WYNDHAM INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY TRUIST PRE-TOURNAMENT NOTES
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Many of the best junior golfers in the world are set to play in the 20th annual AJGA Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist beginning Monday, June 14, 2021 at Sedgefield Country Club. The Wyndham Invitational is a “major” on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) schedule. AJGA players will use the same course setup PGA TOUR golfers play during the Wyndham Championship each summer. The Donald Ross-designed course will play 7,143 yards for the Wyndham Invitational.
Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist Alumni on PGA TOUR: The 94 PGA TOUR golfers below played the AJGA Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist early in their careers, including four-time Major winner Brooks Koepka, 2015 Masters champion and FedExCup champion Jordan Spieth, 2011 Wyndham winner and 2012 U.S. Open winner Webb Simpson and 2013 Wyndham Championship winner and 2018 Masters Champion Patrick Reed. Several years from now, some of the golfers playing in this year’s Wyndham Invitational will also be playing professional golf. Wyndham Invitational alumni that reached the PGA TOUR are listed below with the years they played here:
Anders Albertson (2020) Byeong-Hun An (2007-'09) Mark Anderson (2004) Blayne Barber (2008)
Daniel Berger (2010) Zac Blair (2008) Bronson Burgoon (2003-'05) Sam Burns (12, '13)
Brian Campbell (2011) Roberto Castro ('02) Bud Cauley (2006) Cameron Champ (14)
Wyndham Clark (2010, '11) Austin Cook (2009) John Curran (2003) ZeCheng Dou (2012)
Tyler Dunlap (2010,'11) Harris English (2005) Doug Fortner (2004) Rickie Fowler (2006)
Bobby Gates (2003-04) Joey Garber (2009) Doug Ghim (2012, '13) Taylor Gooch(08,'09)
Cody Gribble (2006, '07) Lanto Griffin (2006) Emiliano Grillo (2009-'10) Luke Guthrie (2008)
Chesson Hadley (2006) Paul Haley (2004-05) Matt Hansen (2010) B. Harman ('02-'04)#
Russell Henley (2006) Kramer Hickock (2006) Bo Hoag (2007) M. Hoffmann (2007)
Tom Hoge (2007) Billy Horschel (2005) Mu Hu (2004-'08) Mark Jones (2005
Ryo Ishikawa (2006) S. Kaufman (2009,'10) Tee-K Kelly (2012) Michael Kim (2009)
Chris Kirk (2003) Kevin Kisner (2003) Patton Kizzire (2003) Colt Knost (2003)
Brooks Koepka (2007) Ben Kohles (07, '08) Kelly Kraft (2007) Scott Langley (2007)
Danny Lee (2007) Lucas Lee (2004, '05) Richard Lee (2006) Alexander Levy (13)
Luke List (2002) Adam Long (2006) Denny McCarthy (2010) Lee McCoy ('10 -12)
Tyler McCumber (2008-'09) Zack Miller (2002) Keith Mitchell (2009) C. Morikawa (13,'14)
Grayson Murray (2010-'12) Matthew NeSmith (2012) Carlos Ortiz (2007) John Peterson('06-07)
Martin Piller (2004) Jonathan Randolph (2007) Patrick Reed (2006, '07) Seth Reeves ('08,'09)
Wes Roach (2006-07) Sam Saunders (2002-'04) Conrad Schindler (2005, 07) Robby Shelton ('10)
Webb Simpson (2002-04) Jordan Spieth (2008‚09) Kyle Stanley (2005) Brett Stegmaier ('02)
Scott Stevens (2014) Robert Streb (2005) Hudson Swafford (2005) J. Thomas ('08-'10)#
Brendan Todd (2002, '03) Ethan Tracy (2007-08) Cameron Tringale (2004) Kevin Tway ('05-'06)
Peter Uihlein (2003-'07) # Richy Werenski ('09) Matthew Wolff (2015) Bobby Wyatt ('07-09)
Andrew Yun (2006,'08,'09) # Will Zalatoris (2010-'12)
#Won Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist.
