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Round One Starting Times & Pairings
Tournament Facts:
About the Tournament: The Northern Junior Championship is a nationally ranked junior golf tournament that was created in order to provide the highest level of competition for top junior players. The 36-hole stroke play event is contested over two days at New Haven Country Club in Hamden, Connecticut and is open to amateur boys and girls under the age of 19 who have not entered their first year of college. Our goal is to provide the same first-class championship experience and red-carpet treatment offered at the highest level of junior and amateur events around the world.
Eligibility: The Northern Junior is open to amateur Boys and Girls who have not reached their 19th birthday before August 4th, 2021, and who have not fully enrolled in their first year of college.
Format: All players will play 18-holes of stroke play on Tuesday, August 3rd and Wednesday, August 4th at New Haven Country Club in Hamden, Connecticut. Tee times will run from 7:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. both days, and the low 36-hole competitor in the Boys and Girls Championship will be declared the respective Champion. There will be an awards ceremony and trophy presentation following the conclusion of play on Wednesday at approximately 6:15 p.m.
Who’s Here: The field of 111 players consists of 78 Boys Competitors and 33 Girls Competitors. The average age of the field is 16.3 years of age.
States Represented: 26 states, provinces and countries are being represented. They are: Arizona, Bermuda, California, Canada (Ontario & Quebec), China, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hong Kong, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Connecticut has the most players of any state, with a total of 22 players seeking to capture the Northern Junior title in their home state.
Breakdown by Graduation Year: Of the 111 competitors, below is the breakdown by high school graduation year:
2021 – 30 players
2022 – 34 players
2023 – 30 players
2024 – 7 Players
2025 – 8 Players
2026 – 1 Player
2027 – 1 Player
What’s at Stake: In addition to national exposure to college coaches across the country, both the Boys and Girls Champion will receive numerous tournament invitations and exemptions. The Boys Champion will receive invites to the International Junior Masters (Aurora, NY), Southern Junior (Charleston, SC), Northern Amateur (Chesterton, IN), Hudson Junior (Hudson, OH), Hope Valley Junior Invitational (Durham, NC) and Barbasol Junior Championship (Nicholasville, KY). The Girls Champion will receive an invitation to the Women’s Western Junior (Aurora, IL) and Hope Valley Junior Invitational (Durham, NC). Top finishers in the Boys and Girls Championship will also receive AJGA performance stars.
Player Storylines:
Defending Champion: Benjamin James of Milford, Connecticut returns to the Northern Junior seeking to become the first player in tournament history to win the championship three times. James, the 2018 and 2019 Northern Junior Champion, is the defending champion, as the 2020 Northern Junior was cancelled due to COVID-19. The 2019 Girls Champion, Emma Shen, was unable to play and will not be defending her title.
Seven of the top ten ranked Boys from Connecticut are competing in the 2021 Northern Junior Championship. They are (in order of ranking):
– Benjamin James – Milford, Conn. (2022)
– Jackson Roman – Kensington, Conn. (2021)
– Christopher Pieper – Woodbury, Conn. (2022)
– Will Lodge – Darien, Conn. (2021)
– Jacob Lindsay – Berlin, Conn. (2021)
– Bradley Sawka – Ellington, Conn. (2023)
– Charlie Duffy – Bridgeport, Conn. (2022)
Two of the top four Girls from Connecticut are competing in the 2019 Northern Junior Championship. They are (in order of ranking):
– Sophia Sarrazin – Westport, Conn. (2022)
– Mia Scarpati – Norwalk, Conn. (2021)
Benjamin James of Milford, Connecticut enters the championship as the highest ranked competitor in the Boys Championship (#2). James has had a remarkable 2021 season to date, having captured both the Scott Robertson Memorial and Team TaylorMade Invitational, as well as a runner-up finish at the Polo Golf Junior Classic and Boys Junior PGA Championship.
Jieming Yang of Orlando, Florida is the highest ranked competitor in the Girls Championship (#84). Originally from China, Yang has been a model of consistency over the past year, compiling four top-5 finishes in AJGA Championships and a runner-up finish at the Doral/Publix Junior Classic.
In addition to those players who gained entry by virtue of previous accomplishments, a total of 18 boys and 8 girls gained entry into the championship through one of two qualifying sites:
At Connecticut National Golf Club, John Soltys (Ware, Mass.) was the medalist for the Boys Championship with a round of 72, and Kaitlyn Doe (Waban, Mass.) was the medalist for the Girls Championship with a round of 73. At age 12, Doe will be the youngest player in the Northern Junior field.
At Whitney Farms GC, Michael Ostrower (New York, N.Y.) was the medalist for the Boys Championship and Emma Lee (Scarsdale, N.Y.) was the medalist for the Girls Championship, both with rounds of 71. Earlier this year, Ostrower shot an opening round of 62 at the Metropolitan PGA Future Series at Bethpage, setting the lowest score ever recorded in a Metropolitan PGA junior event.
There are one pair of siblings competing in the 2021 Northern Junior Championship – Gianna and Vincenza “Vinny” Papa (Foster, R.I.).
Elias Kennon of Old Greenwich, Conn. is coming into the Northern Junior fresh off a victory at the AJGA Junior Golf Hub Championship presented by the John D. Mineck Foundation. Kennon shot a 2nd round 62 en-route to a three round total of nine under-par and a one stroke victory at Chicopee Country Club.
Both the Boys and Girls Champion from the 2020 Borck Junior are in the field for the Northern Junior Championship – Mia Scarpati of Norwalk, Conn. and Jackson Roman of Berlin, Conn. Scarpati defeated the defending champion and 2020 Connecticut Women’s Amateur Champion Sophia Sarrazin of Westport, Conn., who is also in the Northern Junior field. Roman’s victory at the 2020 Borck Junior capped off a summer in which he won the AJGA Junior Golf Hub Championship and the U.S. Challenge Cup Championship.
James Key of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. enters the Northern Junior as the reigning South Florida Junior PGA champion. His father, Jimmy Key, is a retired MLB starting pitcher who won the 1992 World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays and the 1996 World Series with the New York Yankees.
A pair of Drive Chip and Putt Champions are in the field in Zachary Colon of Bolton, Mass. (2017 Boys 12-13 division Champion) and Sophia Li of New York, N.Y. (2019 Girls 10-11 division Champion).
Luke Muller of Fort Thomas, Ky. & Claira Beth Ramsey of Richmond, Ky. are both making their first appearance at the Northern Junior Championship, having earned their place in the field by winning their respective 2021 Kentucky Junior Amateur Championships.
Angelina Kim of Tenafly, New Jersey won the AJGA Golf Performance Center Junior Open last fall, which was played at Richter Park Golf Course in Danbury, Connecticut.
Matthew Downes of Kensington, Conn. & Laniah Moffett of Waterbury, Conn. are making their Northern Junior debut by virtue of winning the inaugural Northeast Junior Swing conducted by the Connecticut PGA.
Championship Schedule
Monday, August 2nd
9:30 a.m. – Official Practice Rounds
Beginning at 6:00 p.m. – Players Welcome Reception, Dinner, Long Drive Contest and Ryan Lee Scholarship Presentation
Tuesday, August 3rd
First Round of Stroke Play
7:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Starting Times (All play will be in threesomes)
5:30 p.m. – Mini-Golf Putting Contest
Wednesday, August 4th
Second Round of Stroke Play
7:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Starting Times (Players will be paired by score, with leaders going off last. All play will be in threesomes.)
6:15 p.m. – Awards Ceremony and Trophy Presentation
Social Media: In addition to full championship coverage on our website at NorthernJunior.com, players and spectators can join the conversation using the hashtag #NorthernJunior.
– Like Us on Facebook at Facebook.com/NorthernJunior
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