The Polo Golf Junior Classic returns to Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event now in its 42nd year is the only match play format event on the AJGA schedule. This year will feature 64 juniors, 32 boys and 32 girls, competing over four days to crown a match play champion.
About the Field
- 37 college commits
- 42 past AJGA Champions
- 35 Rolex Junior All-Americans
- Six countries represented
- 17 states represented
About Liberty National Golf Club
Liberty National Golf Club located on the banks of the Hudson River in New Jersey opened in 2006. The course designed by Bob Cupp and World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite has played host to many PGA TOUR events over the years including The Barclays, The Northern Trust and the 2017 Presidents Cup. The views from the course are often referred to as the “best skyline in sports” with views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.
AJGA Champion Highlights
Of the 42 players who’ve won an AJGA event, a few highlights:
- Xin (Cindy) Kou of (China) Valencia, California, is currently T7 on the all-time AJGA female win list at 11 total AJGA wins. The 2021 graduate has four AJGA invitational wins under her belt and is looking for one more before starting at the University of Southern California this fall.
- Benjamin James of Milford, Connecticut, captured his first AJGA invitational title in May at the Inaugural all-boys Team TaylorMade Invitational held at Streamsong Resort. The University of Virginia verbal commit had finished as high as solo second in an invitational before breaking through in May against a field made up of 42 past champions and 25 Rolex Junior All-Americans.
- Maxwell Ford of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, broke through and won his first AJGA invitational title two weeks ago at the Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist. The University of Georgia letter of intent signee is now ranked No. 5 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
- Reagan Zibilski of Springfield, Missouri, notched her first win in May at the Under Armour/Albane Valenzuela Girls Championship. The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville verbal commit is making her first start at the Polo Golf Junior Classic. Zibilski is currently No. 49 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Tournament History
The Polo Golf Junior Classic has occurred annually since 1978, with a variety of host venues over its tenure. Noteworthy host courses have included PGA National Resort and Spa – Champion & Fazio Courses, Sea Island Golf Club, Innisbrook Resort and Echo Lake Country Club.
The event now in its 42nd year has had its share of noteworthy past champions. In the Boys Division it includes Tiger Woods, Trevor Immelman, Stewart Cink, Brian Harman, Morgan Hoffman and Matthew NeSmith. On the Girls Division side, Vicki Goetze, Grace Park, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Ariya Jutanugarn, and Sierra Brooks.
The Polo Golf Junior Classic is the only true match play format event on the AJGA schedule. All but two years of the 42-year history have been played as match play. The top-32 boys and 32 girls will compete over four days.
13 Boys and eight Girls within the Top 25 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings
Boys Division
No. 4- Benjamin James
No. 5- Maxwell Ford
No. 6- Nicholas Dunlap, Hunstville, Alabama
No. 9- Luke Clanton, Miami Lakes, Florida
No. 14- Ethan Gao, Alpharetta, Georgia
No. 15- Luke Sample, New York, New York
No. 16- Wells Williams, West Point, Mississippi
No. 18- Carter Loflin, Duluth, Georgia
No. 20- Bruce Murphy, Johns Creek, Georgia
No. 21- Bryan Lee, Fairfax, VIrginia
No. 22- Shawn Lalmoni, Orlando, Florida
No. 23- Kyo Morishita, Bradenton, Florida
No. 25- Brendan Valdes, Orlando, Florida
Girls Division
No. 2- Megha Ganne, Holmdel, New Jersey
No. 3- Xin (Cindy) Kou
No. 5- Anna Davis, Spring Valley, California
No. 11- Madison Hewlett, Oldsmar, Florida
No. 12- Kaitlyn Schroeder, Jacksonville, Florida
No. 16- Brooke Biermann, Wildwood, Missouri
No. 21- Leigh Chien, Irvine, California
No. 25- Sophie Zhang- Murphy, Saratoga, California
Future college teammates
As a part of the 36 total players committed to play college golf, 4 sets of future college teammates are in the field:
Boys Division
- University of Virginia – Benjamin James, Bryan Lee, and Deven Patel of Johns Creek, Georgia
- Auburn University – Brendan Valdes, and Frankie Harris of Boca Raton, Florida
- University of Georgia – Maxwell Ford and Carter Loflin
Girls Division
- University of Southern California – Xin (Cindy) Kou and Catherine Park of Irvine, California
Social
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About Polo Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren, a premium lifestyle brand, has been a partner for more than three decades. Since 1995, Polo Ralph Lauren has supported junior golfers who become the next generation of college graduates and business leaders. Every week through AJGA social and digital content, Polo Ralph Lauren celebrates the top performances of AJGA members worldwide, through Polo Ralph Lauren #InspiredPerformances
. Polo Ralph Lauren has hosted the Polo Golf Junior Classic, an Invitational dating back to 1978 and one of the longest-running events in AJGA history.