Spain’s Jose Luis Ballester Barrio leads the boys’ standings for Junior Ryder Cup Qualification after his victory at the Spanish International Amateur Championship, the first counting event of 2020.

Barrio defeated Germany’s Jannik De Bruyn 3&1 in the 36-hole final, held at Real Club Sevilla Golf, to take the lead after the first counting event for the boy’s qualification process.

Daniel Da Costa Rodrigues of Portugal and Alvaro Mueller-Baumgart Lucena share second place on the standings after reaching the quarterfinals in Seville.

Lilas Pinthier of France moved to second place on the girls’ standings for Junior Ryder Cup qualification after her victory at the Spanish International Ladies Amateur Championship.

Pinthier climbed the rankings after her victory at Real Club de Golf de Tenerife, defeating Spain’s Cayetana Fernández in a sudden-death play-off on the fourth extra hole. Her victory in the final came after defeating girls’ rankings leader Carolina López-Chacarra Coto on the first extra hole in their semi-final.

Coto (30.16) sits just over five points ahead of Pinthier (24.95), backing up her solo second place finish at the Portuguese International Ladies Amateur Championship in February.

Liechenstein’s Isabel Laulhé moved up to joint-third alongside Lucia Malchirand of France on 19.79 points. The pair were knocked out in the quarterfinals in Tenerife, Malchirand losing to eventual winner Pinthier 1Up.

The three boys and three girls who top their respective standings will earn their places in The 2020 Junior Ryder Cup team, with European Captain Paul Lawrie selecting the remaining six players - three boys and three girls.

Boys and girls who are citizens of a European country as defined by the IGF’s Nationality Policy, under 18 years of age on 1 January 2020, and who are not enrolled to play college golf in the USA during 2020 are eligible to participate in The 2020 Junior Ryder Cup.

Performances specifically in international events, including the European Young Masters, and positions in the EGA European Amateur Golf Rankings are expected to prove important in the decision. Selection in the Jacques Léglise and Junior Vagliano Trophies will also be highly regarded, as will strong performances in previous editions of The Junior Ryder Cup.

The next counting events are the French International Boys’ Championship (Carlhian Trophy) at Golf des Aisses and the French International Girls’ Championship (Esmond Trophy) at Saint Cloud Golf Club. Both tournaments take place from April 9-13.

Order of Merit - Girls

Order of Merit - Boys