News

Justin Thomas won his fifth PGA TOUR event in 2017 in South Korea.

AJGA Board President Jim Nugent named Digger Smith Award recipient for longtime service to junior golf.

Class of 2017 Freshman at University of Southern California Newport Beach, California Abdulghany is a four-time Rolex Junior All-American. She was as a member of the 2016 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team, a three-time Wyndham Cup West Team member and played in the 2017 PING Junior Solheim Cup. She has two AJGA wins, including the 2017 Thunderbird International Junior. Rank Event R1 R2 R3 R4 Total 1 Thunderbird International Junior 69 69 70 208 T22 ANA Junior Inspiration 74 74 79 227 T11 2016 Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship 74 72 72 218 T5 2016 Polo Golf Junior Classic 71 71 142

Valeria Sofia Pacheco of Ponce, Puerto Rico, won the second-annual ANNIKA Invitational Latin America at the Hurlingham Club, just outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The 12 girls on the 2017 Rolex Junior All-America First Team are from six states, Thailand and South Korea.

The 12 boys on the 2017 Rolex Junior All-America First Team hail from eight states, China and Australia.

Keegan Bradley earned a runner-up finish while Xander Schauffele finished T3 less than a month after winning the TOUR Championship.

Class of 2020 Verbal commitment to Stanford University Rolex AJGA Ranking: 5 (Australia) Wesley Chapel, Florida After winning the Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship at the end of 2016, Vilips earned his second AJGA Invitational victory at the 2017 Polo Golf Junior Classic. The four-time AJGA champion is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and a member of the 2015 ACDS Junior All-Star Team. Vilips is a two-time Wyndham Cup East Team member and member of the 2017 Junior Presidents Cup International Team. Rank Event R1 R2 R3 R4 Total T29 The PING Invitational 76 74 78 228 T8 The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf 73 73 69 215 1 Polo Golf Junior Classic 68 67 72 73 280 2 2017 Western Junior Championship 66 71 70 67 274 T4 Haas Family Invitational presented by BB&T 66 69 73 68 276 9 Thunderbird International Junior 70 72 68 210 T3 Sergio Garcia Foundation Junior Championship 76 73 149 T22 2017 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club 72 69 77 218 T13 CB&I / Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods 71 67 75 213 1 2016 Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship 65 67 71 69 272 T17 2016 Polo Golf Junior Classic 65 74 139

Class of 2019 Verbal commitment to Duke University Rolex AJGA Ranking: 3 Greenwood, Indiana Shepherd has two career AJGA victories and 13 top-10 AJGA finishes. The 16-year-old is a three-time Rolex Junior All-American and has finished in the top five in four of her seven national junior golf events in the 2017 season, including a win at the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Rank Event R1 R2 R3 R4 Total 20 The PING Invitational 73 73 81 227 1 2017 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship 73 74 147 2 Rolex Girls Junior Championship 69 71 72 67 279 T5 Thunderbird International Junior 73 73 69 215 3 PING Heather Farr Classic 72 75 66 213 T12 ANA Junior Inspiration 76 74 72 222 T17 2016 Polo Golf Junior Classic 73 75 148

Class of 2018 Verbal commitment to Duke University Rolex AJGA Ranking: 6 Chapel Hill, North Carolina Kim is a four-time Rolex Junior All-American and two-time North Carolina 3A State Champion. She has two AJGA career victories and five top-10 finishes in 2017. She also won the 2016 Rolex Girls Junior Championship. Kim also represented the United States at the 2016 Junior Ryder Cup and the 2017 PING Junior Solheim Cup. Rank Event R1 R2 R3 R4 Total 2 The PING Invitational 72 70 67 209 2 AJGA Girls Championship 74 67 72 213 8 2017 Junior PGA Championship - Girls 68 70 69 72 279 T4 Polo Golf Junior Classic 72 71 69 78 290 T13 Rolex Girls Junior Championship 74 75 69 71 289 T6 2017 Scott Robertson Memorial 74 74 32 180 T21 AJGA Girls Junior at Disney 75 80 73 228