Logan Reilly, Mason Howell, Jake Albert (AJGA Photo)
Jake Albert of Blacksburg, Virginia, Mason Howell of Thomasville, Georgia, and Logan Reilly of Lovettsville, Virginia, hold the lead at 3-under-par 69 after the first round of The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex.
Albert, a verbal commit to Auburn University, had five birdies and an eagle on the par-5 No. 9. Ranked at No. 43 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, the class of 2025 junior won The Lanto Junior Championship this June and was a co-runner-up at the Boy's Junior PGA Championship in July.
"I got off to a good start," Albert said. "I made two birdies in the first four holes which got the momentum going for the day. I strung together a few good iron shots, which helped set up my birdies. On No. 9, I chipped in for eagle from thirty yards away."
Howell is currently ranked at No. 14 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and had five birdies today. He made back-to-back birdies on the par-4 No. 12 and the par-3 No. 13. He has had a couple of top finishes this summer. In the month of June, he was the runner-up at the Wyndham Invitational presented by Odyssey and the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic.
"This summer has been really good, but I haven't been able to pick up a win so that's definitely my goal this week," Howell said. "I don't want to put too much pressure on myself, but I know if I play my game, I'm good enough to get a win."
Reilly had the most birdies out of the trio, with six on the day. He birdied three of the last four holes to jump up the leaderboard. Reilly is also a verbal commit to Auburn University and is currently ranked at No. 20 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
He started the summer with a win at the Scott Robertson Memorial and a top-three finish at the Team TaylorMade Invitational.
"It was honestly a pretty stress-free day," Reilly said. "I did everything well. There is a lot of golf to be played, but to put yourself in position on the first day is great."
Thanks to a longtime partnership between the PGA TOUR and the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), 78 of the world's top-ranked male junior golfers, invited through the Rolex AJGA Rankings, will compete in a 54-hole, stroke-play event mirroring THE PLAYERS Championship setup and hole locations.
The 18th annual Junior PLAYERS Championship, presented by Rolex, showcases the best of the next generation of future college and professional stars. To date, 61 past players have graduated to play in the PGA TOUR's PLAYERS Championship. Justin Thomas became the first Junior PLAYERS Championship alumni to win the professional event in 2021.
He competed as a junior in 2008 and 2009. Scottie Scheffler was the second Junior PLAYERS competitor to win The PLAYERS in 2023 after competing three years in the event as a junior and being named the AJGA's 2013 Rolex Junior Player of the Year. Scheffler won the event again in 2024.
Representatives from 12 foreign countries are competing in one of the AJGA’s annual top fields, which features 13 of the top 20 boys in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
Behind the leaders, Jessy Huebner of Port St Lucie, Florida, Brooks Simmons of Dallas, Texas, Samuel Gonzalez of Manizales, Colombia, and Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, round out the top five. Huebner made a birdie on the par-4 No. 15 and an eagle on the par-5 No. 16.
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One of the AJGA series of tournaments that
require an invitation to participate. Format is
54 holes of stroke play.
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