Hara
Rye, New York (2023)
Verbal Commitment to University of Virginia
GPA: 92.59
Best 2022 Finish: T4, Golf Performance Center Junior
Charlie Palmer
Phoenix, Arizona (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Princeton University
GPA: 4.48
Best 2022 Finish: 2, Future Legends Junior Championship
Rahul Rajendran
Alpharetta, Georgia (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Virginia Tech University
GPA: 99.413
Best 2022 Finish: T5, SPOT X Hotel Junior Championship presented by Florida’s Historic Coast; Rome Junior Classic presented by Piedmont Bank
Andrew Stickel
Greenwich, Connecticut (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Yale University
GPA: 93.96
Best 2022 Finish: Champion, UHY New York Junior
Henry Stone
Austin, Texas (2023)
GPA: 94.17
Best 2022 Finish: 10, Insperity Invitational / Patrick Reed AJGA Junior Championship
Girls Division
Amy Beanblossom
Winnetka, Illinois (2023)
GPA: 4.8
Best 2022 Finish: T9, Renewal by Andersen Junior Open hosted by D.A. Points
Ryan Bullock
Aliso Viejo, California (2023)
GPA: 4.8
Best 2022 Finish: 7, AJGA Junior at Peach Tree
Mimi Burton
Austin, Texas (2023)
Verbal Commitment to University of Notre Dame
GPA: 5.514
Best 2022 Finish: 2, Stewart Cink Championship
Annabelle Chen
Fremont, California (2023)
GPA: 4.625
Best 2022 Finish: 6, UHY New York Junior
Caroline Chung
Placentia, California (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Dartmouth College
GPA: 4.89
Best 2022 Finish: 8, Future Legends Junior Championship
Annie Dawson
Phoenix, Arizona (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Creighton University
GPA: 4.5
Best 2022 Finish: T9, Jim Click Automotive / HSL Properties Championship presented by the Tucson Conquistadors
Kexin Guan
(China) Irvine, California (2023)
GPA: 4.12
Best 2022 Finish: Champion, AJGA Junior Open at The Bridges presented by City of Montrose
Keira Howard
Pleasanton, California (2023)
Verbal Commitment to U.S. Naval Academy
GPA: 4.32
Best 2022 Finish: T6, Westrock Coffee Junior Championship
Vivian Hui
Charlottesville, Virginia (2023)
GPA: 4.75
Best 2022 Finish: 3, The Lanto Junior Championship
Nikita Jadhav
Pleasanton, California (2023)
GPA: 4.31
Best 2022 Finish: T8, Colorado Springs Junior by Centura Health
Cecilia Jia
Beijing, China (2023)
GPA: 4.19
Best 2022 Finish: 7, UHY New York Junior
Vani Karimanal
San Jose, California (2023)
GPA: 4.08
Best 2022 Finish: T4, UHY New York Junior
Joanne Lee
Henderson, Nevada (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Yale University
GPA: 4.95
Best 2022 Finish: Champion, CORE Pacific Advisors Open honoring Doug Morehead
Katie Li
Basking Ridge, New Jersey (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Duke University
GPA: 4.21
Best 2022 Finish: T2, Sung Hyun Park Junior Championship
Arden Louchheim
Park City, Utah (2023)
Verbal Commitment to University of Nebraska
GPA: 4.15
Best 2022 Finish: T9, Mizuno Junior at Big Sky
Maggie Ni
Cypress, Texas (2023)
GPA: 6.95
Best 2022 Finish: Champion, AJGA Junior at Beaver Creek; Matthew NeSmith Junior Championship
Lauren Pham
Las Vegas, Nevada (2023)
Verbal Commitment to University of Kansas
GPA: 4.1
Best 2022 Finish: T5, CORE Pacific Advisors Open honoring Doug Morehead
Audrey Ryu
Dublin, Ohio (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Furman University
GPA: 4.43
Best 2022 Finish: Champion, AJGA Dana Incorporated Junior Open
Selena Tang
Fremont, California (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Yale University
GPA: 3.97
Best 2022 Finish: 5, UNIQLO / Adam Scott Junior Championship
Cindy Wang
San Jose, California (2023)
GPA: 4.78
Best 2022 Finish: T4, the Memorial Junior
Lauren Wong
Las Vegas, Nevada (2023)
GPA: 5.32
Best 2022 Finish: Champion, GreatLIFE Junior Challenge
Alissa Xu
Richmond Hills, Ontario (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Dartmouth College
GPA: 92.30
Best 2022 Finish: Champion, Randy Wise Junior Open
Yerim Yi
Valencia, California (2023)
Verbal Commitment to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges
GPA: 4.67
Best 2022 Finish: T5, Stewart Cink Championship
Madeleine Zang
Princeton, New Jersey (2023)
GPA: 4.36
Best 2022 Finish: T2, UHY New York Junior
Bonnie Zhai
Surrey, British Columbia (2023)
GPA: 96
Best 2022 Finish: 3, Golf Performance Center Junior