2018 ACDS Junior All-Star Team announced
|
The 17th annual ACDS Junior All-Star Team includes 20 players from 10 states and four countries who were recognized as some of the top 12- to 15-year-old golfers in the world during the 2018 season, the American Junior Golf Association announced Wednesday.
"For these juniors to add their names alongside some of golf's most up-and-coming names is a true testament to their fantastic season. ACDS values among all things optimal tournament planning and commitment to the AJGA. These players who achieved this honor had a plan and made a commitment. This says a lot about these junior’s goals and execution,” said ACDS Executive Director C.J. Gatto. “On behalf of ACDS, we are excited to express our congratulations to the 2018 ACDS Junior All-Star Team members, it’s been a privilege for us to watch you develop your games to this level.”
The ACDS Junior All-Star Team recognizes the top 20 players, ages 12-15, based on the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The top nine boys and top nine girls were determined as of August 21, 2018, while the final boy and girl spots were awarded to the boy and girl with the best Rolex AJGA Ranking as of August 28, 2018. Eligibility for the team of 10 boys and 10 girls includes current-season play in at least two ACDS Junior All-Star Series tournaments, which also included the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational. ACDS Junior All-Star Series events, dubbed as the “Road to Reynolds,” were conducted in 12 states from March through August.
Members of the ACDS Junior All-Star Team receive an invitation to play in the Junior All-Star Invitational at Reynolds Lake Oconee’s The Oconee course in Greensboro, Georgia, Oct. 5-8.
ACDS Junior All-Star Team members will also receive fully exempt Performance Based Entry (PBE) status for the remainder of 2018 and all of the 2019 season. PBE enables members to earn their way into AJGA tournaments based on performance at the national, regional and state levels.
American College Development Solutions (ACDS) became the sponsor of the ACDS Junior All-Star Series and Official Partner of the AJGA at the start of 2016. ACDS assists college-bound student-athletes with expanding their academic, athletic, personal and cultural skill sets, while guiding them towards their goal of becoming an NCAA athlete.
Since 2002, ACDS Junior All-Star Team honors have been awarded to some of the top players in junior golf. Alumni of the ACDS Junior All-Star Team include college and professional standouts such as Jordan Spieth (2007), Rickie Fowler (2004), Morgan Hoffmann (2004), Beau Hossler (2009), Braden Thornberry (2012), Peter Uihlein (2004), Bud Cauley (2005), Vicky Hurst (2005), Cheyenne Woods (2005) and Alison Lee (2007).
2018 Honorees
Boys
GAVIN AURILIA | Phoenix, Arizona | Class of 2021
- No. 78 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Five career top-20 finishes
- Three runner-up finishes in 2018
KELLY CHINN | Great Falls, Virginia | Class of 2021
- No. 99 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Verbally committed to Duke
- Five AJGA top-10 finishes
MATTHEW GRIGGS | Prosper, Texas | Class of 2021
- No. 62 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Verbally committed to Arkansas
- First, 2018 AJGA Junior All-Star presented by Bryan College Station Sports & Events
FRANKIE HARRIS | Boca Raton, Florida | Class of 2021
- No. 68 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- First, 2018 Killington Junior Golf Championship
- Six AJGA top-10 finishes
J. HOLLAND HUMPHRIES | Austin, Texas | Class of 2021
- No. 18 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- First, 2018 Tathata Golf Junior All-Star Championship
- Four AJGA top-10 finishes in 2018
NARAYAN MOHAN | Charlotte, North Carolina | Class of 2021
- No. 77 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Eight AJGA top-20 finishes
JAY NIMMO | Benton, Kentucky | Class of 2021
- No. 59 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Two AJGA championships in 2018
- Five AJGA top-10 finishes
LUKE POTTER | Encinitas, California | Class of 2022
- No. 95 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Verbally committed to Arizona State
- Five AJGA top-10 finishes
JUNYI TANG | Beijing, China | Class of 2021
- No. 119 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Verbally committed to Southern California
- Eight AJGA top-10 finishes
BRENDAN VALDES | Orlando, Florida | Class of 2021
- No. 103 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Verbally committed to Auburn
- Five AJGA top-10 finishes in 2018
Girls
SOPHIA BAE | Norwood, New Jersey | Class of 2021
- No. 86 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Tied for second, 2018 KJ Choi Foundation Junior Championship presented by SK Telecom
- Duke University verbal commit
BROOKE BIERMANN | Wildwood, Missouri | Class of 2021
- No. 124 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- First, 2018 UHY LLP CPA's Junior Championship
- First, 2018 AJGA Junior All-Star at Rush Creek
YOON MIN HAN | (South Korea) Bradenton, Florida | Class of 2021
- No. 76 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Third, 2018 KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational
- Five AJGA Top-10 finishes
ALICE HODGE | Larchmont, New York | Class of 2020
- No. 134 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Tied for second, 2018 Golf Performance Center Junior All-Star
- Tied for third, 2018 AJGA Junior All-Star presented by Explore York
TAYLOR KEHOE | (Canada) Strathroy, Ontario | Class of 2022
- No. 74 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Second, 2018 AJGA Junior All-Star presented by Explore York
- Tied for fourth, 2018 KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational
MAKENZIE NIBLETT | Austin, Texas | Class of 2021
- No. 135 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- First, 2018 Tathata Golf Junior All-Star Championship
- 2017, ACDS Junior All-Star Team
KALEIYA ROMERO | San Jose, California | Class of 2020
- No. 79 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- First, 2018 Evitt Foundation RTC Junior All-Star
- First, 2018 Eagle Crest Junior Championship
CALYNNE ROSHOLT | Cedar Park, Texas | Class of 2021
- No. 123 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- 2017, Honorable Mention Rolex Junior All-American
- 2017, ACDS Junior All-Star Team
JINYU WU | (China) Bradenton, Florida | Class of 2020
- No. 157 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Fifth, 2018 TeensGiv.org Girls Junior All-Star presented by the Spinnaker Foundation
VICTORIA ZHENG | (Canada) Markham, Ontario | Class of 2021
- No. 133 Rolex AJGA Rankings
- First, 2018 AJGA / CJGA Junior Championship
About ACDS
American College Development Solutions (ACDS) assists junior athletes develop into College-bound student-athletes, helping to expand their academic, athletic, personal and cultural skill-sets, while guiding them towards their ultimate goal of joining the ranks of the NCAA. ACDS provides student-athletes with structured development and training programs according to authentic education and athletic preparation guidelines for College admissions, and opportunities for junior athletes to get exposed to College coaches. Operating in various countries, ACDS has become one of the world's leading College athletics development companies, pioneering a grassroots effort to educate international junior athletics communities of the realities of College sports in America. By focusing on long-term results, ACDS helps student-athletes live a more fulfilled and successful life at College and afterwards. For more information, visit acds.us and follow ACDS on Facebook.
About the ACDS Junior All-Star Series
The series was created within the AJGA in 1998 to give younger players, ages 12-15, the opportunity to compete at the national level against their peers. The competition provides an opportunity for younger members to develop their skills and build Performance Based Entry status to earn entry into Open tournaments. Many juniors got their start with the ACDS Junior All-Star Series, most notably Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Inbee Park, Brittany Lang and Alison Lee.
About Reynolds Lake Oconee
Surrounded by more than 350 miles of majestic shoreline on Georgia’s historic Lake Oconee, the golf destination resort community of Reynolds Lake Oconee features six championship golf courses and is home to The Reynolds Kingdom of Golf, a world-class instructional and club fitting facility. Located between Atlanta and golf’s legendary grounds in Augusta, Reynolds Lake Oconee is an outdoor recreation paradise that includes the Sandy Creek Sporting Grounds, award-winning tennis center, swimming pools, pedestrian trails, wellness campus, and full-service marinas to facilitate watersports. Guests can choose private accommodations that include luxury resort condominiums and cottages, or The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, a 251-room lakefront resort and spa named a 2016 AAA Five Diamond Lodging and 2015 Forbes Four-Star resort. Dining is available at ten distinctive culinary venues. Originally established in 1988 as Reynolds Plantation, located roughly 90 miles from Atlanta's Hartsfield -Jackson International Airport. For more, visit reynoldslakeoconee.com.
About the Road to Reynolds Campaign
This week’s event is one of 20 events on the ACDS Junior All-Star Series in 2018, which features the season-long campaign #RoadToReynolds. Reynolds Lake Oconee will host the culminating ACDS Junior All-Star invitation-only event at The Oconee course in October. With a field determined by the Rolex AJGA Rankings and champions from the ACDS Junior All-Star Series, the 54-hole stroke play event caps off the season-long Road to Reynolds campaign
About the AJGA
Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2018, 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 6,900 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, 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.