The 54-hole ANA Junior Inspiration will be hosted from March 28-31, 2019, at Mission Hills Country Club and features a unique format.
Organized in partnership between the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and All Nippon Airways (ANA), the ANA Junior Inspiration will first challenge the invitation-only golfers over 36 holes on the Pete Dye Challenge Course. During the final round, juniors will compete on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course alongside the LPGA Legends for a dream ticket to earn the final amateur exemption into the LPGA’s first major championship, the ANA Inspiration. Each final-round pairing will feature one LPGA Legend and two junior golfers. Juniors will compete for an overall stroke-play title as well as participate in a fun competition among groups in a best-ball format with the Legends.
About the field
At stake this week
All five amateur exemptions in the ANA Inspiration are players with AJGA ties:
From ANA
“We are excited to welcome 48 of the best junior golfers in North America and the world and offer them the opportunity to learn directly from 24 legendary LPGA stars at the ANA Junior Inspiration,” said Hideki Kunugi, Senior Vice President of the Americas, ANA. “One of our main priorities in sponsoring the ANA Inspiration has been to elevate the ANA Junior Inspiration to provide opportunities for the juniors to leave them with memories that will last a lifetime and what better way to do so them to get them on the course for a round with an LPGA legend.”
Gateway City Grant program
The field of AJGA junior golfers earned entry into the ANA Junior Inspiration through ANA Priority Mileage Points Standings, which are based on the AJGA's Rolex AJGA Rankings. Top qualifiers from ANA’s 11 North American Gateway Cities of Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Vancouver and Washington D.C. will also compete. Each Gateway City Qualifier chose a state or local golf association to receive a Gateway City Grant on behalf of ANA. Since the event’s inception in 2017, $165,000 in ANA Gateway City Grants has funded 18 state and local golf organizations to help inspire young golfers and grow the sport.
Future college teammates
As a part of the 32 total players committed to play college golf, five sets of future college teammates are in the field:
AJGA champion highlights
Of the 26 players who've won an AJGA event, a few highlights:
Tournament history
Prior to its association with the AJGA in 2017, the ANA Junior Inspiration operated as an 18-hole qualifier for Southern California-based juniors to earn a spot into the major championship field. The Southern California Golf Association (SCGA), Fresh & Easy and ANA Inspiration champion Amy Alcott worked together to lay the foundation for this game-changing girls’ tournament.
Experience in top AJGA girls events
Eleven of the Top 25 players in the Rolex Top 25 Rankings
1 | Rose Zhang |
2 | Yuka Saso |
5 | Bohyun Park |
7 | Sadie Englemann |
12 | Megan Schofill |
13 | Irene Kim |
14 | Xin (Cindy) Kou |
17 | Nicole Whiston |
19 | Briana Chacon |
21 | Christine Wang |
22 | Zoe Antoinette Campos |
LPGA Legends field
Headlined by LPGA Hall of Famers Betsy King and Amy Alcott, the 2019 ANA Junior Inspiration field of 24 LPGA Legends features 11 ANA Inspiration champions (who account for 15 of the event’s wins) and represents 318 total LPGA victories. Twenty of the 24 competitors from the 2018 field return including Best Ball winner Liselotte Neumann.
As a part of the LPGA Legends field dynamic, junior golfers can learn from and be mentored by the women who paved the way for their current success, including a few who’ve been exactly in their shoes. Four LPGA Legends are also former AJGA Rolex Junior All-Americans:
Social
Follow hastag #ANAJrInspiration or visit www.ANAjuniorinspiration.com.