For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) would like to pay tribute to all the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have not only enriched America's history but have been huge components to making golf more inclusive. The AJGA believes welcoming people from all backgrounds and embracing diverse perspectives better equip us to accomplish our mission of DEVELOPING GOLF’S NEXT GENERATION®.
During the 2022 season, the AJGA has five tournament hosts and four board members that come from Asian American and Pacific Islander descent. Out of the AJGA's current membership of 6,527 juniors, 22% come from Asian American and Pacific Islander descent.
AJGA Tournament Hosts:
Ben An
In An's junior career, he competed in AJGA events from 2005-2009. During his time with the AJGA he won the 2006 Nike Golf Junior at Marshallia Ranch, was a First Team Rolex Junior All-American in 2008 and was an honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American in 2009. He would then go on to play college golf at the University of California, Berkeley, and make history as the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur, capturing the 2009 title at age 17.
Currently on the PGA TOUR, An secured his first career victory in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event at the LECOM Suncoast Classic in 2022. He has also served as a tournament host for the AJGA since 2021. The Ben An Junior All-Star will occur June 13-16 at Orange Tree Golf Club in Orlando, Florida.
K.J. Choi
Turned pro in 1994, Choi has eight victories on the PGA TOUR and 10 international victories.
Although Choi did not play in AJGA events during his junior career, he decided to get involved with the AJGA in 2018 as a tournament host. The K.J. Choi Foundation Texas Junior Championship presented by Mediheal took place March 24-27 at Waterchase Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Se Ri Pak
Turned professional in 1996, Pak has had a very successful career securing 25 LPGA Tour victories and five majors. Pak earned the Rolex Rookie of the Year Award in 1998, the Vare Trophy in 2003, the Heather Farr Award in 2006 and was the first South Korean inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007.
Although Pak did not play in AJGA events during her junior career, she decided to get involved with the AJGA in 2017 as a tournament host. The Se Ri Pak Junior presented by Bay Area Lyme Foundation will take place June 14-17 at Mission Hills Country Club - Pete Dye Challenge Course in Rancho Mirage, California.
C.T. Pan
In Pan's junior career, he competed in AJGA tournaments from 2007-2010. During that time, he had seven top-10 finishes, with his best finish being second place at the 2008 Mizuno Junior at Innisbrook. Pan was named a Second Team Rolex Junior All-American in 2009 and committed to the University of Washington. During his time at Washington, he would have eight wins, be named a four-time All-American and was named a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award in 2015.
Pan joined the PGA TOUR Canada in 2015, earned Korn Ferry Tour status in 2016 and secured his PGA TOUR card for the 2017 season. Since then, Pan has had two PGA TOUR Canada victories in 2015 at the The Players Cup and Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial, and carded one PGA TOUR victory during the 2018-2019 season at the RBC Heritage. Pan has also served as tournament host to the C.T. Pan Junior Championship since 2019. The 2022 event will take place June 28- July 1 at The Clubs of Kingwood - Island Course in Kingwood, Texas.
Sung Hyun Park
Turned professional in 2016, Park has had seven victories and two majors since joining the LPGA. She was also named the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year, Rolex Player of the Year and Season Money Title after the 2015 season.
Although Park did not play in AJGA events during her junior career, she decided to get involved with the AJGA in 2020 as a tournament host. The Sung Hyun Park Junior Championship took place April 14-17 at the Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club - Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida.
AJGA Board of Directors:
Katie Li
Li serves as the Player Representative for the AJGA Board of Directors during the 2022 season. The Duke University verbal commit is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and sits at No.10 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Li had six top-5 finishes at national golf tournaments in 2021 including a win at the K.J. Choi Foundation Junior Championship by SK Telecom. The New Jersey native was also a member of the 2021 United States PING Junior Solheim Cup team.
Seiji Liu (Foundation)
As a junior golfer, Liu was named an AJGA First Team All-American in 2014 and recognized as a Rolex Scholastic Junior All-American. The Harvard graduate served as Vice President of the Harvard- Radcliffe Asian American Association and actively taught with Cambridge School Volunteers. Liu is a Co-Founder and COO of Forme, a science and wellness technology company dedicated to creating a foundation for lifelong, holistic living. Currently, Liu is a member of The Smithsonian Institution's Asia-Pacific American Center's National Advisory Board. He joined the AJGA Foundation Board of Directors in 2018.
Rob Ohno
Ohno first became acquainted with the AJGA when his son, Sam joined the AJGA in December of 2014. Prior to joining the AJGA Board of Directors in 2017, Ohno had a couple of previous job experiences in the golf industry. First his position in sales / marketing management at American Golf Corporation, followed by working for the TOUR. Currently, Ohno is the Senior Vice President- Head of International Tours and a member of the PGA TOUR's Executive Leadership Team.
Angela Rho
As a junior golfer, Rho was a three-time Rolex Junior All-American, two-time Rolex Scholastic Junior All-American and had four AJGA wins. The Stanford graduate would go on to join the AJGA Board of Directors in June of 2018. Rho is now a partner at Cliff, LLP, a woman led minority owned boutique law firm in the automotive sphere, where she is the chair of the Labor and Employment practice group. Rho is a graduate of NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) Academy and also serves on the Regulatory Affairs Committee of the California New Car Dealers Association.