The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex returns to TPC Sawgrass, September 3–6, 2026, as 78 of the world’s top junior boy golfers compete for the 20th championship title. The 54-hole stroke-play event will take place on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course, with the same setup and hole locations used for THE PLAYERS Championship on the PGA TOUR.
A product of the longstanding partnership between the PGA TOUR and the American Junior Golf Association, The Junior PLAYERS provides an elite field with the opportunity to compete on one of golf’s most recognizable stages. Rolex, one of the AJGA’s longest-tenured partners, has served as presenting sponsor since 2022 and continues to play an integral role in the championship.
The field features 42 past AJGA champions, highlighting the event’s field strength. A total of 16 players are ranked inside the top 25 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings, along with 19 Rolex Junior All-Americans and 40 college commitments. The depth of the field extends across the globe, with players representing 19 states and 16 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Guatemala, India, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Sweden, Taiwan and the United States.
Players To Watch
Jaden Soong | Los Angeles, California | Class of 2028
Soong is currently ranked No. 2 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. He earned his breakthrough victory at the 2026 Boys Junior PGA Championship and was named to the 2026 U.S. Team for the Junior Presidents Cup. The California native is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and has recorded two top-10 finishes in AJGA Invitationals this season. Making his debut at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex, Soong is still searching for his first AJGA Invitational victory.
Jessy Huebner | Port St. Lucie, Florida | Class of 2027
Huebner enters The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex ranked No. 5 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The University of Florida commit captured his first AJGA Invitational title at the 2026 Wyndham Invitational presented by Odyssey and was named to the 2026 U.S. Team for the Junior Presidents Cup. A First-Team Rolex Junior All-American in 2025, Huebner will look to add another prestigious AJGA Invitational title to his resume at TPC Sawgrass.
Grayson Baucom | Hickory, North Carolina | Class of 2028
The 2026 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods champion, Grayson Baucom is one to watch this week. A Junior All-Star in 2024 and Rolex Junior All-American in 2025, Baucom has continued to build an impressive junior golf resume. The recent University of Tennessee commit made his Junior PLAYERS debut in 2025, finishing T14, and will look to use that experience to contend for his second AJGA Invitational title this week.
Sam Carraher | Crown Point, Indiana | Class of 2027
The future Purdue Boilermaker is set to make his second appearance at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex. Carraher enters the week coming off a top-five finish at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic and continues to search for his first AJGA Invitational title. A 2025 Rolex Junior All-American, Carraher is on pace to earn the prestigious honor again in 2026.
Rory Asselta | Ramsey, New Jersey | Class of 2028
The 2026 RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic champion, Rory Asselta, makes his debut at TPC Sawgrass this week. Looking to claim his second consecutive AJGA Invitational title, Asselta brings plenty of experience, having competed in four AJGA Invitationals during the 2026 season. The Auburn University commit earned Junior All-Star honors in 2024 and will look to add another accolade to his junior golf resume this week.
Ronin Banerjee | Irvine, California | Class of 2027
Considered an AJGA veteran, Banerjee continues to search for his first AJGA Invitational title. The future University of Tennessee Volunteer has built an impressive resume, earning Rolex Junior All-American honors three times and representing the U.S. Team at the Junior Presidents Cup in 2024 and 2026. With plenty of experience on the biggest stages in junior golf, Banerjee will look to capitalize on the opportunity this week and etch his name in The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex history.
Giuseppe Puebla | Royal Palm Beach, Florida | Class of 2027
A future Florida Gator, Giuseppe Puebla will look to claim his first AJGA title in his home state of Florida. The Florida native has built an impressive junior golf resume, earning Rolex Junior All-American honors and representing the East Team at the Wyndham Cup in 2025 and 2026. Puebla will also make his Junior Presidents Cup debut in 2026, representing the U.S. Team. With the opportunity to win on home soil, Puebla will look to make his mark at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex.
Collegiate Ties
With more than 40 players committed to NCAA Division I programs, the field features an impressive collection of future collegiate talent, including:
- Arizona State University
- Auburn University
- Florida State University
- Iowa State University
- Pepperdine University
- Purdue University
- Southern Methodist University
- Texas Christian University
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of Florida
- University of Georgia
- University of Illinois
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- University of South Florida
- University of Tennessee
- University of Texas at Austin
- Vanderbilt University
- Wake Forest University
Several players will also have the opportunity to compete alongside future college teammates on a world-class stage.
- Brayden Jones and Vaclav Svub — Arizona State University
- Rory Asselta and Lunden Esterline — Auburn University
- Charlie Woods and Chase Bauer — Florida State University
- Andy Dai and Sam Carraher — Purdue University
- Hill Wang and Owen Greenough — Pepperdine University
- Grant DeLorenzo and Bennett Kuhns — Texas Christian University
- Bodie Brumlow and Brady Barnum — University of Georgia
- Giuseppe Puebla, Jessy Huebner and Emilio Velez — University of Florida
- Evan Liu and Dawson Lew — University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Ronin Banerjee and Grayson Baucom — University of Tennessee
Winning is just the beginning.
