JERSEY CITY, NJ – The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) is set to concurrently host the second Mizuho Americas Open alongside the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). The event will provide the opportunity for 24 of the top junior golfers to compete alongside the 120-player LPGA field for their own individual title. The 72-hole Stableford event will be hosted at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, on May 13-19.
The 2024 edition of the event marks the second time the AJGA and the LPGA have partnered to showcase the stars of today competing inside-the-ropes with the future of the game, creating an unprecedented week of education and access to inspire the next generation of LPGA Tour players.
About the Field
Invited through the Rolex AJGA Rankings, the players represent nine states and one international country (Canada). The field includes 20 Rolex Junior All-Americans and 21 former AJGA champions. There are three players who are verbally committed to play college golf and nine players who have signed their Letter of Intent.
Rose Zhang, the most decorated player in amateur women's golf history, made her professional debut at the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open. Zhang won the inaugural event and earned her full LPGA Tour card in a historic finish that made her the first player to win while making their pro debut on the LPGA Tour since Beverly Hanson in 1951. During her AJGA days, Zhang was a five-time Rolex Junior All-American (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) and was a two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year (2019, 2020). Nine players competed in the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open.
Including Rose, of the 120 players competing on the LPGA side of the event, 74 are AJGA Alumni and six past Rolex Junior Players of the Year.
Yana Wilson of Henderson, Nevada, won the AJGA side of the Mizuho Americas Open in 2023. Wilson carded five birdies in her final round to close out the event with a four day total of 147 points. Anna Davis of Spring Valley, California, the 2022 Augusta National Women's Amateur Champion, finished three points behind Wilson.
Players to watch:
- Yana Wilson of Henderson, Nevada - The 2023 Rolex Junior Player of the Year and 2-time Rolex Junior All-American (2021, 2023), has signed a Letter of Intent with the University of Oregon. The 2023 Mizuho Americas Open Champion is coming off of a top-three finish at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. Currently holding the No. 1 spot in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, Wilson looks to complete back-to-back wins in New Jersey.
- Jasmine Koo of Cerritos, California - A 3-time Rolex Junior All-American (2020, 2022, 2023) and future University of Southern California Trojan, Koo is no stranger to the LPGA. Coming off a T13 finish at the 2024 Chevron Championship, Koo's prior pro-event experience may come in hand this week. Koo finished fourth in this year's Augusta National Women's Amateur
- Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida - A 4-time Rolex Junior All-American (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) and 4-time AJGA Champion, Clemente is currently ranked at No. 3 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. She played in the 2023 PING Junior Solheim Cup and finished fifth in this year's Augusta National Women's Amateur.
Local players in the field:
- Aphrodite Deng of Short Hills New Jersey - A 3-time AJGA Champion, Deng recently won the inaugural The Nelly Invitational. Deng became the first New Jersey native to win the Rolex Tournament of Champions late last year.
- Megan Meng of Pennington, New Jersey - A 2-time Rolex Junior All-American, Meng is set to play at Northwestern University this fall. Meng finished T2 in this year's Fortinet Girls Invitational at Stanford, and is playing in her first Mizuho Americas Open event.
Rolex AJGA Rankings
Of the 24 girls in the field, 17 are in the top-20 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Below are the top-10 girls in the field.
1. Yana Wilson (2024)
2. Jasmine Koo (2024)
3. Gianna Clemente (2026)
4. Asterisk Talley of Chowchilla, California (2027)
5. Nikki Oh of Torrance, California (2026)
6. Aphrodite Deng (2028)
7. Megan Meng (2024)
8. Vanessa Borovilos of Toronto, Ontario, Canada (2024)
9. Kylie Chong of Torrance, California (2024)
TV & Social
The event will be televised on the Golf Channel at the below times.
Round 1 - 3 PM - 6 PM EDT
Round 2 - 3 PM - 6 PM EDT
Round 3 - 3 PM - 6 PM EDT
Round 4 - 3 PM - 6 PM EDT
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