The RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic is returning to Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, for a fourth time. Now in its 47th year, the match play tournament will showcase 64 of the top junior golfers, 32 boys and 32 girls. The tournament will take place over four days. The event will begin with round-robin pool play on June 24 and 25, followed by Quarter and Semifinal matches on June 26. The Championship and Consolation matches will be played on June 27. Two new champions will earn their place among a prestigious list of past winners and golf legends.
About the Field
- 21 returning players
- 29 college commitments
- 55 past AJGA champions
- 24 Rolex Junior All-Americans
- Two countries represented
- 19 states represented
Players to Watch
Clara Ding of White Rock, British Columbia, is the defending champion in the Girls Division. Currently ranked No. 11 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, the 2029 graduate is a two-time AJGA champion. She was named a Rolex Junior All-American in 2024 as well as earning a spot on the 2024 Junior All-Star Team.
Anna Fang of San Diego, California, is a two-time AJGA champion. The 2027 graduate is currently ranked No. 8 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and earned Rolex Junior All-American honors in 2024. Fang was a member of the 2024 PING Junior Solheim Cup Team, contributing to Team USA's victory.
Pennson Badgett of Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, returns to defend his title in the Boys Division. The 2026 graduate has committed to play collegiate golf at the University of Tennessee. In 2024, he was named a Rolex Junior All-American and is currently ranked No. 9 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Badgett is a three-time AJGA champion and represented Team USA in the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup.
Ronin Banerjee of Irvine, California, is a two-time Rolex Junior All American, earning this honor in both 2023 and 2024. Currently ranked No. 7 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, the three-time AJGA champion is set to graduate in 2027. Banerjee represented Team USA in the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup.
Tournament History
The RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic has occurred annually since 1978. 2025 marks the 47th anniversary of the historic event. The match play tournament has seen a variety of host venues over the years. Noteworthy hosts 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 has had its share of legendary past champions. In the Boys Division, these include Tiger Woods, Trevor Immelman, Stewart Cink, Brian Harman, Morgan Hoffmann and Matthew NeSmith. In the Girls Division, past champions include Vicki Goetze, Grace Park, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Ariya Jutanugarn and Sierra Brooks.
The RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic is the only true individual match play event on the AJGA schedule. All but two years of the event have been played as match play, with 2017 and 2018 being competed in stroke play format.
10 boys and seven girls within the Top 25 Players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings
Boys Division
(6) Ronin Banerjee
(9) Pennson Badgett
(11) Mason Howell of Thomasville, Georgia
(14) Willie Gordon of Hot Springs, Arkansas
(15) Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island, Florida
(18) Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach, Florida
(19) Asher Vargas of Spring, Texas
(20) Evan Liu of Rancho Santa Fe, California
(22) Phillip Dunham of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
(25) Chase Hughes of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Girls Division
(8) Anna Fang
(11) Clara Ding
(12) Lily Peng of San Ramon, California
(14) Clairey Lin of (Canada) Palos Verdes Estates, California
(15) Yujie Liu of Beijing, China
(16) Jude Lee of Walnut, California
(22) Asia Young of Bend, Oregon
Future College Teammates
As a part of the 32 total players committed to play college golf, three sets of future college teammates are in the field:
Boys Division
- University of Georgia - Drew Woolworth of Lake Oswego, Oregon, and Mason Howell of Thomasville, Georgia.
- University of Alabama - Phillip Dunham of Ponte Verda Beach, Florida, and Bailey Sutter of Cullman, Alabama.
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill - Asher Vargas of Spring, Texas, and Preston Hage of Raleigh, North Carolina.
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 RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic, an Invitational dating back to 1978 and one of the longest-running events in AJGA history.
About Bethpage State Park Golf Courses - Black Course
In 2022, the move of the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior to Bethpage Black marked 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.
Bethpage Black made its major championship debut in 2002 with the U.S. Open, where a young Tiger Woods, who won the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic in 1991, claimed his second U.S. Open victory. The course welcomed the U.S. Open again in 2009, with AJGA alumnus Lucas Glover capturing the title. Known for its challenge and famously marked as “extremely difficult” and “recommended only for highly skilled golfers,” the Black Course also hosted The Barclays, a FedEx Cup Playoff event, in 2012 and 2016. In 2019, AJGA alumnus Brooks Koepka triumphed at the PGA Championship, as the course returned to major championship status after a decade.
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