The RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic returns to Farmingdale, New York, at Bethpage State Park Golf Courses Black Course for the fifth consecutive year. Now in its 48th edition, the match play championship will feature 64 of the nation’s top junior golfers, with 32 boys and 32 girls competing over four days.
Competition opens with round robin pool play on June 23 and 24, followed by quarterfinal and semifinal matches on June 25. The championship and consolation matches will conclude the event on June 26.
The field features 48 past AJGA champions, highlighting the event’s deep championship pedigree. A total of 34 players are ranked inside the top 50 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings, along with 24 Rolex Junior All-Americans and 22 college commits. The international and national reach of the field is also on display, with players representing 19 states and three countries.
Players to Watch - Girls
Asterisk Talley of Chowchilla, California, is a seven time AJGA champion and the current No. 1 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. She posted a T22 finish at the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally and helped lead Team USA to a 12 to 7 victory over Great Britain and Ireland at the 2026 Curtis Cup, where she was the youngest player in the field. The 2027 graduate is coming off a win at The Fortinet Stanford Invitational hosted by Rose Zhang and has represented Team USA at the PING Junior Solheim Cup in 2023 and 2024. A Rolex Junior All-American Honorable Mention in 2022, she earned First Team honors from 2023 to 2025 and has verbally committed to Stanford University.
Lily Peng of San Ramon, California, is an AJGA champion and currently ranked No. 4 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The 2027 graduate was named a Rolex Junior All-American in 2023 and 2024 before earning First Team honors in 2025. She also represented Team USA at the 2025 Junior Ryder Cup and captured the 2023 Billy Horschel Junior Championship presented by Zurich. Peng has verbally committed to the University of California, Los Angeles.
Anna Fang of San Diego, California, is a two-time AJGA champion currently ranked No. 6 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The 2027 graduate represented Team USA at the 2024 PING Junior Solheim Cup and was named a Rolex Junior All-American on the Second Team in 2024 before earning First Team honors in 2025. Her AJGA victories include the 2023 Natural Delights Junior Open hosted by Beau Hossler and the 2022 AJGA Junior All Star at Stanford.
Players to Watch - Boys
Sam Carraher of Crown Point, Indiana, is a Rolex Junior All-American, earning the honor in 2025. The 2027 graduate is currently ranked No. 9 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and has recorded six top-five AJGA finishes, including four in 2025, as he seeks his first AJGA victory. Carraher has verbally committed to play collegiate golf at Purdue University.
Grayson Baucom of Hickory, North Carolina, is a four-time AJGA champion and is coming off a win at the 2026 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods. The 2028 graduate is currently ranked No. 10 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and was named a Rolex Junior All-American in 2025 after earning a spot on the 2024 Junior All-Star Team. He also claimed the title at the 2025 Visit Goldsboro NC Junior Championship.
Jaden Soong of Los Angeles, California, is a member of the class of 2028 and is currently ranked No. 14 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. An AJGA champion, he was named to the 2024 Junior All Star Team and earned Rolex Junior All American honors in both 2024 and 2025. Soong has recorded six top-five AJGA finishes and is now seeking his first victory of 2026 after winning the 2024 TaylorMade Qi10 Junior All Star.
Tournament History
First played in 1978, the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic celebrates its 48th playing in 2026, continuing its legacy as one of the AJGA’s most historic championships. While the event has evolved over nearly five decades, it has remained a premier match play test for junior golf’s elite.
The championship has traveled to some of the game’s most respected venues, including Liberty National Golf Club, PGA National Resort, Sea Island Golf Club, Innisbrook Resort and Echo Lake Country Club, each adding to the event’s rich competitive history.
Few AJGA events can match the championship pedigree of its past winners. Boys Division champions include Tiger Woods, Trevor Immelman, Stewart Cink, Brian Harman, Morgan Hoffmann and Matthew NeSmith. In the Girls Division, champions include Vicki Goetze, Grace Park, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Ariya Jutanugarn and Sierra Brooks.
Unmatched on the AJGA schedule, the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic remains the only true individual match play championship. With the exception of 2017 and 2018, when stroke play was used, the event has been defined by head-to-head competition since its inception.
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 is 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 Classic to Bethpage Black marked the first time the event has been played on a public course. The Black Course is steeped in tradition, having hosted three major championships, two FedEx Cup Playoff events, and the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Bethpage Black made its major championship debut in 2002 with the U.S. Open, where a young Tiger Woods, a former RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic champion, captured his second U.S. Open title. The course returned to the national stage in 2009 when AJGA alumnus Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open, followed by The Barclays FedEx Cup Playoff events in 2012 and 2016.
In 2019, AJGA alumnus Brooks Koepka claimed victory at the PGA Championship, as Bethpage Black once again cemented its place among golf’s most demanding championship venues. Most recently, the course hosted the 2025 Ryder Cup, further adding to its legacy on the global stage.
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