PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. 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 United States Team is comprised of six boys and six girls who are U.S. citizens and graduating high school in 2017, or younger.
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
Gina Kim, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the U.S. Girls’ overall Junior Ryder Cup Points Leader
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.
Remy made six Captain’s Picks, three in the boys' division, and three in the girls' division.
The boys’ selections are:
Noah Goodwin, of Corinth, Texas
Wilson Furr, of Jackson, Mississippi
Eugene Hong, of Sanford, Florida
Noah Goodwin is the No. 2 ranked player in the Golfweek rankings; Runner-up in the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur; Runner-up in the Thunderbird International Junior; and finished T-5 at the Junior Invitational.
Wilson Furr is the No. 4 player in the Golfweek rankings; finished 4th at the Thunderbird International Junior; T-7 at the Rolex Tournament of Champions; T-7 at the Haas Family Invitational; and was the Runner-up at the 2015 Junior PGA Championship.
Eugene Hong is the No. 3 player in the Golfweek rankings; Champion of the 2016 Haas Family Invitational; Semi-finalist in both the 2015 and 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur; and finished T-6 at the Junior PGA Championship.
PHOTOS: 2016 US Junior Ryder Cup Team Photos
The selections in the girls’ division are:
Hailee Cooper, of Montgomery, Texas
Emilia Migliaccio, of Cary, North Carolina
Kaitlyn Papp, of Austin, Texas
Hailee Cooper is the No. 3 player in the Golfweek rankings; won the 2016 U.S. Women’s Four-ball Championship; advanced to the Sweet 16 of the U.S. Girls’ Junior; advanced to the Round of 32 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, finished T-8 at the Junior PGA Championship and was a member of the 2015 U.S. Junior Solheim Cup team.
Emilia Migliaccio is the No. 8 player in the Golfweek rankings; Runner-up in the 2016 Rolex Girls Junior Championship; T-5 in the Rolex Tournament of Champions; and finished T-6 at the Junior PGA Championship.
Kaitlyn Papp is the No. 4 player in the Golfweek rankings; won the 2016 U.S. Women’s Four-ball Championship with Hailey Cooper; T-3 at the Thunderbird International Junior; T-5 at the Rolex Tournament of Championship; won the team championship at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan; advanced to the Round of 64 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur; and was a member of the 2015 U.S. Junior Solheim Cup team.
“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.”
Participants in the 2016 Junior Ryder Cup will also play a nine-hole, “Friendship Match” on Sept. 28, at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, and be announced live during the 41st Ryder Cup Opening Ceremonies to a global audience on 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.
| 2016 U.S. 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 |
| Kaitlin Papp | Austin, Texas |
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 Ltd., which biennially stage the Ryder Cup.
The Junior Ryder Cup will consist of six foursomes matches on Monday morning; six mixed four-ball matches on Monday afternoon; and 12 singles matches on Tuesday. A total of 12 ½ points are needed to win the cup, out of the 24 possible points on the board.
