Wheaton Ennis of Litchfield Park, Arizona, and Jasmine Koo of Cerritos, California, won their first Invitationals at the 2023 AJGA Invitational presented by PING.
Ennis finished with a 6-under-par 207 to win the Boys Division, while Koo had a tournament total of 3-under-par 210. Both champions won wire-to-wire, holding the outright lead all three days of competition.
Ennis started the final round with a nine-stroke advantage. He had three birdies on the front nine, but dropped two shots on Nos. 6 and 8. After making the turn, he finished 2-over-par on the back nine, but had enough of a lead built in to secure the victory.
It feels awesome to win this week. I've wanted to win this tournament for a long time and to get it done at this course means a lot.
At No. 11 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, Ennis won in his debut at the AJGA Invitational presented by PING and has two AJGA victories already this year at the PING Heather Farr Classic and PGA WEST Junior Championship.
The Texas A&M commit finished six shots clear of the Boys Division field, which included two of the top 10 players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, with the event's defending champion.
Behind Ennis, Nathan Miller of Dallas, Texas, had three birdies on the back nine to finish in second place at even-par 213 for his best AJGA finish this year. In a tie for third, Stanford commit Jay Leng Jr of San Diego, California, and TCU commit Charlie Wylie of Houston, Texas, finished at 3-over-par 216. Rounding out the top five was Princeton commit Eric Yun of Menlo Park, California, and Vanderbilt commit Michael Riebe of Encinitas, California, in a tie for fifth place at 4-over-par 217.
In the Girls Division, Koo entered the final round with a solid four-shot lead over the field. She made the turn at even-par, and was able to add three birdies on the back nine to keep her momentum. Koo ended with a birdie on No. 18 to seal the five-stroke victory.
The University of Southern California commit is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and No. 14 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. She was a member of the United States PING Junior Solheim Cup team and has had two top-10 finishes in Invitationals this season.
I'm super happy. I feel like I have been preparing and waiting for this moment to come for a while. For this event to be my first Invitational win just proves that I can win any event.
In solo second place, Oregon commit Yana Wilson of Henderson, Nevada, finished at 2-over-par 215 for her fifth finish in the top three this year. In solo third, Northwestern commit Megan Meng of Pennington, New Jersey, had a tournament total of 3-over-par 216. UNC commit Helen Yeung of Clarksville, Maryland, finished in fourth place at 5-over-par 218. Rounding out the top five was Irene Kim of Woodstock, Maryland, and Michelle Liu of Vancouver, British Columbia at 6-over-par 219.
The 17th AJGA Invitational presented by PING showcased the best of the next generation of future college and professional stars. The tournament was hosted at The Pfau Course at Indiana University. The venue change took place after Karsten Creek undergoes renovations.
There were 25 Rolex Junior All-Americans and 57 AJGA champions in the field. In addition, 33 college commits and eight countries represented.
Tournament History
The inaugural PING Invitational took place in 2006 and in the tournament’s 17-year history, has crowned many notable past champions. Jordan Spieth is the only two-time Boys Division champion, winning in 2008 and 2010. Other notable champions include PGA TOUR player Emiliano Grillo and college standouts – Stanford senior Michael Thorbjornsen and 2023 Walker Cup team member Ben James, a sophomore at the University of Virginia.
Rose Zhang, two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year and LPGA Tour star, joined Spieth as the first two-time champion in the Girls Division with victories in 2018 and 2020. In 2021, Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida, became the youngest champion at 13 years, 6 months, and 18 days old. Clemente successfully defended her title in 2022, winning by seven shots to join Spieth and Zhang. The 2026 grad will return to the event for a third year this October. Notable Girls Division champions also include: Nelly Korda, Alison Lee and Patty Tavatanakit.
Past champions are listed below:
2022 - Jay Leng Jr and Gianna Clemente
2021 - Benjamin James and Gianna Clemente
2020 - Kelly Chinn and Rose Zhang
2019 - Event was canceled due to weather
2018 - Michael Thorbjornsen and Rose Zhang
2017 - Canon Claycomb and Lucy Li
2016 - Noah Norton and Paphangkorn Tavatanakit
2015 - Spencer Soosman and Nelly Korda
2014 - Donnie Trosper and Kaitlyn Papp
2013 - Brad Dalke and Megan Khang
2012 - Gavin Hall and Alison Lee
2011 - A.J. McInerney and Jaye Marie Green
2010 - Jordan Spieth and Kristen Park
2009 - Emiliano Grillo and Rachel Morris
2008 - Jordan Spieth and Victoria Tanco
2007 - Gregor Main and Vicky Hurst
2006 - Andrew Yun and Esther Choe
About PING
PING, a golf club manufacturer with the goal to help golfers play their best, has been an AJGA supporter since 1990 and began supporting the PING Phoenix Junior in 1991. The PING Invitational, one of the AJGA's top Invitationals held over Columbus Day weekend, began in 2006 at Karsten Creek. The PING Junior Solheim Cup, the all-girls match play biennial event, has received worldwide recognition and many participants are able to say they played for their country as a junior and professional.
An Official Partner since 2002, the golf club manufacturer sponsors PING College Golf Signing Day and became "The Official Bag of the AJGA" in 2009. In 2010, PING debuted golf bags for all AJGA champions. PING also became the AJGA's first Legacy Partner in 2020.
About The Pfau Course
The Pfau Course at Indiana University is the home course of the flagship university in the state of Indiana.
Opened in 2020, the course was designed by highly-acclaimed architect Steve Smyers and two-time major winner and Hoosier native Fuzzy Zoeller, The Pfau Course at Indiana University offers a unique, world-class layout that is set in the natural beauty of southern Indiana. It’s drawn rave reviews since opening, highlighted by its No. 76 ranking in Golf Digest’s 2023 Top 100 Public Golf Courses in the United States list.
Among the course’s many take away features is 147 bunkers spread out amongst the 18 championship holes. The bunkers come in a wide variety of sizes and depths, offering players with creative ways to navigate them. Like the bunkers, The Pfau Course at Indiana University’s greens come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. The average green size is 6,680 square feet, and they range in size from 4,145 square feet on No. 10 to 10,014 square feet on No. 7.
In addition to offering a supreme test for championship-caliber players, the Par-71 design is also accessible to players of all skill levels. It features six tee options, offering an 18-hole experience that ranges from 4,586 to 7,908 yards.
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