— AJGA (@AJGAGolf) September 3, 2026
Over 20 years, the #JrPLAYERS has crowned champions who have gone on to make their mark at the highest levels of the game, including at @THEPLAYERS.@ROLEX | @PGATour pic.twitter.com/ylII6xV2Bj
Tournament History
Since 2007, the world’s top junior golfers have traveled to Ponte Vedra Beach in pursuit of a signature victory at The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex. The championship’s prestigious list of past winners includes:
2007 — Morgan Hoffmann
2008 — Evan Beck
2009 — Bobby Wyatt
2010 — Michael Johnson
2011 — Gavin Hall
2012 — Robby Shelton IV
2013 — Austen Truslow
2014 — Sam Horsfield
2015 — Chun-an Yu
2016 — Khavish Varadan
2017 — Shuai Ming (Ben) Wong
2018 — Travis Vick
2019 — Jayden Schaper
2020 — David Ford
2021 — Benjamin James
2022 — Jeffrey Guan
2023 — Miles Russell
2024 — Hamilton Coleman
2025 — Miles Russell
Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, became the first player in championship history to win The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex twice, claiming his second title in 2025 after also winning in 2023. Russell carded rounds of 68-69-70 for a 9-under-par 207 total to secure his second victory at TPC Sawgrass.
Morgan Hoffmann of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, who played eight seasons on the PGA TOUR, won the inaugural The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex in 2007. Hoffmann’s junior golf career featured five AJGA victories, including four Invitationals, and a selection as a Rolex Junior All-American.
The lowest round in championship history was set by Logan McCallister of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who carded a 9-under-par 63 in the second round of the 2017 tournament. McCallister ultimately tied for second after a three-hole aggregate playoff with Shuai Ming (Ben) Wong of The Woodlands, Texas, and Jake Beber-Frankel of Miami, Florida. Wong secured his first AJGA Invitational victory with a par on No. 18, the final playoff hole.
The 54-hole scoring record of 16-under-par 200 at TPC Sawgrass was set in 2022 by Jeffrey Guan of Bexley, Australia. His rounds of 67-69-64 shattered the previous record of 8-under-par 208, set in 2018 by Travis Vick of Houston, Texas, Akshay Bhatia of Los Angeles, California, and Bo Jin of Beijing, China. Ben James of Milford, Connecticut, also matched the previous low 54-hole total on his way to victory at the 2021 event.
Tournament History: View Here
The Path to THE PLAYERS Championship
The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex has become a proven launching pad for players on their journey to the PGA TOUR. Since the championship’s inception, competitors from more than 50 countries have teed it up at TPC Sawgrass, including 42 players who have gone on to win on the PGA TOUR. The connection between The Junior PLAYERS and THE PLAYERS Championship is especially strong, with three Junior PLAYERS champions later earning the opportunity to compete in the PGA TOUR’s premier event at TPC Sawgrass.
Justin Thomas of Goshen, Kentucky, was the first to turn that opportunity into a victory. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American became the first Junior PLAYERS alumnus to win THE PLAYERS Championship in 2021, carding a 14-under-par 274 to win by one stroke.
Thomas competed in The Junior PLAYERS twice, in 2008 and 2009, before establishing himself as one of the game’s top professionals. He has remained closely connected to the AJGA, hosting his own tournament in his hometown since 2016 and spending time with junior golfers throughout the event. Thomas also supports the next generation through his Liberty National ACE Grant endowment, helping provide financial assistance to junior golfers.
Scottie Scheffler has followed a similar path from junior golf standout to THE PLAYERS champion. A three-time Rolex Junior All-American and the 2013 Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Scheffler competed in The Junior PLAYERS from 2011–2013, finishing as high as fifth in 2011. He went on to win THE PLAYERS Championship in consecutive years, capturing the win in 2023 and successfully defending his title in 2024.
The connection continued in 2026, when 45 Junior PLAYERS alumni were represented in the field at THE PLAYERS Championship, including six making their debuts. Across the entire field, 85 AJGA alumni competed, including 16 past AJGA players who have gone on to win THE PLAYERS Championship.
The history of The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex continues to provide a glimpse at the future of professional golf. With its deep international reach and growing list of alumni competing at THE PLAYERS Championship, TPC Sawgrass has become a familiar stage for many of the game’s future stars.
About Rolex
An unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise
Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacture. Headquartered in Geneva, the brand is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Perpetual watches are certified by COSC, then tested in-house for their precision, performance and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization.
The word ‘Perpetual’ is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. In the course of its history, Rolex has registered over 600 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops and produces the majority of its watch components, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, the brand is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.
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For more questions about The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex, please contact Justin Farrell (jfarrell@ajga.org) in the AJGA Communications Department.