PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – (Sept. 19, 2016) Following next Sunday’s Opening Ceremony at 5 p.m. CT, a talented group of 12 junior golfers representing seven states will face their European counterparts in the 10th Junior Ryder Cup, Sept. 26-27, at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota.
The 2016 Junior Ryder Cup will continue to present the expanded Ryder Cup format of foursomes, mixed four-ball and singles competition. The matches will mark the 10th formal connection between the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe, which biennially stage the Ryder Cup.
The Junior Ryder Cup has been the platform from which successful professional careers have been launched for several players. Spaniard Sergio Garcia played in the 1995 exhibition match. Four years later, he was part of the European Ryder Cup Team at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., while Suzann Pettersen played in the Junior Ryder Cup in 1997 and 1999, before becoming Norway’s top female golfer and taking part in five Solheim Cups. Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts played in the 1999 Junior Ryder Cup and was part of the 2012 Ryder Cup. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy was on the victorious 2004 European Junior Ryder Cup Team, and has been previously ranked as the world’s No. 1 player. He will compete in the Ryder Cup next week.
Hunter Mahan played as a member of the 1999 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team and has since competed in the Ryder Cup twice, in 2008 and '10. Lexi Thompson, a member of the 2008 Junior Ryder Cup Team, won the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship and was a member of the 2013 and ‘15 Solheim Cup Team. Another player who has been ranked previously as World No. 1, Jordan Spieth, was a member of the 2008 and ’10 Junior Ryder Cup Teams. He won the 2015 Masters Tournament and U.S. Open, and will compete next week for the U.S. Ryder Cup Team. In addition, Rafa Cabrera Bello played in the 1999 Junior Ryder Cup and will be competing for the 2016 European Ryder Cup Team.
The 2016 Junior Ryder Cup will consist of six foursomes matches on Monday morning, Sept. 26, beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT; six mixed four-ball matches on Monday afternoon starting around 12:30 p.m. CT; and 12 singles matches on Tuesday, Sept. 27, starting at 9 a.m. CT. A total of 12 ½ points are needed to win the cup, out of the 24 possible points on the board. The Closing Ceremony and trophy presentation will follow the conclusion of Tuesday’s singles matches. Jim Remy, of Okemo Valley, Vermont, the 36th President of the PGA of America, will Captain the U.S. Team. He will guide a squad that is attempting to capture the Junior Ryder Cup for a fifth consecutive time. Since 1999, the U.S. holds a 5-3-1 edge over Europe. The United States Team is comprised of six boys and six girls who are U.S. citizens and graduating high school in 2017, or younger.
“To represent your country is the highest honor in sports, and we have an incredibly talented group of boys and girls on the team this year,” said Remy. “The United States Junior Ryder Cup Team is proud to compete with the best players from Europe for one of the most coveted prizes in junior golf. Some of these players are likely to be future stars in the game.”
The 2016 U.S. Team is led by reigning Junior PGA Champions Norman Xiong, of Canyon Lake, California, and Lucy Li, of Redwood Shores, California. Xiong and Li captured the boys’ and girls’ titles, respectively, at the 41st Junior PGA Championship presented by Under Armour and Genesis Networks, at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, Rhode Island. The Championship concluded on Aug. 12.
As the runner-up in the boys’ and girls’ divisions at the 2016 Junior PGA Championship, Patrick Welch, of Providence, Rhode Island; and Alyaa Abdulghany, of Newport Beach, California, also earned automatic berths in the biennial competition. Joining the four automatic qualifiers are: Davis Shore, of Knoxville, Tennessee, the U.S. Boys’ overall Junior Ryder Cup Points Leader; and Gina Kim, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the U.S. Girls’ overall Junior Ryder Cup Points Leader. Remy made six Captain’s Picks, three in the boys' division, and three in the girls' division. The boys’ selections were: Noah Goodwin, of Corinth, Texas; Wilson Furr, of Jackson, Mississippi; and Eugene Hong, of Sanford, Florida. The selections in the girls’ division were Hailee Cooper, of Montgomery, Texas; Emilia Migliaccio, of Cary, North Carolina; and Kaitlyn Papp, of Austin, Texas.
Steered by Captain Maitena Alsuguren, of France, the 2016 European Junior Ryder Cup Team of 12 boys and girls represents eight countries – Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Sweden. Leading the European Team is 15-year-old Julia Engström, the youngest player to win the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship; and Falko Hanish, the winner of the 90th Boys Amateur Championship at Muirfield in Scotland, earlier this year. “I am extremely honoured and excited to be Captain, and am looking forward to a great match with the U.S. Team at Interlachen,” said Alsuguren.
2016 USA Junior Ryder Cup Team
Boys
Noah Goodwin, Corinth, Texas
Wilson Furr, Jackson, Mississippi
Eugene Hong, Sanford, Florida
Davis Shore, Knoxville, Tennessee
Patrick Welch, Providence, Rhode Island
Norman Xiong, Canyon Lake, California
Girls
Alyaa Abdulghany, Newport Beach, California
Hailee Cooper, Montgomery, Texas
Gina Kim, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Lucy Li, Redwood Shores, California
Emilia Migliaccio, Cary, North Carolina
Kaitlyn Papp, Austin, Texas
2016 European Junior Ryder Cup Team
Boys
Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen, Denmark
Falko Hanisch, Germany
Matias Honkala, Finland
Adrien Pendaries, France
Kristoffer Reitan, Norway
Marcus Svensson, Sweden
Girls
Julia Engström, Sweden
Frida Kinhult, Sweden
Emilie Alba Paltrinieri, Italy
Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, France
Emma Spitz, Austria
Beatrice Wallin, Sweden
Participants in the 2016 Junior Ryder Cup will also play a nine-hole, “Friendship Match” on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, and be announced live during the 41st Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony to a global audience on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 29.
The “Friendship Match” at Hazeltine will feature a combined mixed four-ball, with six groupings of four players that include one girl and one boy from both Europe and the United States. For spectators planning to attend the Junior Ryder Cup at Interlachen Country Club, tickets are FREE and complimentary parking is available at nearby Braemar Ice Arena, located at 7501 Ikola Way in Edina. The location is just off the Valley View Road Exit of Highway 169. There will be no public parking onsite at Interlachen.
Representatives from edinagiveandgo.org - a local Edina based charity that brings life and learning opportunities to Edina Public Schools' students who are economically disadvantaged—will be stationed at the lot to direct people to and from the shuttle buses. The public is encouraged to make a donation to Edina Give and Go.
Schedule of Events
(All times CT/All Events Except Friendship Match at Interlachen GC)
Sunday, Sept. 25 5 p.m. Opening Ceremony
Monday, Sept. 26 7:30 a.m. Session One – Foursomes
Monday, Sept. 26 12:30 p.m. Session Two – Mixed Four-Ball
Tuesday, Sept. 27 9 a.m. Session Three – Singles
Tuesday, Sept. 27 3 p.m. Trophy Presentation
Wednesday, Sept. 28 2 p.m. Friendship Match (Hazeltine National Golf Club)
Public Parking
There will be no public parking onsite at Interlachen. Rather, spectators are able to park at the nearby Braemar Ice Arena at 7501 Ikola Way in Edina. The location is just off the Valley View Road Exit of Highway 169.
Parking is complimentary. In addition, representatives from Edina Give and Go (edinagiveandgo.org)—a local Edina based charity that brings life and learning opportunities to Edina Public Schools' students who are economically disadvantaged—will be stationed at the lot to direct people to and from the shuttle buses and answer any questions.
The shuttle will run from 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on Sun., Sept 25; 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Mon., Sept. 26; and 8:45 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Tues., Sept. 27 (all times CT)
The public is encouraged to make a donation to Edina Give and Go.
What: 10th Junior Ryder Cup Public Parking
Where: Braemar Ice Arena, 7501 Ikola Way, Edina, Minnesota
Directions: Just off the Valley View Road Exit from Highway 169
Cost: Complimentary – The public is encouraged to make a donation to Edina Give and Go, in support of disadvantaged students
Shuttle Bus Hours (all times CT): Sun., Sept. 25 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m; Mon., Sept. 26 6:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m; Tues., Sept. 27 8:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
For more information and bios on the USA Junior Ryder Cup Team, click here.
For more information and bios on the European Junior Ryder Cup Team, click here.
