Each year, we look forward to welcoming families to Connecticut and providing an experience unlike any other in junior golf. However, the health and safety of our players, families, volunteers and golf course staff was the primary focus for the decision. Current state guidelines in Connecticut prohibit gathering of 50 or more individuals, hotels remain closed to non-essential travel, and restaurants remain limited to restricted capacity.

We realize this decision will leave many junior golfers disappointed, and we hope that you understand that this decision was made out of the care and concern for the welfare of our players, their families and everyone involved in conducting the championship. It is truly heartbreaking to all of us that we will not be able to conduct this year’s Northern Junior.

The 2021 Northern Junior Championship will be contested on August 2nd – 4th at New Haven Country Club in Hamden, Connecticut. 

The Tournament Committee of the Northern Junior Championship

2020 Tournament and Qualifier Applications will be available on Sunday, March 1st

Built along the banks of the Housatonic River, Great River Golf Club is widely regarded as one of the top golf courses in New England. The championship layout was designed by Tom Fazio and opened for play in 2000. It has been ranked among the top 100 in Golf Digest and receives numerous accolades each year for its design and condition. The layout has a unique blend of parkland and links-style holes that provides a challenging, yet fair test of the players’ abilities.

2020 will mark the second time that Great River Golf Club will host the Northern Junior, having previously hosted the championship in 2018.

“We are truly excited to be returning to Great River Golf Club for the 2020 Northern Junior,” said Tournament Director Brent Paladino. “We are thankful for their continued support and look forward to making this year’s championship a special one for the players and their families.”

Last year, the Northern Junior featured its strongest field to date, as 117 players from twenty-five different states and provinces gathered at New Haven Country Cub. Top ranked junior golfers Benjamin James of Milford, Connecticut and Emma Shen of Tenafly, New Jersey captured the title in their respective divisions. James, currently ranked in the top 10 of the Rolex AJGA Rankings, will be looking to etch his name in history as the first player to capture the title three times.

The tournament is conducted each year in memory of Stan Trojanowski, father of Cindy and Gary Trojanowski. A golfer himself, his personality and willingness to help others will never be forgotten in the people he met both on and off the golf course. The Northern Junior was established in 2002 in memory of his death on August 21st, 2001.

Championship Schedule

Sunday, March 1st
Tournament Applications Available

Sunday, June 28th
Tournament Application Deadline

Qualifier Dates & Sites will be announced shortly

Monday, July 27th

Official Practice Rounds

Players Welcome Reception and Ryan Lee Scholarship Presentation 

Tuesday, July 28th

First Round of Stroke Play

Mini-Golf Putting Contest & Ice Cream Social

Wednesday, July 29th

Second Round of Stroke Play

Awards Ceremony and Trophy Presentation

Click here for Round One Results

Click here for Round Two Starting Times

Photos: Day One | Practice Rounds

Note: Due to the likelihood of severe weather on Wednesday afternoon, the Tournament Committee has decided to do a split tee start from 7:00 a.m. – 9:13 a.m. off both the #1 and #10 tees.

Links: Tournament Field | 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 that the best national events around the country offer.

Eligibility: The Northern Junior is open to amateur Boys and Girls who have not reached their 19th birthday before August 7th, 2019, 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 6th and Wednesday, August 7th at New Haven Country Club in Hamden, Conn. 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 120 players consists of 87 Boys Competitors and 33 Girls Competitors. The average age of the field is 16.2 years of age.

States Represented: 25 states, provinces and countries are being represented. They are: Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, China, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Philippines, Macau and New Zealand. Connecticut has the most players of any state, with a total of 26 players seeking to capture the Northern Junior title in their home state.

Breakdown by Graduation Year: Of the 120 competitors, below is the breakdown by high school graduation year:

2019 – 26 players

2020 – 35 players

2021 – 36 players

2022 – 17 players

2023 – 4 players

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), Bobby Chapman Invitational (Spartanburg, SC), North and South Junior (Pinehurst, NC), Southern Junior (Fayetteville, AR), Northern Amateur (Chesterton, IN) and Barbasol Junior Championship (Nicholasville, KY). The Girls Champion will receive an invitation North and South Junior (Pinehurst, NC). Top finishers in the Boys and Girls Championship will also receive AJGA performance stars.

Player Storylines:

Defending Champion: There has only been one player in Northern Junior tournament history to successfully defend their title (Ryan Lee 2007-08), and Benjamin James of Milford, Connecticut will be hoping to equal that feat. James, who is the highest ranked player in the field (#39 in the country), won by one stroke over Christopher Fosdick of Middlefield, Conn., who is also competing in this year’s Northern Junior.

