Bowling Green, Fla - The Ninja Invitational hosted by Janet Xiyu Lin returns to Streamsong Black for its second year following a successful inaugural event in 2025. Taking place September 4-7, the tournament features a field of 72 of the nation's top female junior golfers competing in 54 holes of stroke play over the holiday weekend. The event will also include a players' dinner on Friday, September 4, highlighted by a Q&A session with tournament host Janet Lin.
About the Field
This field features top junior girls from five countries and 14 states. It includes 53 past AJGA Champions and six Rolex Junior All Americans. Leading the field is Clairey Lin (No.3) who is the returning champion of this event. This field also features 14 committed college players.
- 14 College Commits
- 35 girls in the top-100 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Eight Florida natives
- Five countries represented
- 53 past AJGA Champions
- Six Rolex Junior All-Americans
About the Course
Streamsong Black, designed by renowned architect Gil Hanse, is a bold and expansive Par-73 championship layout that has quickly earned national acclaim. Named Golf Digest’s Best New Golf Course of the Year in 2018, it currently ranks No. 33 on Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses (2025) and No. 31 on Golfweek’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play (2025). Known for its massive greens—the largest in the country—Streamsong Black challenges players with creative contours, rolling elevation changes, and dramatic sand ridges reminiscent of Australia’s famed Sand Belt Region. The course has become a familiar stage for elite junior golf, marking the AJGA’s fifth event at Streamsong Black and the fourth time it has hosted the AJGA Girls Invitational, now known as the Ninja Invitational hosted by Janet Xiyu Lin.
AJGA Champion Highlights
Of the 53 players who’ve won an AJGA event, a few highlights:
- Clairey Lin of Palos Verdes Estates, California, already has a Ninja Invitational title to her name. Lin captured the championship last year with rounds of 70-67-70 and is looking to become the first repeat winner in tournament history. Currently ranked No. 3 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, she enters the week fresh off a victory at the 77th U.S. Girls' Junior Championship.
- Ava Zhang of Lake Mary, Florida, has already found success in 2026. Zhang earned a victory at The Golf Performance Academy Junior Championship and has recorded top-10 finishes at both the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic and the Rolex Girls Junior Championship this season. Currently ranked No. 25 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, she will look to further strengthen her impressive year with a win at the Ninja Invitational.
- Elizabeth Guthrie of Charlotte, North Carolina of Charlotte, North Carolina, is coming off the best invitational finish of her career, a tie for third at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic. After capturing her first AJGA title at the AJGA Junior Championship presented by Visit Tallahassee, Guthrie now sets her sights on her first invitational victory.
- Hailey Kim of Simi Valley, California is seeking a breakthrough invitational win. Currently ranked No. 28 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, Kim has recorded two top-10 finishes in 2026 and will look to continue her strong play this weekend as she chases her first invitational title.
Tournament History
The Ninja Invitational, formerly known as the AJGA Girls Invitational and the Buick Shanshan Feng AJGA Girls Invitational, has seen some of the top names in junior golf etch their place in history. Past champions include Yana Wilson, who captured the AJGA Girls Invitational at Streamsong Black and recently earned her LPGA Tour card after securing two Epson Tour victories and nine top-10 finishes. Other champions include Elizabeth Rudisill, winner of the Buick Shanshan Feng AJGA Girls Invitational at Streamsong Black, and Brianna Navarrosa, who claimed her title at The Saticoy Club. Tournament records include a low round of 66 (-7), a 36-hole total of 136 (-10), and a 54-hole mark of 206 (-13), with Wilson’s name featured in all three. The tournament was not contested in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
10 of the Top 50 Players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings
3 Clairey Lin of Palos Verdes Estates, California
25 Ava Zhang of Lake Mary, Florida
26 Elizabeth Guthrie of Charlotte, North Carolina
28 Hailey Kim of Simi Valley, California
31 Kylie Chung of Cumming, Georgia
33 Courtney Grace of Birmingham, Alabama
36 Maria Isabella Errichetto of Southern Pines, North Carolina
39 Alexandra Snyder of Orlando, Florida
46 Alli Wiertel of Oswego, Illinois
49 Anna Bell of Poplar Bluff, Missouri
About Janet Xiyu Lin
Janet Xiyu Lin has emerged as one of the most accomplished players in women’s golf, with 29 career top-10s and 85 top-25 finishes. Turning professional in 2011, she quickly made her mark on the CLPGA and LET before joining the LPGA Tour, where she has been a consistent contender for over a decade. Lin has represented China in three Olympic Games, finishing T4 at the 2016 Rio Olympics, T9 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and capturing a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the second Chinese woman to earn an Olympic medal in golf. She has also been a key contributor on Team China at the International Crown in 2016 and 2023. Known for her consistency, competitiveness, and ability to perform on the world stage, Lin continues to be a trailblazer for Chinese golf and an inspiration to aspiring players worldwide.
About The Janet Lin Pathways Project
In the second year of the event, tournament host Janet Xiyu Lin is thrilled to announce her newest initiative, The Janet Lin Pathways Project, during a welcome dinner for the tournament field. The project aims to create greater opportunities for young golfers by providing support for elite junior tournaments and training, as well as mentorship, international competition, and educational opportunities. Through partnerships and events in the U.S. and Asia, the project seeks to help talented young players gain access to the experiences and resources needed to advance their golf careers.
Social
Follow along on social with #NinjaInv or check us out on X
, Instagram
and Facebook
.