The RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic returns to Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. The iconic match play event is in its 46th year and will feature 64 juniors, 32 boys and 32 girls, competing over four days. Two new match play champions will join a long list of golf legends.
About the Field
- 29 college commitments
- 54 past AJGA champions
- 29 Rolex Junior All-Americans
- Four countries represented
- 20 states represented
About Bethpage State Park Golf Courses - Black Course
The move of the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior in 2022 to Bethpage Black marks the first time the event is being played on a public course. The Black Course is rich in tradition having hosted three major championships, two FedEx Cup playoff events and the upcoming 2025 Ryder Cup.
The course which opened in 1936 as part of the Depression Era public-works project that build Bethpage State Park burst onto the scene in 2002 with its first hosting of the U.S. Open. It was this year that a young Tiger Woods, who won the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic in 1991, captured his second U.S. Open title. The Black Course again hosted the U.S. Open in 2009 where AJGA alumni Lucas Glover took home the title. The ‘extremely difficult course recommended only for highly skilled golfers’ also hosted the 2012 and 2016 FedEx Cup playoff event, The Barclays. AJGA alumni Brooks Koepka won the 2019 PGA Championship when the course hosted its first major in ten years.
AJGA Champion Highlights
Of the 54 players who’ve won an AJGA event, a few highlights:
- Jasmine Koo of Cerritos, California, is headed to Bethpage after finishing first at the 2024 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. The University of Southern California commit has had a great year, highlighted by a T-13 finish at The Chevron Championship in April. The three-time Rolex Junior All-American is the highest ranked player in the field at No. 3 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
- Megan Meng of Pennington, New Jersey, finished tied for second at the 2024 Fortinet Girls Invitational at Stanford. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American is headed to Northwestern University in the fall and is looking to add a fourth AJGA title at Bethpage. Meng is currently ranked at No. 9 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
- Wheaton Ennis of Litchfield Park, Arizona, is the highest ranked boy in the field at No. 4 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Ennis is looking to earn his second AJGA Invitational win before heading to Texas A&M University in the fall.
- Will Hartman of Marvin, North Carolina, enters the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic ranked at No. 5 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The Vanderbilt University commit is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and is hoping to win his second AJGA event.
Tournament History
The RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic has occurred annually since 1978. 2023 marks the 46th anniversary of the historic event. 46 years has seen a variety of host venues for the match play event. Noteworthy host courses have included Liberty National Golf Club, PGA National Resort and Spa – Champion & Fazio Courses, Sea Island Golf Club, Innisbrook Resort and Echo Lake Country Club.
The event now in its 46th year has had its share of noteworthy past champions. In the Boys Division it includes Tiger Woods, Trevor Immelman, Stewart Cink, Brian Harman, Morgan Hoffman and Matthew NeSmith. On the Girls Division side, Vicki Goetze, Grace Park, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Ariya Jutanugarn, and Sierra Brooks.
The RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic is the only true match play format event on the AJGA schedule. All but two years of the 45-year history have been played as match play. The top-32 boys and 32 girls will compete over four days.
7 boys and 6 girls within the Top 25 Players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings
Boys Division
(4) Wheaton Ennis of Litchfield Park, Arizona
(5) Will Hartman of Marvin, North Carolina
(16) Blades Brown of Nashville, Tennessee
(19) Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island, Florida
(20) Logan Reilly of Lovettsville, Virginia
(22) Jackson Byrd of Saint Simons Island, Georgia
(23) Eric Yun of Menlo Park, California
Girls Division
(3) Jasmine Koo of Cerritos, California
(9) Megan Meng of Pennington, New Jersey
(15) Ryleigh Knaub of Debary, Florida
(21) Alice Ziyi Zhao of Irvine, California
(24) Jude Lee of Walnut, California
(25) Kinsley (Zixin) Ni of Los Angeles, California
Future College Teammates
As a part of the 32 total players committed to play college golf, three sets of future college teammates are in the field:
Boys Division
- Vanderbilt University - Will Hartman and Jon Ed Steed of Enterprise, Alabama
- Texas Christian University - Nathan Miller of Dallas Texas and Aidan Dortch of Dallas Texas
Girls Division
- University of Virginia - Kathryn Ha of Roanoke, Virginia, and Kennedy Swedick of Albany, New York
Social
Follow along on social with #RLXJrClassic or check us out on X, Instagram and Facebook.
About Polo Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren, a premium lifestyle brand, has been a partner for more than three decades. Since 1995, Polo Ralph Lauren has supported junior golfers who become the next generation of college graduates and business leaders. Every week through AJGA social and digital content, Polo Ralph Lauren celebrates the top performances of AJGA members worldwide, through Polo Ralph Lauren #InspiredPerformances. Polo Ralph Lauren has hosted the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic, an Invitational dating back to 1978 and one of the longest-running events in AJGA history.
For more information about the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic please contact AJGA Communications Manager, Angela Ding (ading@ajga.org).