The 2018 Girls Champion, Kyra Cox, is unable to defend her title as she recently finished her freshman year at Furman University. However, the 2017 Girls Champion, Madeline Jin, is returning to New Haven Country Club with hopes of finishing her junior career on a high note. In 2017, Jin shot rounds of 72-70–142 (+2) to win the title by two shots.

Six of the top nine ranked Boys from Connecticut are competing in the 2019 Northern Junior Championship. They are (in order of ranking):

– Benjamin James – Milford, Conn. (2022)

– Christopher Fosdick – Middlefield, Conn. (2019)

– Tommy Dallahan – Simsbury, Conn. (2019)

– Alex Aurora – Hamden, Conn. (2019)

– Matthew Doyle – Madison, Conn. (2021)

– Connor Belcastro – Rowayton, Conn. (2019)

Five of the top seven Girls from Connecticut are competing in the 2019 Northern Junior Championship. They are (in order of ranking):

– Katie Dzialga – Greenwich, Conn. (2021)

– Alexsandra Lapple – Ridgefield, Conn. (2023)

– Sophia Sarrazin  – Westport, Conn. (2022)

– Sydney Nethercott – Greenwich, Conn. (2020)

– Emily Cohen – Darien, Conn. (2019)

Benjamin James (#39) and Christopher Fosdick (#41) are the two highest ranked players in the field, and both return to this year’s tournament with impressive resumes. James recently finished ninth in the Junior PGA Championship, which was held at Keney Park Golf Course in Hartford, Conn. and finished third in the Connecticut Open Championship just a few weeks ago. Fosdick, who will begin his collegiate career this fall at Florida Southern College, also made the cut at the Junior PGA Championship and finished third in the Scott Robertson Memorial earlier this summer.

Jessica Huang of Auckland, New Zealand, is the highest ranked competitor in the Girls Championship (#139). Huang represented New Zealand in the 2019 Women’s Asia Pacific Amateur and recently captured the New Jersey Junior PGA Championship. She also has the longest journey of any competitor in the field – an estimated 9,005 miles from her home country of New Zealand.

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 Agawam Hunt Club, Raymond Dennehy (Princeton, Mass.) was the medalist for the Boys Championship, and Kaitlyn Washburn (Scituate, Mass.) was the medalist for the Girls Championship. Dennehy’s round of 68 included a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th.

At Whitney Farms GC, Kaijun Ma (Macau) and Mitchell Schwab (Westport, Conn.) were the co-medalists for the Boys Championship and Maya Beasley (Croton on Hudson, N.Y.) was the medalist for the Girls Championship.

There are two pairs of siblings competing in the 2019 Northern Junior Championship:

– Mong and Un Ning (Macau)

– Chris and Michael Walsh (Katonah, N.Y.)

Diego Saavedra-Davila was the 2018 Puerto Rican Junior Golfer of the Year. Earlier this year, he finished sixth at the AJGA Preview at Chateau Elan, and is the first player from Puerto Rico to compete in the Northern Junior Championship.

Katie Dzialga (Greenwich, Conn.) has  had quite a summer, having recently won the New York City Championship and the Bethpage Spring Challenge, and made the cut at the 44th Junior Girls PGA Championship.

Alejandro Alonso (Spring, Texas) recently captured the FCG Callaway World Championship with rounds of 68-67-66 at Mission Hills Country Club (Rancho Mirage, Calif.). He is currently ranked #151 in the country and is competing in his first Northern Junior Championship.

Katie Li of Basking Ridge, N.J. is fresh off a victory at the AJGA Junior at Southpointe, where she shot rounds of 70-73-73 to win by three shots.

Alex Aurora of Hamden, Conn. is a hometown favorite, as he lives just a few miles from New Haven Country Club. Aurora made the cut this past week at the Junior PGA Championship and finished 16th in last year’s Northern Junior Championship

Malini Rudra of Syosset, N.Y. finished runner-up in last year and captured the U.S. Challenge Cup Junior Invitational this spring. This will be her final chance at the title, as she is committed to play collegiate golf at Williams College.

Julian Nirmal of Wallingford, Conn. will be representing the host club as the New Haven CC Junior Club Champion. He will be competing in his second Northern Junior and hopes to become the first player since Ryan Lee (2008) to win the tournament at their home course.

Jared Walter (South Windsor, Conn.) and Maggie Montalto (Rocky Hill, Conn.) both secured their spots in the field with their respective victories at the Ryan T. Lee Junior Open at Timberlin Golf Club, a tournament named in honor of 2007-08 Northern Junior Champion Ryan Lee.

Margot Osterman of Scituate, Mass. is a two-time USA National Alpine Snowboard Champion.

Championship Schedule

Monday, August 5th

9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Official Practice Rounds

Beginning at 5:30 p.m. – Players Welcome Reception, Dinner, