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FIELD NOTES – Among the 264 golfers in the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur field, there are:
Oldest Competitors: Davis Korver (18, born 8-2-2004), Tommy Morrison (18, born 8-11-2004), Elliot Parker (18, born 8-15-2004), Myles Murphy (18, born 8-16-2004), Caolon Burford (18, born 8-22-2004), Colby Sullivan (18, born 8-23-04), Zachery Pollo (18, born 8-24-2004)
Youngest Competitors: Darren Zhou (13, born 4-25-2010), Kartik Singh (13, born 1-5-2010), Arjun Somani (14, born 7-14-2009), Teerawut Boonseeor (14, born 5-30-2009), Aadi Parmar (14, born 1-22-2009),
Average Age of Field: 16.95
Field breakdown by age:
13: 2 competitors 14: 3 competitors 15: 17 competitors 16: 60 competitors 17: 85 competitors 18: 97 competitors
U.S. States Represented – There are 40 states represented in the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur, as well as Puerto Rico:
California (28), Texas (23), Florida (12), North Carolina (11), Virginia (9), Georgia (8), Arizona (7), Minnesota (6), Tennessee (6), Utah (6), Illinois (5), Maryland (5), New Jersey (5), New York (5), Pennsylvania (5), South Carolina (5), Alabama (4), Ohio (4), Oklahoma (4), Colorado (3), Iowa (3), Missouri (3), Washington (3), Arkansas (2), Connecticut (2), Hawaii (2), Idaho (2), Indiana (2), Kentucky (2), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (2), Nebraska (2), Oregon (2), Wisconsin (2), Kansas (1), New Hampshire (1), North Dakota (1), Rhode Island (1), South Dakota (1), Wyoming (1) and Puerto Rico (1)
International – There are 33 countries represented in the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur:
United States of America (200), Canada (11), People’s Republic of China (7), Mexico (4), Australia (3), Chinese Taipei (3), New Zealand (3), Thailand (3), Colombia (2), Hong Kong, China (2), Indonesia (2), Republic of Ireland (2), Scotland (2), Argentina (1), Brazil (1), Bulgaria (1), Estonia (1), Costa Rica (1), Guatemala (1), Japan (1), India (1), Malaysia (1), Pakistan (1), Panama (1), Paraguay (1), Portugal (1), Singapore (1), Slovakia (1), Spain (1), Sweden (1), Trinidad & Tobago (1), Venezuela (1) and Wales (1)
Most U.S. Junior Amateur Appearances (2023 included): Barnes Blake (3), Carson Brewer (3), Josh Duangmanee (3), Andrew Gregory (3), Bryan Kim (3), Alex Long (3), Aaron Pounds (3)
Players in the Top 150 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® (as of 7/19/23):
TK Chantananuwat (No. 25) Yanhan Zhou (No. 54) Eric Lee (No. 104) Jaime Montojo Fernandez (No. 108) Christopher Richards (No. 121) Zihang Qiu (No. 139) Tommy Morrison (No. 149)
Drive, Chip & Putt National Champions (4):
Carter Gaede (2017, ages 7-9) Jay Leng Jr. (2015, ages 7-9) PJ Maybank (2018, ages 12-13) Tip Price (2018, ages 10-11)
Players from South Carolina (5): Andrew Gregory (Spartanburg), Matt Moloney (Daniel Island), Davis Neal (North Augusta), Tip Price (Greenville), Rowan Sullivan (Charleston)
Played in 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur (49): Jake Albert, Joshua Bai, Finley Bartlett, Barnes Blake, Parker Bond, Ethan Boyette, Boston Bracken, Carson Brewer, Blades Brown, Parker Bunn, Chi Chun Chen, Johnnie Clark, Luciano Conlan, Edan Cui, Luke Cushman, Josh Duangmanee, Ethan Fang, Marek Fleming, Erich Fortlage, Andrew Gregory, Nicholas Gross, Nolan Harper, Max Herendeen, Mason Howell, Joshua Ince, Bryan Kim, Pongspak Laopakdee, Eric Lee, Jay Leng Jr., Stanley Lin, Alex Long, Michael Mikus Vasquez, Jacob Modleski, Kevin Mu, Torger Ohe, Gabriel Palacios, Shiv Parmar, Zachery Pollo, Aaron Pounds, Luke Powell, Richie Reck, Colin Salema, Syed Yashal Shah, Jackson Shelley, Brady Smith, River Stilley, Harrison Thompson, James Watney, Grayson Wood
Played in 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur (15): Kihei Akina, Barnes Blake, Carson Brewer, Bo Carpenter, Josh Duangmanee, Ethan Gao, Andrew Gregory, Bryan Kim, Alex Long, PJ Maybank, Parker Paxton, Virgilio Paz, Aaron Pounds, Hampton Roberts, Rowan Sullivan
Played in 2022 U.S. Amateur (7): TK Chantanauwat, Luciano Conlan, Nicholas Gross, Bryan Kim, Tommy Morrison, Zachery Pollo, Luke Powell
Played in 2023 U.S. Open Final Qualifying (10): Parker Bunn, Anson Cabello, Bennett Espenshade, Zander Grant, Nicholas Gross, Max Herendeen, Bryan Kim, Tommy Morrison, PJ Maybank, Hampton Roberts
Played in 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (8): Kihei Akina, Boston Bracken, Blades Brown, Luke Coyle, Eric Lee, Tommy Morrison, Aaron Pounds, Teddy Vigna
PLAYER NOTES
Luke Beckman, 17, of San Antonio, Texas, shared medalist honors at Cedar Creek Golf Club in his hometown to advance to his first USGA championship. He carded a 1-under 71 with an eagle on the ninth hole. His father, Cameron, has played in two U.S. Opens and three U.S. Senior Opens and was a three-time winner on the PGA Tour. Luke has posted four top-10 finishes on the Southern Texas PGA Junior circuit this year. His Johnson High School team placed fourth in the 2023 Class 6A state championship after finishing fifth the previous year.
Barnes Blake, 18, of Westfield, N.J., is competing in his third U.S. Junior Amateur. Blake, who will attend Georgetown University in the fall, won his second consecutive Group IV state championship in May. A first-team all-state selection at Westfield for a second time, he finished fifth in the N.J. high school Tournament of Champions and won the Union County Conference title. In 2022, Blake was chosen NJ.com Boys Golfer of the Year after winning the Tournament of Champions. His father, Dexter, and uncle, Dennis, were college golfers at Vermont and Maryland, respectively.
Carson Brewer, 18, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur and reached the Round of 32 in last year’s championship. Brewer, who played baseball for many years before suffering elbow injuries, helped Ponte Vedra High School win the 2022 Class 2A state championship. He finished ninth individually after missing most of the season with an ankle injury. In 2023, Brewer won the Florida Azalea Amateur with a final-round 66, tied for 13th in the Florida State Amateur and tied for fourth in the Azalea Amateur, held at the Country Club of Charleston (S.C.).
Blades Brown, 16, of Nashville, Tenn., advanced to match play in last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, his first USGA championship. Brown has turned in a solid 2023 campaign. He finished third in the North & South Junior Amateur, ninth in the Western Junior, won the Tennessee Junior Amateur by 12 strokes, placed fifth in the Tennessee State Open and has won three AJGA tournaments since April. He also reached the quarterfinals in the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with his partner Jackson Herrington. His mother, Rhonda Blades, is a former WNBA player and All-American point guard at Vanderbilt University. She has coached Brentwood Academy to five state high school basketball titles.
Jackson Byrd, 16, of St. Simons Island, Ga., qualified for his first USGA championship at Texarkana (Ark.) Country Club when he shot a 71 and then survived a 4-for-3 playoff. His father, Jonathan, won five PGA Tour events, played in five U.S. Opens and was a member of the 1999 USA Walker Cup Team. His uncle, Jordan, is the head men’s golf coach at Clemson University and was a 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist. Jackson finished 20th in this year’s Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and won the AJGA’s Matthew NeSmith Junior in 2021.
Johnnie Clark, 18, of Mesa, Ariz., advanced to the Round of 16 in his first U.S. Junior Amateur last year at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Clark, who will play at Oklahoma State University in the fall, was a member of the victorious 2022 U.S. Junior Presidents Cup team. He won last year’s Ping Heather Farr Classic by six strokes after carding a final-round 63, was runner-up in the Rolex Tournament of Champions and triumphed in the Arizona State Junior. He also claimed the 2021 Billy Horschel Junior, conducted in a modified Stableford format.
TK Chantananuwat, 16, of Thailand, is the highest-ranked player (No. 25) in the U.S. Junior Amateur field based on the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®. TK (first name is Ratchanon) became the fifth amateur and first since 2009 to win on the Asian Tour when he claimed the 2022 Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup with a final-round 65. He also became the youngest winner (15 years, 37 days) of a tour event recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking, breaking Ryo Ishikawa’s record. Chantananuwat was a semifinalist in this year’s R&A Amateur. In 2022, he played in the U.S. Amateur, finished second in the R&A Junior Open and tied for 13th in the Asia-Pacific Amateur.
Banks Cozby, 15, of Tulsa, Okla., reached his first USGA championship when he shot a 71 and advanced from a 4-for-3 playoff at Texarkana (Ark.) Country Club on June 23. His father, Cary, has served since 2015 as the head professional at Southern Hills Country Club, the host to three U.S. Opens, five PGA Championships and the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur. He reached the Round of 16 in the 1990 U.S. Amateur when he played at the University of Oklahoma. Banks made the Round of 16 in the Oklahoma Golf Association Junior. His lowest competitive round (64) was carded in a qualifier for the Notah Begay III Junior Championship.
Edan Cui, 16, of Atherton, Calif., advanced to match play in last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, his first USGA championship. On June 12, he shot 6-under 64 to earn medalist honors for the second consecutive year at Stanford Golf Course. He was chosen San Mateo Daily Journal Boys Golfer of the Year for the second year in a row. He tied for sixth individually to help Crystal Springs Uplands High School finish third in the state championship. Cui was runner-up in the AJGA C.T. Pan Foundation Championship on June 26. In 2021, he captured the U.S. Kids Teen World title in the age-14 group with rounds of 70-67-66.
Billy Davis, 17, of Spring Valley, Calif., qualified for his first USGA championship as the medalist at the Post Falls, Idaho, site on June 1. He carded a bogey-free, 6-under 66 at The Links Golf Club. His twin sister, Anna, has competed in two U.S. Women’s Opens (2022, 2023) and won the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Billy, who intends to play at Auburn University in the fall of 2024, won the Mayakoba Invitational in April, his second AJGA victory. He tied for second in the Jones Cup Junior on Dec. 17 and was eighth in the Junior Orange Bowl Invitational two weeks later. Davis was chosen the 2022 Western League Player of the Year while attending St. Augustine High School.
Josh Duangmanee, 18, of Fairfax, Va., is competing in his third consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur. Duangmanee, who earned Washington Post All-Met honors, will enroll at the University of Virginia in the fall and will join his brother, George, on the golf team. Josh won the Virginia Class 6A state high school championship as a junior and followed with a runner-up finish in the fall of 2022. Duangmanee posted seven top-20 finishes in AJGA tournaments and advanced to U.S. Open final qualifying last year. He caddied for his brother in the 2020 U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes. Their father, Thanakorn, played tennis at the University of South Alabama.
Ethan Fang, 18, of Plano, Texas, played in his first U.S. Junior Amateur last year and reached the Round of 16 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Fang, who will enroll at the University of California-Berkeley in the fall, finished fourth in the Texas State Amateur on June 23. Fang birdied the 18th hole to place second in the Texas Class 6A state championship and helped Plano West High School finish fifth as a team. He was also first in the District 6-6A and second in the Region I-6A tournaments. In 2022, Fang was third in the Junior Players and sixth in the Boys Junior PGA.
Happy Gilmore, 17, of Bloomfield, Ind., shot a 66 in the Muncie, Ind., qualifier last month to earn a spot in his first USGA championship. Gilmore, a rising senior at Bloomington South High School, plans to enroll at Ball State University in the fall of 2024. He is not a hockey-player-turned-golfer like Adam Sandler’s fictional character in the 1996 movie “Happy Gilmore.” In fact, Happy (real name is Landon) cannot skate and earned the moniker when he won a long drive competition at age 9. He tied for seventh as an individual and helped his team finish fourth in this year’s Indiana State High School Championship.
Gunnar Green, 18, of Kissimmee, Fla., qualified for his first USGA championship with a round of 69 at Indian Spring Country Club in Boynton Beach, Fla., on June 13. His father, Damon, was a longtime PGA Tour caddie who worked with two-time major champion Zach Johnson and has played in three U.S. Senior Opens. Gunnar, who will play at Central Alabama Community College in the fall, was chosen Osceola County Player of the Year and was named to the Orlando Sentinel All-Area Team. Green, who won the Orange Belt Conference title, tied for 29th in the 2022 Florida Class 3A state championship.
Andrew Gregory, 18, of Spartanburg, S.C., was one of the last players added to this year’s U.S. Junior Amateur field and will make his third consecutive start in the championship. He was the second alternate from the Williamsburg, Va., qualifying site on June 13. Gregory, who will play at Liberty University in the fall, tied for 15th in this year’s Class 5A state high school championship and won the Spartanburg County title. He helped Boiling Springs High win consecutive state titles in 2021 and 2022. Gregory, who is motivated by his mother Jennifer’s death from cancer three years ago, received the 2022 Jay Haas Award as the state’s top male junior player.
Nicholas Gross, 16, of Downingtown, Pa., advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur and reached the Round of 32 in the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2022. A rising senior at Downingtown West High School, he won the 2021 state championship with a par on the second playoff hole and finished third last year. In 2023, he captured the AJGA Simplify at Carlton Woods title on Feb. 20, tied for 10th in the Azalea Invitational and was a Polo Golf Junior Classic semifinalist. His parents are both college professors – Shawn at Villanova University (civil and environmental engineering) and Jennifer at Lehigh University (structural engineering).
Max Herendeen, 18, of Bellevue, Wash., is playing in his second consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur. A senior at Bishop Blanchet High School, he was one of five players to advance to this year’s U.S. Open final qualifying from the Walla Walla, Wash., site. Herendeen, who will attend the University of Illinois this fall, won last year’s state high school championship and was chosen 2022 Washington Golf Junior Player of the Year. A four-time Metro Conference player of the year, he was the runner-up in last year’s Washington State Amateur.
Bryan Kim, 18, of Brookeville, Md., is competing in his third U.S. Junior Amateur. Kim, who will attend Duke University in the fall, was the runner-up in this year’s Maryland 3A/4A state high school championship with a 36-hole score of 134 (67-67). In 2022, Kim qualified for the U.S. Amateur, earned a spot on the Junior President’s Cup team, tied for sixth in the Rolex Tournament of Champions and tied for 10th in the Junior Players. Kim, who was a competitive swimmer until turning to golf at age 12, tied for second in this year’s Terra Cotta Invitational.
Eric Lee, 18, of Fullerton, Calif., advanced to the semifinals of last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, losing a 20-hole match to eventual champion Wenyi Ding. Lee, who will enroll at the University of California-Berkeley this fall, was chosen the 2022 AJGA Rolex Player of the Year. He helped the U.S. win the 2022 Junior Presidents Cup, finished in the top 10 in seven national tournaments and was runner-up in the high school state championship. In 2021, Lee won the Rolex Tournament of Champions and tied for second in the Boys Junior PGA. He was fourth in this year’s Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and tied for 10th in the Terra Cotta Invitational.
Jay Leng Jr., 18, of San Diego, Calif., reached the Round of 32 in his first U.S. Junior Amateur last year at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. He won the Polo Golf Junior Classic on June 30 at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, one of four top-10 finishes this year. Leng defeated Jack Gilbert, 3 and 2, in the final and recorded a hole-in-one on No. 14. He also helped Torrey Pines High School place second in the state championship. In 2021, he claimed The Ping Invitational in a playoff. Leng captured the 2015 Drive, Putt & Chip national championship (ages 7-9 division).
Alex Long, 17, of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., is competing in his third U.S. Junior Amateur. He qualified at the championship’s stroke-play co-host course, earning medalist (69) at Daniel Island Club’s Beresford Creek Course on June 5. Long, who intends to play at Texas A&M University in the fall of 2024, won two AJGA events earlier this year, the Panama Junior and Sergio & Angela Garcia Foundation Junior. He also finished seventh in the Florida Boys Junior. In 2021, Long won the Florida Class 1A state high school championship and led Saint Stephen’s Episcopal to the team title.
P.J. Maybank III, 18, of Cheboygan, Mich., is competing in his second U.S. Junior Amateur after advancing to match play two years ago. Maybank, who will attend the University of Oklahoma in the fall, won this year’s Azalea Invitational by a record-setting 11 strokes and tied for second in the Terra Cotta Invitational. In 2022, he was a member of the Junior Presidents Cup and Wyndham Cup teams. A two-time state junior match-play and stroke-play champion, Maybank won the 2021 Division 3 state high school title and set the all-time scoring record (135). He captured the 2018 Drive, Chip & Putt national championship (age 12-13 division).
Jacob Modleski, 18, of Noblesville, Ind., qualified for his second U.S. Junior Amateur at the Muncie, Ind., site on June 23. Modleski, who will enroll at the University of Notre Dame in the fall, won this year’s Indiana Boys Junior Championship, defeating Alex Cesare, 3 and 2, in the final. He also tied for second in the Western Junior. Modleski helped Guerin Catholic High win its second consecutive state championship in June when he tied for second individually. A three-time all-state selection, he also finished second in 2021 and tied for fifth the following year.
Matt Moloney, 17, of Daniel Island, S.C., was one of six players to qualify at the University of Georgia Golf Course, in Athens, Ga., on June 26. Moloney, who intends to enroll at Georgia in the fall of 2024, finished seventh in the South Carolina Class 4A state championship and helped Bishop England High School capture its ninth team title. Moloney, who transferred from Washington, D.C.’s Gonzaga Prep, was a member of the winning U.S. Junior Presidents Cup Team in 2022. His best AJGA finish this year was a tie for seventh in the Wyndham Invitational. Moloney has plenty of familiarity with Daniel Island Club’s two courses. He played at the club from age 6 to 9 before his family moved to Virginia and has re-joined the club since his family relocated back to Lowcountry last year.
Tommy Morrison, 18, of Dallas, Texas, the second-oldest player in the U.S. Junior Amateur field, stands 6-foot-9 and wears a size 17 shoe. He enrolled early at the University of Texas and played in seven events in the spring of 2023, including a tie for eighth in the NCAA Bath Regional. Morrison, who had surgery to repair a congenital heart defect at birth, comes from an athletic family as his great-grandfather played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Morrison, who reached match play in the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur, advanced to the Round of 16 in this year’s R&A Amateur and competed with CBS-TV analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball in May. In 2022, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur and was runner-up in the North & South Amateur.
Davis Neal, 18, of North Augusta, S.C., will play in his first USGA championship after carding a 71 in the Charleston (S.C.) qualifier on June 5 at Daniel Island Club’s Beresford Creek Course. Neal won the 2023 Class 4A state championship after shooting a final-round 65 and winning in a playoff with Tip Price, who is also in this year’s U.S. Junior Amateur field. His North Augusta High team captured its first state title in 40 years. Price, who started playing golf in eighth grade, tied for sixth in the Rice Planters Amateur in Mount Pleasant, S.C., with a 54-hole score of 7-under 209.
Charlie Olson, 17, of Newport Beach, Calif., has only been playing competitive golf for two years after starting out as a setter in volleyball. He shot a 70 at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., on June 12 to qualify for his first U.S. Junior Amateur. Olson, who plays on his Corona del Mar High School team, won the Toyota Tour Cup at Westin Rancho Mirage on May 7. His mother, Keri (Phebus), was a four-time tennis All-American at UCLA and won both the NCAA singles and doubles in 1995. She won five titles on the ITF circuit as a professional. His brother, Jake, is a rising sophomore on the Pepperdine University volleyball team.
Aaron Pounds, 18, of The Woodlands, Texas, will compete in his third U.S. Junior Amateur and reached the Round of 32 in 2021 at The Country Club of North Carolina. He won this year’s Class 5A state championship and helped The Woodlands Christian Academy capture its third straight crown. Pounds, who tied for second in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, will enroll at Texas A&M University in the fall. His sisters, Haley (2014-17) and Taylor (current), have played soccer for the Aggies. He was chosen 2021 USA Today National High School Golfer of the Year and the 2022 Houston Chronicle Private School Player of the Year. He went 4-0 in leading the West to the 2022 Wyndham Cup title.
Tip Price, 16, of Greenville, S.C., was the medalist with a 67 in the Salisbury, N.C., qualifier on June 26. His round at the Country Club of Salisbury included one eagle and three birdies. Price was the runner-up to Davis Neal in this year’s Class 4A state championship, which helped his Greenville High School team take third. His best AJGA finish was a tie for third in the Will Lowery Junior on April 13. He won the state junior association’s Morgan Lucas Championship in February with a birdie on the third playoff hole. Price claimed the 2018 Drive, Chip & Putt national title (ages 10-11 division) at Augusta National.
Hans Risvaer, 18, of Miami, Fla., won the Western Junior on June 22 with a 72-hole score of 10-under 270 at Midlothian (Ill.) Country Club, joining a list of champions that includes Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa. Risvaer, who attends Christopher Columbus High School, will play at the University of Central Florida in the fall. Risvaer, who also tied for seventh at the Terra Cotta Invitational in April, qualified for his first USGA championship at the Boynton Beach, Fla., site on June 13.
Hampton Roberts, 18, of Cary, N.C., qualified for his second U.S. Junior Amateur on June 12 at Carolina Country Club. He reached the Round of 32 in 2021 at the Country Club of North Carolina. Roberts, who finished second in this year’s Azalea Invitational, also advanced to U.S. Open final qualifying after earning medalist (66) at Charlotte Country Club. He enrolled at the University at North Carolina in January. Roberts won the 2021 North Carolina Boys Junior and ended the final match by holing his 221-yard approach shot on the par-5 16th for a double eagle. He also tied for second behind champion Jackson Van Paris in the 2021 Class 4A state championship.
Colin Salema, 17, of Matthews, N.C., was runner-up in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Class 4A state championship, losing to Daniel McBrien on the second playoff hole. A rising senior at Providence High School, he was selected Charlotte Observer Boys Golfer of the Year. He carded a 28, with two eagles and four birdies, at Myers Park Country Club on Feb. 28. Salema, who intends to enroll at Clemson University in the fall of 2024, reached match play in the North & South Amateur. In 2022, he won the North & South Junior Amateur by three strokes with rounds of 69-67-70 on Pinehurst No. 2 and No. 7.
Arjun Somani, 14, of Scottsdale, Ariz., advanced to his first U.S. Junior Amateur after qualifying with a 71 at Tatum Ranch Golf Club, in Cave Creek, Ariz., on June 12. His coach is Boyd Summerhays, whose son, Preston, won the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur. In 2022, Somani won the Junior Honda Classic (ages 13-14) by five strokes with a final-round 68. He also claimed the Future Masters (ages 11-12) by birdieing the last three holes. He has recorded six Junior Golf Association of Arizona wins since 2019. At age 10, he conducted a golf clinic in rural India for 600 children.
Rowan Sullivan, 18, of Charleston, S.C., shot a 1-under 71 to earn one of four spots in the Daniel Island Club qualifier on June 5 in his hometown. Sullivan, who will join the Vanderbilt University men’s golf team this fall, recently graduated from Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, where he won the 2022 Class 3A independent state championship. In 2021, he won the South Carolina Junior Amateur and was the state’s junior player of the year. Sullivan, who advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur, was a standard bearer for the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open at the Country Club of Charleston and once lived in Australia.
Tyler Spielman, 17, of Cave Creek, Ariz., established records for lowest round (60) and lowest winning score (123) en route to claiming the 2022 Arizona Division I state high school championship. His performance led Brophy College Prep to the state crown and he became the first champion from the school since 1999. The rising senior was chosen to the Arizona Republic all-state team and selected Premier Region Player of the Year. Spielman qualified for his first U.S. Junior Amateur when he was the medalist (66) at Tatum Ranch Golf Club in his hometown on June 12.
Drew Teeter, 18, of Albert Lea, Minn., fired a 4-under 66 to earn medalist in the Sioux Falls, S.D., qualifier on June 20 at Willow Run Golf Course. Teeter, who will attend Des Moines Area Community College in the fall, won the Big 9 Conference and sectional titles and made his first state tournament appearance in 2023. He has registered nine Minnesota Junior PGA victories. His father, Donnie, is the director of golf at Wedgewood Cove Golf Club. A first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection at Iowa State University in 1997, Donnie served as Zach Johnson’s caddie in PGA Tour Q-School and played as professional on the Dakotas Tour.
Yanhan Zhou, 15, of the People’s Republic of China, became the youngest winner on the China Tour (14 years, 8 months, 20 days) when he claimed the Chongqing Open on the second playoff hole last December. Zhou, who started playing at age 4, was also fourth in the Guanddong Open on May 14. He is the second highest-ranked player (No. 48) in the U.S. Junior Amateur field based on the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®. His father, Xunshu, journeyed from working in the fields to a position as a golf course security guard to finally competing as a professional, as he finished second in the China Tour’s 2010 Handa Cup.
