Clemente, Davis, Russell and Leng Jr. Headline 2023 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team
8/15/2023 | by PGA of America
see also: Junior Ryder Cup, Nassau Country Club
The 12-member coed team will compete at Golf Nazionale in Rome from September 26-28
FRISCO, Texas (Aug. 15, 2023) – The United States Junior Ryder Cup Team consists of 12 of the country’s top junior golfers who will compete in the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup from September 26-28 in Rome, Italy.
Golf Nazionale will be the venue for the first two days of foursomes and fourballs on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and Wednesday, Sept. 27. The competition will then move to Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, the site of the 2023 Ryder Cup, on the eve of the Ryder Cup, Thursday, Sept. 28.
The 2023 edition of the Junior Ryder Cup marks the first time the event will take place over three days instead of two, with the Ryder Cup venue hosting the decisive singles matches.
The U.S. Team, which is seeking its seventh straight victory and owns a 7-3-1 all-time record in the biennial competition, features six boys and six girls who are U.S. citizens and members of the high school graduating class of 2024 or younger.
“I am incredibly proud of these 12 exceptional individuals who comprise the 2023 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team,” said PGA Past President and U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Captain, Paul Levy. “These players have worked tirelessly to earn a spot on our team and will represent our country with great pride and determination. As we prepare for Rome, I am eager to see our team compete on a worldwide stage and showcase the best of the next generation of U.S. golf.”
This year’s roster includes 2023 Junior PGA Championship winners Gianna Clemente (Estero, Florida) and Miles Russell (Jacksonville Beach, Florida), as well as twins Anna and Billy Davis (Spring Valley, California). Additionally, five 2022 Rolex Junior All-America team selections are on the roster.
Major champions, PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour players are among the notable Junior Ryder Cup alumni including: Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang, Yealimi Noh and Brittany Altomare of the United States; and Rory McIllroy, Nicolas Colsaerts, Suzann Pettersen, Emily Pedersen and Carlota Ciganda of Europe.
U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team
Girls
Leigh Chien, 17, Irvine, California - Currently No. 8 in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Chien recorded T-3 finishes at the 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior in July and the Fortinet Girls Invitational at Stanford in February. The two-time First-Team Rolex Junior All-American finished T-2 at the Rolex Tournament of Champions in 2022.
Kylie Chong, 17, Torrance, California - The 24th-ranked player in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Chong has collected a trio of top-3 finishes this summer. She won the AJGA Junior at Hot Springs before finishing T-3 at the Polo Golf Junior Classic and most recently recorded a T-2 result at the Junior PGA Championship. Additionally, Chong finished seventh at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship in June.
Gianna Clemente, 15, Estero, Florida - The top-ranked player in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Clemente won the 2023 Junior PGA Championship by three strokes earlier this month. The two-time First-Team Rolex Junior All-American finished T-3 at the 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior in July and won the 2022 PING Invitational.
Anna Davis, 17, Spring Valley, California - Currently No. 4 in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Davis joins her twin brother, Billy, on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team, and is the lone returning member from the 2021 team. The Auburn University commit boasts wins at the 2023 Jr. Orange Bowl International Golf Championship and 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. The two-time First-Team Rolex Junior All-American also won the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Ryleigh Knaub, 16, Debary, Florida - The No. 11-ranked player in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Knaub won the Dustin Johnson World Junior in March of this year. She also recorded a pair of top-3 finishes at the Polo Golf Junior Classic (T-3) and the Pete & Alice Dye Junior Invitational (2).
Yana Wilson, 16, Henderson, Nevada - The No. 2-ranked player in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Wilson recently finished T-2 at the 2023 Junior PGA Championship. Earlier this summer, she finished runner-up at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and won the Mizuho Americas Open.
Boys
Jackson Byrd, 17, Saint Simons Island, Georgia - The son of five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd, Jackson is coming off a runner-up finish at the 2023 Junior PGA Championship. He currently ranks 64th on the Rolex AJGA rankings.
Billy Davis, 17, Spring Valley, California - The fifth-ranked player on the Rolex AJGA rankings, Davis joins his twin sister, Anna, on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team. The Auburn University commit won the 2023 Mayakoba Invitational and is fresh off a tie for second at the 2023 Junior PGA Championship.
Nicholas Gross, 16, Downingtown, Pennsylvania - Currently ranked No. 7 on the Rolex AJGA Rankings and committed to the University of Alabama, Gross won the 2023 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods. The 2022 First-Team Rolex Junior All-American finished T-3 at the 2023 Polo Golf Junior Classic.
Will Hartman, 17, Marvin, North Carolina - The 14th-ranked junior on the Rolex AJGA rankings, Hartman won the 28th annual Bobby Chapman in October 2022. He finished T-5 at the 2023 Junior PGA Championship and T-3 at the 2023 United States Junior Amateur Championship.
Jay Leng Jr., 17, San Diego, California - A 2022 First-Team Rolex Junior All-American, Leng Jr. currently ranks fourth in the Rolex AJGA rankings. The Stanford University commit won the 2022 PING Invitational and the 2023 Polo Golf Junior Classic and boasts four other top-five finishes since August 2022. He was also a member of Team California that won the 2018 PGA Jr. League Championship.
Miles Russell, 14, Jacksonville Beach, Florida - Russell currently ranks second in the Rolex AJGA rankings following his seven-shot win at the 2023 Junior PGA Championship. After winning the TaylorMade TP5 Junior All-Star and Moon Golf Junior All-Star in April, he finished as the runner-up at the Team TaylorMade Invitational in May. Russell won the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship as part of Team North Carolina in 2022.
Golf Nazionale will be the venue for the first two days of foursomes and fourballs on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and Wednesday, Sept. 27. The competition will then move to Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, the site of the 2023 Ryder Cup, on the eve of the Ryder Cup, Thursday, Sept. 28.
The 2023 edition of the Junior Ryder Cup marks the first time the event will take place over three days instead of two, with the Ryder Cup venue hosting the decisive singles matches.
The U.S. Team, which is seeking its seventh straight victory and owns a 7-3-1 all-time record in the biennial competition, features six boys and six girls who are U.S. citizens and members of the high school graduating class of 2024 or younger.
This year’s roster includes 2023 Junior PGA Championship winners Gianna Clemente (Estero, Florida) and Miles Russell (Jacksonville Beach, Florida), as well as twins Anna and Billy Davis (Spring Valley, California). Additionally, five 2022 Rolex Junior All-America team selections are on the roster.
Major champions, PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour players are among the notable Junior Ryder Cup alumni including: Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang, Yealimi Noh and Brittany Altomare of the United States; and Rory McIllroy, Nicolas Colsaerts, Suzann Pettersen, Emily Pedersen and Carlota Ciganda of Europe.
U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team
Girls
Leigh Chien, 17, Irvine, California - Currently No. 8 in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Chien recorded T-3 finishes at the 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior in July and the Fortinet Girls Invitational at Stanford in February. The two-time First-Team Rolex Junior All-American finished T-2 at the Rolex Tournament of Champions in 2022.
Kylie Chong, 17, Torrance, California - The 24th-ranked player in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Chong has collected a trio of top-3 finishes this summer. She won the AJGA Junior at Hot Springs before finishing T-3 at the Polo Golf Junior Classic and most recently recorded a T-2 result at the Junior PGA Championship. Additionally, Chong finished seventh at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship in June.
Gianna Clemente, 15, Estero, Florida - The top-ranked player in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Clemente won the 2023 Junior PGA Championship by three strokes earlier this month. The two-time First-Team Rolex Junior All-American finished T-3 at the 74th U.S. Girls’ Junior in July and won the 2022 PING Invitational.
Anna Davis, 17, Spring Valley, California - Currently No. 4 in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Davis joins her twin brother, Billy, on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team, and is the lone returning member from the 2021 team. The Auburn University commit boasts wins at the 2023 Jr. Orange Bowl International Golf Championship and 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. The two-time First-Team Rolex Junior All-American also won the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Ryleigh Knaub, 16, Debary, Florida - The No. 11-ranked player in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Knaub won the Dustin Johnson World Junior in March of this year. She also recorded a pair of top-3 finishes at the Polo Golf Junior Classic (T-3) and the Pete & Alice Dye Junior Invitational (2).
Yana Wilson, 16, Henderson, Nevada - The No. 2-ranked player in the Rolex AJGA rankings, Wilson recently finished T-2 at the 2023 Junior PGA Championship. Earlier this summer, she finished runner-up at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and won the Mizuho Americas Open.
Boys
Jackson Byrd, 17, Saint Simons Island, Georgia - The son of five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd, Jackson is coming off a runner-up finish at the 2023 Junior PGA Championship. He currently ranks 64th on the Rolex AJGA rankings.
Billy Davis, 17, Spring Valley, California - The fifth-ranked player on the Rolex AJGA rankings, Davis joins his twin sister, Anna, on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team. The Auburn University commit won the 2023 Mayakoba Invitational and is fresh off a tie for second at the 2023 Junior PGA Championship.
Nicholas Gross, 16, Downingtown, Pennsylvania - Currently ranked No. 7 on the Rolex AJGA Rankings and committed to the University of Alabama, Gross won the 2023 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods. The 2022 First-Team Rolex Junior All-American finished T-3 at the 2023 Polo Golf Junior Classic.
Will Hartman, 17, Marvin, North Carolina - The 14th-ranked junior on the Rolex AJGA rankings, Hartman won the 28th annual Bobby Chapman in October 2022. He finished T-5 at the 2023 Junior PGA Championship and T-3 at the 2023 United States Junior Amateur Championship.
Jay Leng Jr., 17, San Diego, California - A 2022 First-Team Rolex Junior All-American, Leng Jr. currently ranks fourth in the Rolex AJGA rankings. The Stanford University commit won the 2022 PING Invitational and the 2023 Polo Golf Junior Classic and boasts four other top-five finishes since August 2022. He was also a member of Team California that won the 2018 PGA Jr. League Championship.
Miles Russell, 14, Jacksonville Beach, Florida - Russell currently ranks second in the Rolex AJGA rankings following his seven-shot win at the 2023 Junior PGA Championship. After winning the TaylorMade TP5 Junior All-Star and Moon Golf Junior All-Star in April, he finished as the runner-up at the Team TaylorMade Invitational in May. Russell won the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship as part of Team North Carolina in 2022.
About the Junior Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup-style matches between 12-person junior teams from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland. Format includes foursomes, mixed four-ball and singles competition. The United States Junior Ryder Cup Team consists of six boys and six girls ...
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