Tag: Sage Valley Junior Invitational

Georgia-bound Savannah De Bock is everything that’s great about junior and amateur golf

So much attention is paid to pro golf that it’s easy to forget the true essence of the game is at the amateur level.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – Nobody had more fun than Savannah De Bock at the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.

The Belgian had such a big smile on her face all week at the nation’s top junior tournament that you’d think she won by a landslide, when in reality she finished on the bottom half of the leaderboard. When’s the last time you walked off a green with a smile after making a double bogey? De Bock did it at least twice.

“Well, it’s really important for me to stay positive, because nothing good can come from me being negative,” she explained. “I’m a really outgoing person, really positive person, so that’s just my way of being and if I’m not joyous, what am I?”

De Bock, No. 51 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, has an infectious personality that you can’t help but gravitate towards. She was sitting alone eating lunch after Saturday’s final round at the pristine Sage Valley Golf Club when four players from the boys’ side of the annual competition immediately came to join her as soon as they saw her. Not long after sitting down the laughter ensued.

“I made new friends, not only my roommates and other girls, but actually other boys, so that’s cool,” said De Bock. “I think I’ll remember the spirit of friendship that was here, I felt at home here.”

Wire-to-wire: Anna Davis, Aldrich Potgieter dominate 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley

She entertained her caddie all week long with songs and jokes and had animated discussions in the middle of the round with fellow players about scrambled eggs. De Bock danced around the property from event to event each night, often in her Gryffindor sweatshirt (a fitting house placement for all you Harry Potter fans out there). After dinner one night, De Bock grabbed a piece of chocolate cake for desert but couldn’t find a fork. Without skipping a beat, she grabbed some chopsticks and went on her merry way.

While she didn’t leave Sage Valley with the trophy, De Bock will take home countless memories, new friends and the unofficial title as the Most Fun Player of the Week.

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“It was just amazing. Everyone is so nice here. I made a lot of friends so that’s really cool,” De Bock said of her experience. “The course is in such great shape. I’ve never played a course so well maintained in my life. The greens are really hard but it’s really fun to play. I learned a lot, so that’s cool. I’m a bit disappointed about my score overall, but I’ve learned a lot, so that’s nice.”

If De Bock was impressed with Sage Valley, she’ll be blown away in two weeks when she ventures 20 miles down the road for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

“Mostly excited,” she said of her ANWA debut. “A little nervous because it’s such a big competition but I’m looking forward to it.”

De Bock isn’t new to big competitions, especially after her appearance at the Junior Invitational. She won the 2022 European Ladies’ Amateur and finished 14th at the Ladies European Tour’s The Mithra Belgian Ladies Open. That said, she doesn’t have a television at home, so she hasn’t seen much of the ANWA or Masters, but she has spoken about it with her friend and fellow Belgian Clarisse Louis, a two-time ANWA competitor.

After competing in the ANWA, De Bock will head home to Belgium before returning to the Peach State in the fall to attend the University of Georgia, where she’s interested in studying anything from genetics to communication and journalism.

“I’m really looking forward to it because it’s such a great place to train. I know I’m gonna be able to study at the same time, which is always a little hard in Europe. So I’m really excited about it.”

There’s so much attention paid to the professional tours and the millions of dollars at stake that it’s easy to forget the true essence of the game is at the amateur level. Thankfully there are players like De Bock to remind us of that.

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Wire-to-wire winners: Anna Davis, Aldrich Potgieter dominate en route to 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley titles

Last year’s Junior Invitational featured a pair of playoffs. The theme of this year’s event was wire-to-wire winners.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — Last year the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley featured a pair of playoffs to decide the boys and girls titles. The theme of this year’s event was wire-to-wire winners.

Aldrich Potgieter and Anna Davis were out in front all week at the nation’s top junior tournament and will leave the pristine club among the South Carolina pines with the trophies and the event’s signature gold jackets. Each player held a five-shot lead entering Saturday’s final round and won in impressive fashion.

“I went into the week wanting to win, thinking I was gonna win,” said Davis after the final round. “I’ve always had high expectations for myself.”

Nika Ito, who finished solo second, holed out from the fairway for eagle on the 17th hole to put the pressure on Davis, who was keeping tabs on the leaderboard all afternoon.

“That’s my second time getting holed-out on having the lead, so I was used to it and thought, ‘Okay, it’s fine. It happens,'” said Davis. “When you’re in that position, you kind of have to expect that stuff to happen so it doesn’t catch you off guard.”

Davis responded by hitting a “pretty bad second shot” that narrowly avoided the water guarding the 17th green.

“I had room because I’m left-handed. If I was right-handed, I would have been standing in the water,” explained Davis. From there the rising star followed Ito’s lead and chipped in to stop the momentum swing.

Davis, an Auburn commit, turned 17 on Friday and celebrated her birthday by walking in the winning putt from just off the 18th green with some serious swagger to finish at 7 under for the tournament.

“Kind of a douche bag move,” she said with a chuckle after the round. “Right off the putter face I thought, ‘that has to be in,’ so I walked it in.”

Ito finished two shots back at 5 under, with Kiara Romero in third at even par after firing the day’s low round of 5-under 67.

Next up for Davis is her title defense in two weeks at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where she’ll enter with even more pressure and expectations after her win in 2022.

“I think it just it helps like knowing that I can play in this area,” Davis said of the momentum she’ll take to her ANWA title defense. “Augusta and Champions Retreat are very similar to this course. I think just being able to play this kind of golf, being comfortable and being familiar with the area is always very helpful. So I think that just adds on to my win last year.”

Potgieter, the defending British Amateur champion, made eight birdies to win by a whopping 10 shots to set a record for the largest margin of victory in tournament history. The South African fired rounds of 65-70-68 to finish at 13 under for the week. Lee Byungho and Aaron Pounds finished T-2 at 3 under, with Eric Lee in fourth at 1 under and Preston Stout in fifth at even par.

“Yeah, it was awesome week, I really enjoyed it,” Potgieter said of his Junior Invitational debut and win. “Today was good a round. I struggled for a stretch, the par-5 fourth I missed a five-footer or something for birdie and then missed one on five. So that was kind of a disappointing break, but I knew that the back nine had a lot of opportunities and still having to play three par fives, I was still confident enough to put a good score on the board.

“I always run back to what Tiger Woods said, you don’t come to a tournament not to win. I came to kind of prepare for the Masters and getting the win here just gives me more confidence going into that,” added Potgieter. “I think this golf course is pretty similar to Augusta National, so I’m taking this as a learning curve to that course and if I play like this week, I think I’ll do pretty good.”

Potgieter was pleasantly surprised that the rest of the boys field struggled to score while he was under par each day this week.

“Most of the guys were just kind of pissed at me because I was hitting it 50 yards passed everyone,” he jokingly said with a laugh, “so I guess that makes the golf course a little bit easier, carrying all the bunkers and getting in play still.”

As the British Amateur champion, Potgieter earned an spot in the field for the 2023 Masters and will join Davis at Augusta National in two weeks time.

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Anna Davis, Aldrich Potgieter lead at Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where no lead is safe

The first-round leaders remain atop the leaderboard, but each has a few players within striking distance.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – The players at the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley are treated like royalty the minute they step on the picturesque property tucked away behind the South Carolina pines. They also have 18 king and queen-sized challenges waiting for them as soon as they put a tee in the ground.

Known as one of, if not the best junior golf tournaments in the world, this year’s Junior Invitational – which boasts a field of the top girls and boys golfers from around the world – has been a survival of the fittest test this week, and Friday’s second round at Sage Valley Golf Club was no different. The winds were high, and for the second consecutive day, the scores were as well.

First-round leaders Anna Davis and Aldrich Potgieter remain atop the leaderboard, but each has a few players within striking distance entering the final round.

Davis looks to celebrate 17th birthday with win

Davis turned 17 on Friday and celebrated by taking a five-shot lead over the field to hold a commanding lead ahead of Saturday’s finale.

“It was kind of the same thing as yesterday, I hit just about every fairway and green and then one putt or two putt and then move on to the next hole,” said Davis, who was dissatisfied with her putting on Thursday despite taking the early lead with a 2-under 70. The defending Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion was one shot better on Friday with a 3-under 69. “I just started off a little better, I didn’t have as many three putts so I just had a better start to the round.”

Nika Ito is in solo second at even par, with Fiona Xu and Andrea Revuelta T-3 at 2 over. Kati Li and Bailey Shoemaker round out the top five at 3 over.

While you may think a five-to-eight-shot advantage may be insurmountable, don’t forget what happened last year at Sage Valley, where Shoemaker lost a seven-shot lead in the final round and wound up falling short to Amalie Leth-Nissen in a playoff.

“I love to come from behind, I think that’s the best place to be. Having a lead is pretty hard, especially having a two-day lead,” explained Shoemaker, a USC commit. “I know what happened to me last year, so I’d like to turn the tables and get my own little taste of it. So hopefully, hopefully, I can do a little bit like Amalie did to me last year.

“I’ve been thinking about Sage Valley for the last three months, just hoping to get my little taste of revenge. Hopefully,I can shoot something tomorrow and just post the score and give myself a chance.”

Can anyone catch Potgieter?

Over on the boys’ side, Potgieter has a five-shot lead of his own after following a Thursday 65 with a Friday 70 to sit at 9 under, but he’s not the only player to go low this week. Connor Williams, bound for Arizona State in the fall, fired a bogey-free 5-under 67 on Friday to clip Eduardo Derbez Torres (68) for the day’s low round.

“Honestly, the first few holes I was hitting it really good, gave myself chances. I had a rough stretch off the tee from Nos. 7-10, hit a really bad drive on 10 but got a good break from a kick back in the fairway,” Williams said of his round. “From there I locked in, took it low and made a good eagle on 15, hit a really good drive and only had a 7-iron in, so that helped a lot. Closed it out well.

“You gotta give every shot your full attention because you know the next one can be just as hard,” added Williams, who has become friends with Potgieter after sharing a cottage with him this week. “I did a great job with that today. I took it one step at a time, didn’t really get ahead of myself and it worked out well.”

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With their eyes on Augusta National, Aldrich Potgieter and Anna Davis take early Junior Invitational at Sage Valley leads

Both players will be at Augusta National in two weeks, but they still have 36 holes to go in South Carolina first.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – The beauty of Sage Valley Golf Club disarms you when you step on the property.

And then you take your first swing.

The pristine course proved it’s a more than capable test of talent Thursday during the first round of the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where the best junior players from around the world were largely flummoxed on a nearly perfect (albeit chilly in the morning) day.

Well, not everyone.

Aldrich Potgieter put his windows down and his round on cruise control to the tune of a bogey-free, 7-under 65 in the opening round. The South African made birdie on his first four holes of the day and added three more on Nos. 6, 11 and 15 to take a commanding six-shot lead into Friday’s second round. Bryan Kim, Eric Lee, William Jennings and Preston Stout are all T-2 at 1 under.

“I hit most of the fairways, was unlucky on the last hole, it ran through the fairway just on the left side and went into a divot so didn’t really have a look for birdie there, but yeah, really solid,” said Potgieter. “Left the chip short on 17, almost holed it, and on 16, so that was really good. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

The 18-year-old is also looking forward to a trip 20 miles down the road in a few weeks to Augusta National Golf Club. As the defending British Amateur champion, Potgieter earned exemptions into both the legendary 150th Open at St. Andrews last year, as well as the Masters this year.

“(The Open) just gave me so much experience and I’m looking forward to the Masters now coming up,” he said. “I’m trying to use this week to prepare for Augusta, both have quick greens, and this golf course is so good.”

Potgieter has yet to make his first trip down Magnolia Lane, but he did pick the brain of two-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim, who played Augusta National earlier this week before an appearance at Wednesday’s Nike Night at the Junior Invitational.

“The Masters is probably the biggest tournament I grew up watching on TV. Seeing that chip in from Tiger, I watch that probably five times a year on YouTube,” explained Potgieter. “To play (the Masters) at a young age is just unbelievable.”

Speaking of, on the girls side of the leaderboard, 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Anna Davis leads the way after a 2-under 70 on Thursday. Davis struggled at the start after two bogeys over her first three holes but found some rhythm with four birdies over Nos. 6-10 to take a two-shot lead into Friday. Nika Ito and Andrea Revuelta are T-2 at even par.

“I was hitting it really close most of the day. I kind of had a rocky start there for a second on the front nine, but I brought it back,” said Davis of her round. “I think I was just hitting every fairway, hitting every green, putting kind of let me down a little bit today, but other than that it’s good.”

Around this time last year, the now-16-year-old from Spring Valley, California, was an underdog winner at the ANWA. These days, she’s the favorite every tournament she tees it up.

“I’ve gotten used to it, kind of knowing people know my name now, people know my face. People are gonna put pressure on you because they expect you to win these tournaments, but I just don’t really let that get to me,” said Davis. “I know all these girls are great players. I know everybody has a chance to win. The attention is nice sometimes, but yeah I think I’m alright with it.”

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Sage Valley Junior Invitational competitors hit bombs into the night with PGA Tour pro Tom Kim

Kim, a two-time winner on Tour at 20 years old, is just 2-3 years older than the junior competitors.

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — The players aren’t the only stars at the Sage Valley Junior Invitational.

The day before Thursday’s first round of the nation’s premier junior golf tournament – whose field boasts the top 10 in both the boys and girls Golfweek/Sagarin rankings – former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow spoke to the 36 boys and 24 girls competing for the gold jacket and even played a practice round with last year’s girls runner-up, Bailey Shoemaker.

Later on in the evening, rising star and two-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim was on hand to record a podcast with five-time LPGA winner Michelle Wie West and Hally Leadbetter and play an alternate-shot game with a handful of the players on Sage Valley’s under-the-lights par 3 course.

Meet Gianna Clemente: The 14-year-old who Monday-qualified for three consecutive LPGA events

“I never had the opportunity that these kids had, so it’s really cool for me to come out and see the juniors and play with them,” said Kim, the 20-year-old on a meteoric rise through professional golf. “Some of these kids are just 2 years younger than me, so we’re not far apart. I’m so used to seeing the older guys on Tour so it’s kinda cool to see some kids around my age and we definitely had some fun.”

After the alternate-shot game – where Kim and SVJI competitor Macy Pate lost after he missed a three-footer – the pro stayed on the par 3 to take some pictures and answer some questions from a dozen or so players. When one player asked if they could hit his driver, Kim couldn’t help but say yes, and the lot took turns bombing balls into the night sky.

“The biggest thing was just having fun with the kids and giving them an experience they won’t forget.”

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Sage Valley Junior Invitational will return in March 2022

In the wake of this year’s cancellation, officials announced the Sage Valley Junior Invitational will return in March 17-19, 2022.

The cancellation of this spring’s Sage Valley Junior Invitational because of the COVID-19 pandemic was doubly depressing for top juniors around the world. This would have been the year that a girls field competed at Sage Valley Golf Club, a private gem just minutes from Augusta, Georgia, for the first time.

In the wake of the cancellation, however, tournament organizers have announced that the 2022 event will be played March 17-19.

“While we were disappointed to cancel the 2021 Junior Invitational, we’re looking forward to an incredibly strong return in 2022 and a high-caliber event featuring the world’s top junior players,” said Pete Davis, chairman of the SVJI Sports Foundation. “The addition of a girl’s competition has been a long-term goal, and we’re thrilled to see it materialize next year. We will return better than ever.”

The Sage Valley Junior Invitational has been played since 2011, and has become one of the most coveted starts in junior golf.

Past participants have included some of the top names in golf: Justin Thomas, Colin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann, Scottie Scheffler, Matthew Wolff and more. The event benefits local charities, with more than $1 million donated to The First Tee Chapters of Aiken, South Carolina, and Augusta, Georgia, since 2015.

By the 2022 version of the Sage Valley event, defending champion Jackson Van Paris will be a freshman at Vanderbilt and won’t have the chance to defend his title.

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Junior Invitational at Sage Valley won’t cancel, takes precaution in wake of coronavirus pandemic

Junior Invitational at Sage Valley announced Thursday it wouldn’t cancel but is taking precautions in wake of coronavirus pandemic.

It wasn’t until Wednesday evening, when the NBA suspended the rest of its season, President Donald Trump addressed the nation and Tom Hanks announced he and wife Rita Wilson were stricken with coronavirus, that most Americans began paying serious attention to the threat the virus presents.

It was also true of the young golfers at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley as well.

With 1,300 total confirmed cases and 38 deaths in the United States related to coronavirus as of Thursday afternoon, ignoring the global pandemic while celebrating top junior golfers from across the globe is nearly impossible.

Planning to proceed with the remainder of the Graniteville, South Carolina, tournament as scheduled, tournament officials took steps on Thursday afternoon to protect players and their families.

Officials announced the tournament would continue Friday and Saturday, but no patrons other than family members and personnel essential to the tournament will be allowed inside tournament gates going forward. Players and families will also be tested for signs of illness from Sage Valley physicians before each of the next two rounds.

SAGE VALLEY: Scores | Photos

Competitor Ian Maspat’s mother, Jemelle, is thankful for the changes. When asked if she feels safer knowing outside patrons will not be allowed in the golf club’s gates over the next two days, Jemelle said, “Yes, absolutely yes. Everything is so open and that’s what I like so it’s not like you are in a small stadium or arena where it’s enclosed. You can have space here.”

Ian, a junior from San Diego, was asked what conversations are happening between the 54 players in the field after being stunned by the avalanche of news related to the coronavirus the night before the first round.

The 2020 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. Photo by Montana Pritchard Photography

“(Players) weren’t taking it seriously at first but then yesterday we saw the NBA got suspended for the rest of the season and they started to worry a lot more and take more precaution,” Ian said.

While numbers of those infected with coronavirus continue to increase and the stock market continues to drop, neither Ian nor Jemelle are letting the fear of the unknown deter them from enjoying something as prestigious as an invite to the Junior Invitational.

“We’re just protecting ourselves by wiping everything, washing our hands well, but at the same time we don’t want to stop what the kids love to do. Ian loves golf,” Jemelle, who works for a pharmaceutical company, said. “It’s such a big opportunity for him just to even be invited. We’re going to protect ourselves, we sanitize everything, we wash everything and we pray a lot that God will protect us.

“Even though there’s some fear back home in California we’re doing everything to protect ourselves. It’s up to God now.”

Ian, making his first appearance at Sage Valley, has nine top-10 finishes, including a win at the 2018 Corey Pavin Invitational, 2018 Enagic Junior Championship and 2019 ClubCorp Mission Hills Desert Junior.

He is verbally committed to Oregon.

“It’s kind of scary,” he said. “You never know if it’s going to reach you. It’s tough. My mom makes me wear masks on the plane and sanitize everything so I’m just keeping clean.”

The Maspats plan to fly back to California on Sunday and spend a few days in self-quarantine upon return.

“We don’t have a choice but to fly back, so again, (we hope to) protect ourselves,” Jemelle said.

The 2020 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. Photo by Montana Pritchard Photography

Joe Pagdin, the No. 1 boys junior golfer on the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, applauded tournament officials’ decision to test players and families upon return to the golf club on Friday and Saturday.

“I feel that’s good,” Pagdin said. “Some people can get an overnight bug and that could raise awareness. It’s also good for yourself if you don’t know you have some thing that you do it’s best to find out early than be out there on the course and get sick and not be able to finish. I think it’s good that they’re doing it and I’m not focusing that too much. I’m just focusing on my game and the course right now.”

A senior from Orlando, Pagdin is pleased tournament officials did not cancel the Junior Invitational altogether like professional and college sports leagues across the U.S. have done in the past two days. He thinks there is some panic involved with canceling and other factors must be considered.

“Some of the cancellations of some sporting events like the NBA and stuff like that. I feel there are other ways to go about it,” Pagdin said. “Maybe not letting the public in but still have the competitions because especially for golf some of these players who are out there it’s their only chance to get an earning. Especially guys who don’t have a (tour) card or have sponsors invite.

“There are obviously actions that they need to take. Obviously as players and athletes we have to be careful as well and do the right stuff we need to do but I feel right now you just got to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse in the cancellations then that will be good. But for now, I feel like we just need to stay safe and do things we need to do.”

After finishing the first round 2-over 74, Pagdin said he wasn’t on his game Thursday and hopes to shoot low in the next two rounds.

Michael Thorbjornsen leads the field after the first round at 5 under, one stroke ahead of Luke Potter. David Ford is third at 3 under, with Maxwell Ford, Aaron Du, Stephen Campbell Jr., Scotty Kennon, Holland J. Humphries, John Marshall Butler and Maxwell Moldovan all knotted up in a seven-way tie for fourth.

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Junior Invitational at Sage Valley is anyone’s for the taking

The Junior Invitational at Sage Valley features stars of tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean they’re not impressive already.

The 2020 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley will pit the No. 1 ranked junior golfer against a field of worthy and experienced competitors.

The crown is anyone’s for the taking.

Thirty-eight out of the top 40 players in the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Boys Rankings will tee it up at the 10th annual event in Graniteville, South Carolina, including No. 1 Joseph Pagdin.

Beginning Thursday, Pagdin will compete in the same event in which accomplished professionals like Justin Thomas, the past three U.S. Amateur champions, Doc Redman, Viktor Hovland and Andy Ogletree, and U.S. Amateur runner-up Matthew Wolff competed.

While name recognition among the field at Sage Valley might not be at the level of a “Justin Thomas” or rising PGA Tour star “Viktor Hovland” just yet, there are countless young stars showing promise.

Pagdin is one of them.

A top-10 finisher at the 2019 Rolex Tournament of Champions last fall and a U.S. Junior semifinalist, Pagdin is committed to join Florida’s competitive men’s team this fall. The high school senior is in peak position entering the event, coming off a second-place finish at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods in February.

Pagdin may hold that No. 1 ranking and a few impressive finishes, but he shouldn’t be the favorite by any means. Other junior golfers have just as much edge as he does. Also in the field at Sage Valley is Luke Potter, a sophomore from Encinitas, California, who defeated Pagdin by four shots at the Carlton Woods event. In fact, eight of the top-10 finishers from February’s junior event, including Potter and Pagdin, are in the field at Sage Valley.

Another recognizable name in Graniteville is Preston Summerhays, who won the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur. Unfortunately for Pagdin, Summerhays has experience taking down players with a No. 1 ranking. A junior verbally committed to Arizona State, Summerhays knocked off former No. 1 Akshay Bhatia in last year’s U.S. Junior on his path to victory.

While anything could happen with this field of 54 junior golfers, Pagdin has had success at the Tom Fazio-designed course already. Last year, Pagdin placed fourth at Sage Valley, three shots behind winner Tom McKibbin. However, Pagdin’s familiarity with Sage Valley isn’t nearly a solo advantage in the stacked field: McKibbin, a 2021 Florida commit, is back to defend his title at Sage Valley along with 22 other returners.

