And then there were four

Farmingdale, NY - The championship match is set at the 45th Polo Golf Junior Classic. Katie Li of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, will take on Nikki Oh of Torrance, California, for the Girls Division title. On the Boys Division side Jack Gilbert of Houston, Texas, will face Jay Leng Jr of San Diego, California.

Thursday play began with the Quarterfinal matches and concluded with the semifinal matches in the afternoon.

Match one of the quarterfinals was the only match to go to extra holes. Jack Gilbert won in 19-holes over Boyi (Barry) Zhang of (China) Lake Mary, Florida.

In match two, Michael Riebe of Encinitas, California, beat Carson Bertagnole of Pinehurst, North Carolina, 2&1.

In match three, Jay Leng Jr beat Kale Fontenot of Lafayette, Louisiana, 2&1.

In the final match of the Boys Division Quarterfinals Nicholas Gross of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, took Nathan Miller of Dallas, Texas, all the way to No. 18 where he won 2-up.

On the Girls Division side, Ryleigh Knaub of Debary, Florida, beat Gloria Nip of (Hong Kong) Port St. Lucie, Florida, 3&2.

Nikki Oh beat Canadian Vanessa Zhang with a final score of 4&3.

Kylie Chong of Torrance, California, took Kathryn Ha of Roanoke, Virginia, to a full 18 holes, where she won 1-up on the final hole.

In the final Girls Division match of the morning, Katie Li defeated Michelle Woo of Fremont, California, with a final score of 4&3.

With the field cut down to 8 the semifinal matches commenced. Jack Gilbert and Michael Riebe were the first match out of the day. The pair tied the first hole, then Gilbert put his foot on the gas. The University of Texas commit won hole No. 2 and didn't look back building his lead throughout the day. He won 4&2 to make the championship match in his Polo Golf Junior Classic debut.

In the second boys match of the day, No. 4 took on No. 8 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Jay Leng Jr came out swinging to surprise Nicholas Gross. Leng Jr won the match on hole No. 17 at 3&1. Leng Jr is looking for his second invitational title tomorrow. He won the 2022 PING Invitational for his first.

On the girls side match one included Ryleigh Knaub and Nikki Oh. Oh was in the driver seat from the start, but Knaub fought her way back in tying the match on No. 13. The pair halved No. 14 before Oh went to 1-up on No. 15. Another win on No. 16 ended the match at 2&1 after hole 16. This is Oh's first appearance in the Polo Golf Junior Classic. The 2026 graduate is currently No. 45 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

Katie Li made quick work of her match against Kylie Chong. Li was the biggest winner of the day taking the match at 8&7. This will mark Li's second Polo Golf Junior Classic Championship match in appearance. In 2021, Li finished runner-up to Kiara Romero of San Jose, California, at Liberty National Golf Club.

Jay Leng Jr will face Jack Gilbert for the Boys Division title. Katie Li will compete against Nikki Oh for the Girls Division title.

Championship matches for the 45th Polo Golf Junior Classic will begin at 7:00 a.m. off No. 1. The Boys Division match will go first with the Girls Championship match following at 7:09 a.m.

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About Bethpage State Park Golf Courses - Black Course

The move of the Polo Golf Junior Classic in 2022 to Bethpage Black marks the first time the event is being played on a public course. The Black Course is rich in tradition having hosted three major championships, two FedEx Cup playoff events and the upcoming 2025 Ryder Cup.

The course which opened in 1936 as part of the Depression Era public-works project that build Bethpage State Park burst onto the scene in 2002 with its first hosting of the U.S. Open. It was this year that a young Tiger Woods, who won the Polo Golf Junior Classic in 1991, captured his second U.S. Open title. The Black Course again hosted the U.S. Open in 2009 where AJGA alumni Lucas Glover took home the title. The ‘extremely difficult course’ recommended ‘only for highly skilled golfers’ also hosted the 2012 and 2016 FedEx Cup playoff event, The Barclays. AJGA alumni Brooks Koepka won the 2019 PGA Championship when the course hosted its first major in ten years.

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.