The Polo Golf Junior Classic returns for its 45th anniversary to Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. The marquee event on the AJGA's schedule due to its unique format will feature 64 juniors, 32 boys and 32 girls, competing over four days to crown a match play champion.
About the Field
- 32 college commitments
- 51 past AJGA champions
- 28 Rolex Junior All-Americans
- Five countries represented
- 18 states represented
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.
AJGA Champion Highlights
Of the 51 players who’ve won an AJGA event, a few highlights:
- Nicholas Gross of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, captured his first AJGA win since 2021 at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods earlier this year. The University of Alabama commit came from behind for the win joining a storied list of past champions including Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Jim Furyk.
- Ashleen Kaur of Cypress, Texas, kicked off her 2023 season on a high note taking home her first invitational title at the Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex. The win earned the Baylor University commit her first LPGA start at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. She earned low amateur honors that weekend.
- Byungho Lee of Plano, Texas, returns to Bethpage Black to defend his 2022 Polo Golf Junior Classic title. The Pepperdine University commit beat Luke Haskew 2&1 in the final match. Lee went 6-0 in his Polo debut.
Tournament History
The Polo Golf Junior Classic has occurred annually since 1978. 2023 marks the 45th anniversary of the historic event. 45 years has seen a variety of host venues for the match play event. Noteworthy host courses have included Liberty National Golf Club, PGA National Resort and Spa – Champion & Fazio Courses, Sea Island Golf Club, Innisbrook Resort and Echo Lake Country Club.
The event now in its 45th 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 45-year history have been played as match play. The top-32 boys and 32 girls will compete over four days.
7 boys and 6 girls within the Top 25 Players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings
Boys Division
(4) Byungho Lee of (South Korea) Plano, Texas
(6) Nicholas Gross of Downington, Pennsylvania
(9) Jay Leng Jr of San Diego, California
(20) Will Hartman of Marvin, North Carolina
(21) Eduardo Derbez Torres of Monterrey, Mexico
(22) Wheaton Ennis of Litchfield Park, Arizona
(24) Gerardo Gomez of (Mexico) Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida
Girls Division
(5) Alice Ziyi Zhao of Irvine, California
(6) Katie Li of Basking Ridge, New Jersey
(11) Gracie McGovern of Scottsdale, Arizona
(13) Ashleen Kaur of Cypress, Texas
(17) Vanessa Zhang of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
(20) Elise Lee of Irvine, California
Future College Teammates
As a part of the 32 total players committed to play college golf, five sets of future college teammates are in the field:
Boys Division
- Texas A&M University - Jake Maggert of The Woodlands, Texas, Wheaton Ennis of Litchfield Park, Arizona and Alex Long of Lakewood Ranch, Florida
- University of Arkansas - Gerardo Gomez of (Mexico) Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida and Rex Hargrove of Houston, Texas
- University of Texas at Austin - Jack Gilbert of Houston, Texas and Eduardo Derbez Torres of Monterrey, Mexico
Girls Division
- Northwestern University - Elise Lee of Irvine, California, and Megan Meng of Pennington, New Jersey
- Princeton University - Olivia Duan of Cupertino, California and Yufei (Nancy) Dai of Lake Mary, Florida
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.
For more information about the Polo Golf Junior Classic please contact AJGA Communications Manager, Emma Varela (evarela@ajga.org ).