McKibbin, making his third appearance at the event, last year’s runner up Maxwell Moldovan and four-time Junior Invitational competitor Karl Vilips are all in the field.

While the outcome of the event is impossible to predict, the certainty from looking at the field these players will put on quite a show — this week and in the future.

The entire field for the 2020 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley can be read below.

2020 Junior Invitational field

  • Kelly Chinn, Great Falls, Virginia | United States
  • Jack Heath, Charlotte, North Carolina | United States
  • Bo Jin, Encinitas, California | China
  • Joseph Pagdin, Orlando, Florida | England
  • Brock Hoover, Woodstock, Georgia | United States
  • Nick Dunlap, Greer, South Carolina | United States
  • Maxwell Moldovan, Uniontown, Ohio | United States
  • Preston Summerhays, Scottsdale, Arizona | United States
  • Karl Vilips, Perth | Australia
  • Conor Gough, Slough | England
  • George Duangmanee, Fairfax, Virginia | United States
  • Tom McKibbin, Newtonabbey | Ireland
  • Austin Scott, Daniel Island, South Carolina | United States
  • Brett Roberts, Coral Springs, Florida | United States
  • Luke Potter, Encinitas, California | United States
  • Tucker Clark, Phoenix, Arizona | United States
  • Ethan Chung, Murrieta, California | United States
  • Jeewon Park, Lake Mary, Florida | South Korea
  • Aaron Du, Beijing | China
  • Taehoon Song, Buena Park | South Korea
  • Andi Xu, San Diego, California | China
  • Wilmer Ederö, Landeryd | Sweden
  • Ben James, Milford, Connecticut | United States
  • Jimmy Zheng, Auckland | New Zealand
  • John Marshall Butler, Louisville, Kentucky | United States
  • Jackson Van Paris, Pinehurst, North Carolina | United States
  • Gordon Sargent, Birmingham, Alabama | United States
  • Ian Maspat, San Diego, California | United States
  • Ian Siebers, Bellevue, Washington | United States
  • Andrew Goodman, Norman, Oklahoma | United States
  • Jonathan Griz, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina | United States
  • Brendan Valdes, Orlando, Florida | United States
  • Ben Schmidt, Barnsley | England
  • Ben Lorenz, Peoria, Arizona | United States
  • Jake Beber-Frankel, Miami, Florida | United States
  • Maxwell Ford, Peachtree Corners, Georgia | United States
  • Michael Brennan, Leesburg, Virginia | United States
  • Luke Clanton, Miami Lakes, Florida | United States
  • Yuki Moriyama, Las Vegas, Nevada | Japan
  • Piercen Hunt, Hartland, Wisconsin | Canada
  • Tyler Wilkes, Tampa, Florida | United States
  • Cohen Trolio, West Point, Mississippi | United States
  • Sampson-yunhe Zheng, Orlando, Florida | China
  • Carson Bacha, York, Pennsylvania | United States
  • Andrew Yong. H Jung, Champions Gate, Florida | South Korea
  • David Ford, Peachtree Corners, Georgia | United States
  • Michael Thorbjornsen, Wellesley, Massachusetts | United States
  • Scotty Kennon, Bandon, Oregon | United States
  • Abel Gallegos, Veinticinco De Mayo | Argentina
  • Caden Fioroni, San Diego, California | United States
  • Jacob Sosa, Austin, Texas | United States
  • Stephen Campbell Jr., Richmond, Texas | United States

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Loaded field announced for 10th annual Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club

The loaded field at the 10th annual Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club features 38 of the top 40 players in the world.

One of the premier events in the junior golf calendar is just a month away and the field is loaded to say the least.

Thirty-eight out of the top 40 players in the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Boys Rankings will tee it up at the 10th annual Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, South Carolina, March 12-14.

Defending champion Tom McKibbin highlights the 54-player field that spans five continents and 11 different countries. McKibbin and Karl Vilips, Golfweek/Sagarin’s No. 1 junior and a quarterfinalist at the 2019 U.S. Amateur, are making their third and fourth appearances, respectively.

