AJGA announces 2025 Rolex Junior Players of the Year

First Team | Second Team | Honorable Mention | Scholastic Honorees

The American Junior Golf Association announces its 2025 Rolex Junior All-America teams today, with Miles Russell (male) and Aphrodite Deng (female) earning Rolex Junior Player of the Year honors. The two join a historic list of Rolex Junior Players of the Year that includes: Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Ariya Jutanugarn, Inbee Park and Rose Zhang.

The Rolex Junior All-America Teams annually recognize the world’s premier junior golfers. The 2025 class includes 48 boys and 48 girls, ages 14-18, from 15 states and three countries.

These young men and women distinguished themselves through exceptional play in 160 national junior golf events, 142 of which were conducted by the AJGA. The teams were determined exclusively through the Rolex AJGA Rankings as of October 14, 2025.

Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, adds another milestone to his record-setting junior golf career as he earns his second Rolex Junior Player of the Year honor. The 17-year-old’s standout 2025 season included four victories, six top-10 finishes and a 69.05 scoring average across the game’s biggest junior stages. He joins an elite group of multi-year winners, including Tiger Woods, Brian Harman, Phil Mickelson, Ariya Jutanugarn and Rose Zhang.

In the first event of the points season, Russell won the 47^th Rolex Tournament of Champions in November of 2024. With rounds of 71-70-69-65 – 275, he captured the event at TPC San Antonio on the Canyons Course by six shots. He opened 2025 in February with a commanding victory at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods, posting rounds of 64-70-71—205. In March, he continued his strong play with a wire-to-wire win at the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, shooting 69-70-70-70—279 to finish two strokes ahead of the field.

He added another top finish in May at the Team TaylorMade Invitational before advancing to the quarterfinals of the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, where he finished stroke play T5 with rounds of 67-72—139.

In August, Russell made history at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex, carding rounds of 68-69-70—207 at the iconic TPC Sawgrass to capture the title for the second time and become the first two-time champion in the event’s history. He also represented the United States at the 2025 Junior Ryder Cup, continuing to showcase his talent and leadership at the international level.

After an outstanding season, Russell officially earns his place as the 2025 Rolex Junior Player of the Year, marking his second time receiving the honor and further solidifying his status among greats in AJGA history.

Aphrodite Deng of Short Hills, New Jersey
15-year-old Aphrodite Deng of Short Hills, New Jersey, makes history as the first Canadian to earn Rolex Junior Player of the Year honors. The Canadian citizen, who resides in New Jersey, put together a remarkable season with three victories, five top-five finishes and a 71.81 scoring average.

Deng opened the season with a top-five finish at the 2024 Rolex Tournament of Champions, firing rounds of 76-69-71-70 – 286 at TPC San Antonio on the Canyons Course. In March, Deng dominated the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, posting rounds of 70-72-66-73 – 281 to capture the title by six strokes over a field that included 2024 Rolex Junior Player of the Year Gianna Clemente.

In May, Deng teed it up in her second Mizuho Americas Open at the iconic Liberty National Golf Club. Competing in a Stableford format alongside LPGA Tour professionals, she earned a total of 140 points to win the junior title by one point. Deng competed in the final round with AJGA Invitational host Nelly Korda and AJGA alumna Andrea Lee.

Deng’s summer continued with standout performances, including a fifth-place finish at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship at SentryWorld Golf Course and a return to the Wyndham Cup, where she helped the East Team retain the cup.

Deng added another victory to her impressive career at the 76th U.S. Girls’ Junior at Atlanta Athletic Club. After finishing the stroke play portion at 2-over-par 144 to earn the No. 35 seed, she battled through match play to defeat No. 5 seed Xingtong Chen of Singapore, in the 36-hole final, earning a 2&1 win.

In October, Deng finished T24 at The PING Invitational at The Saticoy Club to officially secure her place in history as the 2025 Rolex Junior Player of the Year, the first Canadian to receive the honor.

Russell, Deng and the 2025 Rolex Junior All-America Teams will be honored at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 22nd, hosted at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. 'The Greatest Night in Junior Golf’ will recognize the accomplishments and celebrate the achievements of the Rolex Junior All-America teams, Rolex Scholastic Junior All-America honorees and Jerry Cole Sportsmanship Award presented by Southern Company recipients. Rolex Junior All-Americans and a field of the top players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings will compete at the Rolex Tournament of Champions, November 22-26 at TPC San Antonio – Canyons Course in San Antonio, Texas.

For more information, please contact Angela Ding (ading@ajga.org ) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1786 or visit ajga.org.