Orlando, Fla. - The Arnold Palmer Invitational Junior honoring Jim Bell returns to Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida, for the fifth straight year. The 54-hole, stroke-play tournament will be held July 26-29, 2021. The 78-player field is composed of Boys and Girls Divisions, ages 12-19. A qualifier will take place at The Legends at Orange Lake on July 25, 2021, at 7:30 a.m.
About the Field
- 18 college commitments
- 11 players in the top-100 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Florida has the most representatives with 35 players
- Seven countries and 15 states represented
- Two Rolex Junior All-Americans
- Graduates from the 2021-25 classes
About the Course
Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge covers 270 acres along the shores of the Butler Chain of Lakes. The three courses (Champion, Challenger and Charger) offer 27 holes of tour championship golf. This beautiful course was designed by Dick Wilson and then re-designed by Arnold Palmer. This will be the fifth straight year that Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge will be hosting this event. The PGA TOUR's Arnold Palmer Invitational has gone through different names but has been played at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge for the last 55 years. The tournament name was changed in 2007 (it was previously The Bay Hill Invitational). The winner of the tournament each year receives a red cardigan sweater in memory of Arnold Palmer. AJGA alumnus Tiger Woods currently has the most victories at this event with eight.
AJGA Champion Highlights
Of the 26 players who’ve won an AJGA event, a few highlights:
- John Daly II of Dardanelle, Arkansas, is currently ranked No. 19 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Daly is coming off a victory at the Sung Hyun Park Junior Championship. He is seeking his second career AJGA victory.
- Camden Smith of Windermere, Florida, is currently ranked No. 159 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. He's coming off a victory at the Circle K Junior Championship hosted by Otter Creek. He's also seeking his second career AJGA victory.
- Mi Li of Beijing, China, is currently ranked No. 96 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Li's most recent victory came in 2021 at the AJGA Junior Championship presented by Spinnaker Foundation. She's seeking her third career AJGA victory.
- Katelyn Huber of Gainesville, Florida, is currently ranked No. 87 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. After earning her second career AJGA victory just two weeks ago at the AJGA Junior at Stoneybrook, she will be seeking her third victory of her career here at Bay Hill.
Tournament History
The Arnold Palmer Invitational Junior honoring Jim Bell changed it's name in 2019 but has occurred annually since 2017 at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
Notable past champions include:
- 2020 - Luke Clanton and Andie Smith
- 2019 - Wit Pitapat and SiQin Yu
- 2018 - Tyler Wilkes and Jiayi Wang
- 2017 - Leopoldo Herrera III and Izzy Pellot
11 of the top-100 Players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings
- John Daly II of Dardanelle, Arkansas (No.19)
- Brendan Valdes of Orlando, Florida (No. 34)
- Shawn Lalmoni of Orlando, Florida (No. 38)
- Bridget Ma of Windermere, Florida (No. 56)
- Jack Turner of Orlando, Florida (No. 60)
- Ellen Dong of Beijing, China (No. 72)
- Alex Papayoanou of The Woodlands, Texas (No. 76)
- Katelyn Huber of Gainesville, Florida (No. 87)
- Alexandra Gazzoli of Palm Coast, Florida (No. 93)
- Waymon Thomas of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (No. 95)
- Mi Li of Beijing, China (No. 96)
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