Top-20 Juniors in Field: Four of the top-10 players in the June 8 Rolex AJGA Rankings are in the Wyndham Invitational field. No. 4 Ben James from Milford, Conn., No. 6 Wells Williams from West Point, Mass., No. 8 Luke Clanton from Miami Lakes, Fla., and No 9 Caleb Surratt from Indian Trail, N.C. In addition, No. 11 Nicholas Dunlap from Huntsville, Ala., No. 13 Maxwell Ford from Peachtree Corners, Ga., and No. 17 Bruce Murphy from Johns Creek, Ga., are also in the field giving the Wyndham Invitational seven of the top-20 players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Impressive May: Ben James is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 4, and his impressive performance in May earned his lofty status. He won the Scott Robertson Memorial Tournament presented by Truist in Roanoke, Va., May 23 and the Team TaylorMade Invitational in Bowling Green, Fla., on May 31. James will be looking for his third win in as many starts next week, and it’s safe to say enters the Wyndham Invitational playing at a very high level.
Class of 2021 Well Represented: In normal years, golfers graduating from high school leave junior golf behind and begin playing amateur events, but 2021 is not so normal. The 2021 Wyndham Invitational field boasts 17 players who graduated from high school this year including seven ranked in the top 50 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Also playing at Sedgefield is No. 13 Maxwell Ford who finished tied for 15th here last year and is the highest-ranked graduate in the field. His brother David won the 2020 Wyndham Invitational. The field also includes:
Class of 2022: 29 players including nine of the top-20 golfers in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Among those nine are the top-10 players listed above.
Class of 2023: 15 players including three in the top 50 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Class of 2024: four players, each of whom is ranked in the top 100 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
North Carolina Juniors Will Play: Some of the top junior golfers in North Carolina will play this year’s AJGA Wyndham Invitational. There are no special criteria for North Carolina players to get into the field; they gain entry through the same eligibility standards as the rest of the golfers. North Carolina golfers are listed below with the year of their high school graduation, hometown and their June 1 Carolinas Golf Association N.C. Junior Boys Rankings:
Caleb Surratt, 2022, Matthews (1) Michael La Sasso, 2022, Raleigh (4) Sihan Sandhu, 2024, Pinehurst (NR)
Qualifying Tournament: More North Carolina juniors can make the field through the Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist qualifying tournament, set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 13 at Holly Ridge Golf Links in Archdale, N.C., with a maximum field of 60 golfers. The top-six finishers from the qualifier will advance into the Wyndham Invitational field. Among the golfers in the qualifier field is Greensboro’s Ben Jordan who is No. 3 in the June 1 Carolinas Golf Association N.C. Junior Boys Rankings but does not have similar ranking in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The full qualifier field is here: https://bit.ly/3iAZN6z
Future ACC Players in the field: Eleven of the golfers in the Wyndham Invitational field made commitments to play college golf in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They are listed below with their year of high school graduation and their ACC school. Those with a (v) made verbal commitments.
Justin Burroughs, 2022, Clemson (v) Luke Clanton, 2022, Florida State (v)
Ben James, 2022, Virginia (v) Bryan Lee, 2022, Virginia (v)
Michael La Sasso, 2022, NC State (v) William Love, 2022, Duke (v)
Patrick McCann, 2021, Florida State Andrew McLauchlan, 2022, Wake Forest (v)
Boyd Owens, 2022, Wake Forest (v) Calen Sanderson, 2022, Notre Dame (v)
Mehrbaan Singh, 2022, Virginia Tech (v)
Headed to Elon University: In addition to these 11 players headed to ACC schools, Matthew Doyle from Madison, Conn., signed a national letter of intent to play collegiate golf at Elon University.
Rolex First Team All-Americans: The 2021 field has 21 Rolex Junior All-Americans. The three golfers below
were named first team in 2020:
Maxwell Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga. Ben James, Milford, Conn
Wells Williams, West Point, Mass.
International Players: Ten of the 72 golfers in the Wyndham Invitational field represent seven foreign
countries. Those golfers are listed below with the country they represent and their current hometown if applicable:
Santiago Cervantes, Mexico City
You Seong Choi, Lake Mary, Fla. (South Korea)
Kiko Francisco Coelho, Lake Mary, Fla. (Portugal)
Alejandro Fierro Saul, Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. (Mexico)
Jose Cristobal Islas – Pachuca, Mexico
Jaeyoung (Jeffrey) Kwak, La Mirada, Calif. (South Korea)
Byungho Lee, Plano, Texas (South Korea)
Kyo Morishita, Bradenton, Fla. (Japan)
Jean-Phillippe Parr, Quebec, Canada
Yuze Zhang, Windermere, Florida (China)
2020 Tournament Recap: David Ford of Peachtree Corners, Ga., won the 19th annual AJGA Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist by two strokes – it was his first AJGA Invitational victory. Two shots clear of the field to start the final round, Ford got off to a solid start with pars on his first five holes. He made the turn at 1-over-par 36 and opened his back nine with four-straight pars. He dropped a shot on the demanding par-4 14th hole but got it back with a birdie on the par-5 15th. He added a birdie on the par-4 17th hole and posted a 1-under-par 34 on the back nine for a final-round total of even-par 70. Maxwell Moldovan of Uniontown, Ohio, and Wells Williams of West Point, Mass., finished tied for second at 6-under-par 274.
Previous Winners: The AJGA began playing in Greensboro in 1988; the Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist was created in 2002 by taking an existing AJGA event for both boys and girls and creating a boys-only Major event. The 2021 tournament will be the 20th Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist. Previous winners are:
2002: Steve Han 2003: Brian Harman 2004: Brian Harman
2005: Daniel Woltman 2006: Andrew Yun 2007: Peter Uihlein
2008: Cameron Peck 2009: Justin Thomas 2010: Tanner Kesterston
2011: Billy Kennerly 2012: Matthew NeSmith 2013: Matt Gilchrest
2014: Austin Connelly 2015: Charles Huntzinger 2016: Eugene Hong
2017: Trent Phillips 2018: Karl Vilips 2019: Brett Roberts
2020: David Ford
Make the Cut: The 72-player Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist will utilize a cut following the third round of play. The top-48 golfers and ties will advance to the final round. Other AJGA events that utilize a cut make it after 36 holes, but this tournament uses a 54-hole cut so every player is guaranteed at least three rounds. Golfers will play in threesomes in the final round, and a tie after 72 holes will be decided by sudden-death playoff.
TaylorMade | adidas Golf Live Scoring and Tournament Results: The AJGA website, www.ajga.org/scoring provides live scoring during the AJGA Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist. In addition, after play is complete each day, full-field results, a tournament recap and pairings for the next round are posted on the website.
Tournament on Social Media: In addition to the tournament’s live scoring, additional tournament coverage is available through Twitter and Instagram. Follow the AJGA Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist on Twitter and Instagram via @AJGAGolf with the hashtag, #WyndhamInvitational
Wyndham Exemption History: For five years, Wyndham Invitational winners earned a sponsor’s exemption into the Wyndham Championship. However, when the PGA TOUR changed the structure of its season in 2013, that practice could no longer happen. The Wyndham Championship sets the field for the FedExCup Playoffs and ends the TOUR’s regular season. After the Wyndham, the top-125 players in points enter the playoffs while the next 75 play four tournaments with the top-75 finishers from the Web.com Tour in the Web.com Tour Finals. With PGA TOUR golfers trying to keep their cards, the Wyndham could no longer give an exemption to the winner of its AJGA tournament. The following five Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist winners took advantage of the exemption:
2008: Cameron Peck 2009: Justin Thomas 2010: Tanner Kesterson
2011: Billy Kennerly 2012: Matthew NeSmith
About the AJGA:
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls, ages 12-19) of more than 7,000 members from 50 states and 60 foreign countries. Through initiatives like the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant, a financial assistance program, and Leadership Links, a service-oriented platform that teaches juniors charitable-giving skills, the AJGA fosters the growth of golf’s next generation.
TaylorMade and adidas are the AJGA’s National Sponsors, supporting the AJGA for more than 25 years. TaylorMade has served as the Official Ball of the AJGA since 2016. adidas has been the Official Apparel and Footwear of the AJGA since 2017. Rolex, in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 900 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Trevor Immelman, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Ariya Jutanugarn, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Anna Nordqvist, Inbee Park and Lexi Thompson.
Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist Tournament Schedule:
Monday: Morning practice rounds (8 a.m.); Junior-Am Tournament at 1 p.m.
Tuesday: First-round tee times 7 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Wednesday: Second-round tee times 7 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Thursday: Third-round tee times 7 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Friday: Final-round tee times 7 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Awards Ceremony following play at approximately 2 p.m.
The 20th annual AJGA Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist is set for June 15-18, 2021 at Sedgefield Country Club. Admission is free. Practice rounds begin Monday morning, June 14, with the AJGA Junior-Am tournament Monday afternoon. Tournament play begins Tuesday, June 15, and concludes Friday, June 18. For additional information on the event, please visit www.ajga.org.
Courtesy of Rob Goodman