European Junior Ryder Cup Qualifying Race Nears Halfway Mark

The race to qualify for the 2025 European Junior Ryder Cup team is nearing the halfway point with four events now complete for both boys and girls.

The German International Amateur Championships for Boys and Girls, played at Golf Club Bad Saarow near Berlin, were the latest qualifying events contributing to automatic selection for Stephen Gallacher’s team.

Six players will automatically earn their spots on the 12-player European team - set to take on the USA this September - through a season-long ranking system organised by the European Golf Association.

Despite missing the last two counting events, Hugo Le Goff (FRA) maintained his lead in the Boys’ ranking, thanks to two outstanding early-season performances. The French 16-year-old won the Spanish International Amateur Championship, one of the most prestigious amateur events in Europe of all age categories, at the beginning of March to take the early lead in the boys’ qualifying race.

Denny Kloeth was the biggest mover in the Boys’ top 10 after the German events last week. The Dutch junior benefited from a tied runner-up finish at the Faldo course in Berlin to jump from 9th to second position in the rankings. He rises just above fellow Dutchman, Björn Driessen, who stayed in the top three despite a finish outside the top 40 in Germany.

Lev Grinberg (UKR), who finished the German Boys’ event in a tie with Kloeth, moved up to 6th from 15th and looks back in contention for a second consecutive Team Europe call-up.

An unexpected winner emerged at the Boys’ event in Germany. Sweden’s Filip Grave, who has relatively little experience in international events in Europe, clinched one of the continent’s biggest junior prizes last week, and did so convincingly. Grave posted a five-under-par total over three rounds, finishing five shots clear of Lev Grinberg and Björn Driessen in second. As this was only his second qualifying event towards the Junior Ryder Cup team, Grave currently sits 16th in the rankings but has the potential to climb significantly if he maintains this form.

The competition is nevertheless extremely tight at the top of the boys’ ranking. A lot of movement is expected in the coming busy weeks as players get more events in their score tallies.

On the girls’ side, Spain’s Nagore Martinez has taken the lead. The winner of the 2025 Spanish International Amateur Championship took the top spot from Louise Uma Landgraf, who was absent from the German event last week and drops to second place. A top-15 finish in Germany was enough to move the Spanish player into pole position in the Girls’ Ranking.

Charlotte Naughton was the player of the week on the Arnold Palmer Course at Golf Club Bad Saarow. The English junior lifted the trophy with a total score of five-under-par, leaping from 10th to third in the Girls’ standings.

Angela Revuelta (ESP) finished runner-up last week as the only other player to complete three rounds with an under par total, and moves up to ninth position in the Girls’ classification.

The month of June will see both The Amateur and European Amateur Championships contested, both counting towards the Boys’ Ranking. With both tournaments among the strongest amateur events in the world, participating juniors will have the chance to earn significant points, though they’ll face tough competition.

On the girls’ side, the prestigious Women’s Amateur Championship in mid-June will be the next counting event, shortly followed by the Annika Invitational Europe and the Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur.