John Daniel Culbreth (Jones Cup Photo)

The Georgia commit finished T3 last year behind the 2023 Alabama State Amateur winner, Tyler Watts.

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Culbreth carded a first-round bogey-free 4-under 66 to co-lead with Preston Hage of Raleigh, N.C., and Nathan Miller of Dallas, Tex. Hage finished in solo second place at 6-under and two shots back of Culbreth.

Giuseppe Puebla of West Palm Beach, Fla., finished in solo third place at 2-under. Cam Kuchar of Jupiter, Fla., son of Matt Kuchar, finished in solo fourth place at 1-under. These were the only four golfers under par for the championship.

According to Georgia Athletics, Culbreth is ranked 11th on the Junior Golf Scoreboard. He has six top-ten finishes in invitational tournaments under his belt, including a win at the 2023 Sea Pines Junior Heritage, a third-place finish at the 2023 Jones Cup Junior Invitational, and fourth-place finishes in the 2023 Bobby Chapman and 2024 Wyndham Invitational. 

As a member of the Brookwood School golf team, he has won three GIAA AAA state championships. In the 2024 state tournament, he was the low medalist, shooting 8-under 64.

The Jones Cup Junior Invitational follows in the footsteps of the Jones Cup Invitational. The tournament features the nation’s top male junior golfers ages 15-18.

The winner of the 54-hole stroke play competition receives an exemption to participate in the heralded Jones Cup Invitational, which typically features a diverse international field.

Past champions include Tyler Watts, Maxwell Ford, William Moll, and Matt Nesmith.