The best juniors in the world are heading to Charleston, South Carolina, to battle for one of the biggest titles available.
The 75th US 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 US Junior Amateur.
Course details
Venue: Daniel Island Club (Ralston Creek); and co-host Daniel Island Club (Beresford Creek)
Opened: 2000 (Beresford Creek); 2006 (Ralston Creek)
Architect: Tom Fazio (Beresford Creek); Rees Jones (Ralston Creek)
Yardages
RALSTON CREEK COURSE
(Yardage subject to change)
Hole 1: 426 yards (Par 4)
Hole 2: 438 yards (Par 4)
Hole 3: 615 yards (Par 5)
Hole 4: 187 yards (Par 3)
Hole 5: 399 yards (Par 4)
Hole 6: 535 yards (Par 5)
Hole 7: 453 yards (Par 4)
Hole 8: 393 yards (Par 4)
Hole 9: 210 yards (Par 3)
OUT: 3,656 yards (Par 36)
Hole 10: 433 yards (Par 4)
Hole 11: 579 yards (Par 5)
Hole 12: 224 yards (Par 3)
Hole 13: 464 yards (Par 4)
Hole 14: 420 yards (Par 4)
Hole 15: 172 yards (Par 3)
Hole 16: 445 yards (Par 4)
Hole 17: 385 yards (Par 4)
Hole 18: 554 yards (Par 5)
IN: 3,676 yards (Par 36)
TOTALS: 7,332 yards (Par 72)
BERESFORD CREEK COURSE
Hole 1: 460 yards (Par 4)
Hole 2: 389 yards (Par 4)
Hole 3: 551 yards (Par 5)
Hole 4: 168 yards (Par 3)
Hole 5: 362 yards (Par 4)
Hole 6: 432 yards (Par 4)
Hole 7: 356 yards (Par 4)
Hole 8: 582 yards (Par 5)
Hole 9: 150 yards (Par 3)
OUT: 3,450 yards (Par 36)
Hole 10: 574 yards (Par 5)
Hole 11: 410 yards (Par 4)
Hole 12: 395 yards (Par 4)
Hole 13: 445 yards (Par 4)
Hole 14: 407 yards (Par 4)
Hole 15: 232 yards (Par 3)
Hole 16: 473 yards (Par 4)
Hole 17: 196 yards (Par 3)
Hole 18: 453 yards (Par 4)
IN: 3,585 yards (Par 35)
TOTALS: 7,035 yards (Par 71)
Players to watch
Blades Brown: 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 US 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.
TK Chantananuwat: He is the highest-ranked player in the field. Chantananuwat 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.
Happy Gilmore: Gilmore shot a 66 in a 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 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.
Tommy Morrison: Morrison is the second-oldest player in the US Junior Amateur field and stands at 6-foot-9. He enrolled early at Texas and played in seven events in the spring, including a T-8 in the NCAA Bath Regional. Morrison, who reached match play in the 2019 US 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 US Amateur Four-Ball in May.
PJ Maybank III: Maybank is competing in his second US Junior Amateur after advancing to match play two years ago. Maybank, who will attend 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.
Field facts
The US Junior Am is for golfers 18 and under.
Youngest Competitor: 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)
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 8-2004) -24-2004)
Average Age of Field: 16.95
Field breakdown by age:
13 years old: 2
14 years old: 3
15 years old: 17
16 years old: 60
17 years old: 85
18 years old: 97
US states represented: There are 40 states represented, 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: 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).
Championship format
Monday, July 24: First round of stroke play, 18 holes
Tuesday, July 25: Second round of stroke play, 18 holes
The low 64 after 36 holes of stroke play will advance to match play. If necessary, a playoff will be conducted to cut down to 64 players.
Wednesday, July 26: Round of 64, match play
Thursday, July 27: Round of 32, Round of 16 match play
Friday, July 28: Quarterfinals, semifinals of match play
Saturday, July 29: Championship match, 36 holes
What does the winner receive?
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A gold medal
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Custody of the US Junior Amateur Trophy for one season
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Exemption from qualifying from future US Junior Amateurs
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Exemption into 2024 US Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (must be an amateur)
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Exemption into the 2023 and 2024 US Amateur Championships
Story originally appeared on GolfWeek