“We are incredibly pleased with the strength of the field competing in the 10th Annual Junior Invitational,” said Tom Wyatt, president of Sage Valley Golf Club and Tournament Chair in a release. “We’re looking forward to tournament week, when players will have the opportunity to play Sage Valley’s Tom Fazio championship course, as well as our brand-new Fazio-designed par 3 course. It’s always fun to see these rising stars take on this challenging course.”

Former Junior Invitational players include 13-time PGA Tour winner Justin Thomas, as well as the last three U.S. Amateur champions Doc Redman, Viktor Hovland and Andy Ogletree. Other former players include 2019 U.S. Amateur runner-up John Augenstein and rising PGA Tour star Matthew Wolff.

Full Junior Invitational field

  • Kelly Chinn, Great Falls, Virginia | United States
  • Jack Heath, Charlotte, North Carolina | United States
  • Bo Jin, Encinitas, California | China
  • Joseph Pagdin, Orlando, Florida | England
  • Brock Hoover, Woodstock, Georgia | United States
  • Nick Dunlap, Greer, South Carolina | United States
  • Maxwell Moldovan, Uniontown, Ohio | United States
  • Preston Summerhays, Scottsdale, Arizona | United States
  • Karl Vilips, Perth | Australia
  • Conor Gough, Slough | England
  • George Duangmanee, Fairfax, Virginia | United States
  • Tom McKibbin, Newtonabbey | Ireland
  • Austin Scott, Daniel Island, South Carolina | United States
  • Brett Roberts, Coral Springs, Florida | United States
  • Luke Potter, Encinitas, California | United States
  • Tucker Clark, Phoenix, Arizona | United States
  • Ethan Chung, Murrieta, California | United States
  • Jeewon Park, Lake Mary, Florida | South Korea
  • Aaron Du, Beijing | China
  • Taehoon Song, Buena Park | South Korea
  • Andi Xu, San Diego, California | China
  • Wilmer Ederö, Landeryd | Sweden
  • Ben James, Milford, Connecticut | United States
  • Jimmy Zheng, Auckland | New Zealand
  • John Marshall Butler, Louisville, Kentucky | United States
  • Jackson Van Paris, Pinehurst, North Carolina | United States
  • Gordon Sargent, Birmingham, Alabama | United States
  • Ian Maspat, San Diego, California | United States
  • Ian Siebers, Bellevue, Washington | United States
  • Andrew Goodman, Norman, Oklahoma | United States
  • Jonathan Griz, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina | United States
  • Brendan Valdes, Orlando, Florida | United States
  • Ben Schmidt, Barnsley | England
  • Ben Lorenz, Peoria, Arizona | United States
  • Jake Beber-Frankel, Miami, Florida | United States
  • Maxwell Ford, Peachtree Corners, Georgia | United States
  • Michael Brennan, Leesburg, Virginia | United States
  • Luke Clanton, Miami Lakes, Florida | United States
  • Yuki Moriyama, Las Vegas, Nevada | Japan
  • Piercen Hunt, Hartland, Wisconsin | Canada
  • Tyler Wilkes, Tampa, Florida | United States
  • Cohen Trolio, West Point, Mississippi | United States
  • Sampson-yunhe Zheng, Orlando, Florida | China
  • Carson Bacha, York, Pennsylvania | United States
  • Andrew Yong. H Jung, Champions Gate, Florida | South Korea
  • David Ford, Peachtree Corners, Georgia | United States
  • Michael Thorbjornsen, Wellesley, Massachusetts | United States
  • Scotty Kennon, Bandon, Oregon | United States
  • Abel Gallegos, Veinticinco De Mayo | Argentina
  • Caden Fioroni, San Diego, California | United States
  • Jacob Sosa, Austin, Texas | United States
  • Stephen Campbell Jr., Richmond, Texas | United States