Anna Davis, Miles Russell highlight 2023 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team selections

The next wave of talent will get their shot at Marco Simone

The United States Junior Ryder Cup team has been set.

The 12-member co-ed team will compete in the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup from Sept. 26-28 in Rome, Italy. The final day will be at Marco Simone, site of the 2023 Ryder Cup the same week.

Golf Nazionale will be the venue for the first two days of foursomes and fourballs. The 2023 edition of the Junior Ryder Cup marks the first time the event will take place over three days instead of two, with the Ryder Cup venue hosting the decisive singles matches.

The U.S. Team, which is seeking its seventh straight victory and owns a 7-3-1 all-time record in the biennial competition, features six boys and six girls who are U.S. citizens and members of the high school graduating class of 2024 or younger.

The girls selections are: Leigh Chien, Kylie Chong, Gianna Clemente, Anna Davis, Ryleigh Knaub and Yana Wilson. On the boys side, the selections are: Jackson Byrd, Billy Davis, Nicholas Gross, Will Hartman, Jay Leng, Jr. and Miles Russell.

“I am incredibly proud of these 12 exceptional individuals who comprise the 2023 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team,” said Paul Levy, the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Captain. “These players have worked tirelessly to earn a spot on our team and will represent our country with great pride and determination. As we prepare for Rome, I am eager to see our team compete on a worldwide stage and showcase the best of the next generation of U.S. golf.”

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Best junior golf apparel for 2023

Get your junior golfer everything he or she needs for back to school clothing.

Most junior golfers want to dress just like their favorite PGA Tour or LPGA player. Just look at the crowd anytime Rickie Fowler is on the golf course, it’s a sea of orange shirts and hats.

So, we thought it’d be a great idea to put together a list of junior apparel items from the biggest names in the sport including Nike, adidas, TravisMathew, Rhoback, Peter Millar and more.

If you’re looking for more than just apparel for the junior golfer in your life, check out our list of the best junior golf clubs that we released last week, and be on the look out for future junior lists.

Best junior golf clubs for 2023

Get ready for the upcoming fall golf season with new boys and girls junior clubs.

As we hit the middle of the summer, it’s the perfect time to get your junior into the game of golf!

Among all the great things golf can do for your young one, being outside with good friends is near the top of that list.

To get your junior started, we created a list of some of the best and most affordable junior sets on the market. Making sure that each set includes exactly what they’ll need is a great place to start.

Brands like TaylorMade, Wilson, Tour Edge and U.S. Kids Golf are all included.

So, without further ado, check out our list of junior sets below.

Gianna Clemente, Miles Russell capture 2023 Junior PGA Championship titles

It was a special week for Gianna Clemente and Miles Russell.

It was a special week for Gianna Clemente and Miles Russell.

They’re both going home with some new hardware for the trophy case.

Clemente and Russell won their respective divisions of the 47th Junior PGA Championship at Hot Springs Country Club in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Clemente finished at 9-under 275, beating Yana Wilson, Kylie Chong and Kinsley Ni by three shots. Last year, Wilson beat Clemente in the U.S. Girls’ Junior final.

Meanwhile, Russell ran away with the title on the boys side, finishing at 18-under 266 to win by seven shots. Jackson Byrd and Billy Davis tied for second at 11 under.

With their victories, Clemente and Russell earned spots on the Junior Ryder Cup team. Also earning spots were Byrd on the boys side and Chong on the girls side.

6-foot-10 Tommy Morrison earns medalist honors at U.S. Junior Amateur

Tommy came to play.

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Coming into the week at the U.S. Junior Amateur, Tommy Morrison was one of the favorites.

And he’s standing out after the first two rounds of stroke play. Morrison, who’s 6-foot-10 and the second-oldest player in the field, shot 8-under over the first 36 holes to earn the top match play seed at the 75th U.S. Junior Amateur at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, South Carolina, on Tuesday. The rising sophomore at Texas finished one shot ahead of his competition.

“It means a lot,” said Morrison of medalist honors. “I want to win as many medals and trophies as I can. Any USGA medal is a good one.”

Earlier this year, Morrison competed with Tony Romo in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Kiawah Island.

Andrew Gregory, 17, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, is one of five South Carolina natives in the field. He finished just one back of Morrison after shooting rounds of 66-70 for a two-day total of 7-under 136. Gregory, who will begin his freshman season at Liberty University in the fall, is playing in his third straight U.S. Junior Amateur. This is his first time advancing to match play. 

“There is always a chance,” said Gregory about the match-play format. “Just let the other person make all the mistakes and just keep it in the fairway. Don’t show any emotion. Just make pars all day and when birdies come, birdies come.” 

On Wednesday morning, there was a 14-for-7 playoff to determine the final match play spots. Then, the Round of 64 got underway.

Matches continue through Saturday’s 36-hole championship match.

Everything to know about the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur at Daniel Island Club

Scottie Scheffler won the event 10 years ago.

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The best juniors in the world are heading to Charleston, South Carolina, to battle for one of the biggest titles available.

The 75th U.S. Junior Amateur begins Monday at Daniel Island Club’s Ralston Creek and Beresford Creek courses. The field of 256 golfers will battle it out, playing 18 holes on each course, before the top 64 make the 36-hole cut for match play, which begins Wednesday.

The final is set for Saturday, July 29.

Last year, Wenyi Ding, an Arizona State signee, became the first male golfer from China to win a USGA championship, topping Caleb Surratt 3 and 2 at Bandon Dunes.

Here’s everything you need to know for the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur.

17-year-old Kiara Romero wins 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior at Eisenhower Golf Club

Talk about clutch.

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Kiara Romero was shaking.

She was lining up a putt on the 18th hole of Eisenhower Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A make, she would win the U.S. Girls’ Junior. A miss, her opponent, Rianne Malixi, could force extra holes.

Romero didn’t give Malixi the chance.

She drained the putt, halving the hole and winning the match 1 up to capture the 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior title. The 17-year-old incoming freshman at Oregon made only one birdie in the afternoon session of the 36-hole final, but she also had only one bogey, shooting even-par to outlast Malixi, 16, to win the title and raise the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy.

“I don’t think it has really sunk in yet,” Romero said. “I kept coming up a little short, but I continued to grind and I’m glad to get it done this time.”

With the victory, Romero also gets exemptions into the 2023 and 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateurs, the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open and 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

2023 U.S. Girls' Junior
Rianne Mikhaela Malixi, left, and Kiara Romero pose with the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy before the final match of the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club (Blue Course) in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Saturday, July 22, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Romero finished third in the stroke-play portion and knocked out 2022 runner-up Gianna Clemente in the semifinals. Last year, Clemente topped Romero in the Round of 16.

Malixi, from the Philippines, won the first hole and maintained her lead until the 22nd when she made a bogey. She was stellar on par 3s all week, but a bogey on the par-3 13th, the 31st hole, gave Romero a 1 up lead with five to play, and the duo halved the remaining holes.

The championship was the first in USGA history to be contested on a military base.

Defending champ Yana Wilson earns medalist honors at 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior

Yana Wilson has an opportunity to become the fourth player to repeat as U.S. Girls’ Junior champion.

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Seeing Yana Wilson and Anna Davis on top of the leaderboard should be no surprise to those who follow junior golf.

Wilson is the defending champion at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, and she earned medalist honors this year at Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course in Colorado Springs, Colorado, following a second-round 4-under 68 to finish at 6-under 138, one shot ahead of Davis. The winner of the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Davis is the highest-ranked player in the field and shot a second-round 1-under 71.

Now, the duo has secured the top seeds in match play, which begins at 10 a.m. ET Wednesday with the Round of 64.

The two have battled plenty in recent tournaments, including Wilson holing a shot for eagle to beat Davis in a playoff at the 2022 Annika Invitational.

Yana Wilson plays with a golf ball while waiting to hit her drive off the hole 17 tee box during the second round of the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club (Blue Course) in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Wilson, an Oregon commit, and Davis, who’s headed to Auburn, are two of the top prospects in the Class of 2024. Kiara Romero, who finished third after 36 holes of stroke play, is an incoming freshman at Oregon.

Wilson will try to become the sixth medalist to hoist the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy since 2002. She also has an opportunity to become the fourth player to repeat as U.S. Girls’ Junior champion and first since Eun Jeong Seong in 2015-16.

The cut for match play was 7 over, and exactly 64 players were inside the line. It’s the first time no playoff was needed for the final spots since 2007 at Tacoma Golf and Country Club in Lakewood, Washington.

Additionally, there was another ace Tuesday, marking the fourth of the tournament. Sophie Stevens used a 9-iron from 132 yards on the seventh hole.

The four aces surpassed the 2004 U.S. Girls’ Junior for the most in a single championship. It also matches the USGA mark for a single event with the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

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Not one, not two, but three holes-in-one Monday at 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior

The three holes-in-one matches the most in a single U.S. Girls’ Junior.

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Making a hole-in-one is one of the hardest things to achieve in golf. It doesn’t happen often, even for professionals.

But three in one day? That happened Monday at the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Three different players carded aces in the first round of stroke play. First, Veronika Exposito of The Woodlands, Texas, flushed a 5-hybrid from 162 yards out on the third hole. Then, Emerie Schartz of Wichita, Kansas, aced the 143-yard seventh with a 7 iron. Last but not least, 2023 U.S. Women’s Open qualifier Angela Zhang essentially mimicked Schartz, using a 7 iron on the seventh.

The aces are the 23rd, 24th and 25th known holes-in-one in championship history, and they’re the first since 2021. For Schartz, it was her second competitive ace in a month.

The three holes-in-one matches the most in a single U.S. Girls’ Junior. Three were also made in 2004 at Mira Vista Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas, including one by future U.S. Women’s Open champion Paula Creamer.

After the first round, Anna Davis, the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion, was one of four players tied for the lead after shooting a 4-under 68. She carded eight birdies in her round but also had four bogeys.

The second round of stroke play continues Tuesday. After play finishes, the field will be cut to the top 64, who will advance to match play.

Everything to know about the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Eisenhower Golf Club

The event will be the first USGA championship conducted on a military base.

It’s time again for the best girls in the world to battle it out in the biggest junior event.

The 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior begins Monday at United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The event will be the first USGA championship conducted on a military base. The site was originally scheduled to host in 2020, but COVID-19 canceled that championship.

Last year, Yana Wilson of Henderson, Nevada, defeated Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida, 3 and 2, in the 36-hole championship match at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Both are back in the field this week.

Here’s everything you need to know for the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior.