BRASELTON, Ga. – Twenty-four of the nation’s brightest minds and best junior golfers were named to the 2015 AJGA Scholastic Junior All-America Team, the American Junior Golf Association announced Wednesday, Oct. 7. Created in 1988, the team consists of 12 young men and 12 young women who demonstrate the ability to excel both on the golf course and in the classroom.
To be eligible to apply for the AJGA Scholastic Junior All-America Team, boys must have placed in the top 10 of an AJGA Open or Invitational, while girls needed a top-five finish. The selections were then based on the following criteria in order of importance: standardized test scores, GPA, school leadership/community service and writing skills as showcased in an original essay. In addition to being named an AJGA Scholastic All-American, Joseph Weiler submitted the winning essay, “Double Breaker.” The AJGA uses an adjusted GPA scale.
The 12 boys on the AJGA Scholastic Junior All-America Team are:
Nathan Chuwait of Herndon, Va. (2016), Mitchell Cornell of Incline Village, Nev. (2016), Chase Cutshall of Melbourne, Fla. (2016), Eric Hall of Harwood, Md. (2016), Nelson Pang of San Ramon, Calif. (2016), Rij Patel of Hunt Valley, Md. (2016), Drew Powell of Bangor, Maine (2017), Robert Quinilty of Cypress, Texas (2016), Henry Shimp of Charlotte, N.C. (2016), Joseph Weiler of Bloomington, Ind. (2017), Jordan Weitz of Rockville, Md. (2016), and Harlan Winn of Birmingham, Ala. (2016)
The 12 girls on the AJGA Scholastic Junior All-America Team are:
Josephine Chang of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (2016), Madeline Chou of Santa Ana, Calif. (2016), Teri Doss of Paducah, Ky. (2016), Kate Harper of Isle of Palms, S.C. (2016), Lauren Hartlage of Elizabethtown, Ky. (2016), Yubin Huh of San Diego, Calif. (2016), Jiyoon Jang of Rancho Mirage, Calif. (2016), Chelsea Liu of Shanghai, China (2016), Hannah O’Sullivan of Chandler, Ariz. (2016), Sung Eun Park of San Diego, Calif. (2016), Elizabeth Reedy of Marietta, Ga. (2017), and Beryl Wang of Sugar Land, Texas (2016)
The AJGA Scholastic Junior All-America Team has an average adjusted GPA of 4.55, an average SAT score of 2114 and an average ACT score of 33. They have also combined for a total of 14 top-3 finishes, including six wins in 2015.
These outstanding individuals will be honored at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet, Nov. 22, at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. By being named to this team, each player is also eligible to participate in the Polo Golf Junior Classic, one of the most prestigious events in junior golf, which will take place on PGA National Resort & Spa’s Champion and Fazio Courses,Nov. 21-27.
Former AJGA Scholastic Junior All-Americans have gone on to successful amateur and professional golf careers, including Casey Martin (1989), Wendy Ward (1990), Kellee Booth (1992), Cristie Kerr (1994), Matt Kuchar (1994), Scott Langley (2005) and Patrick Rodgers (2009, 2010).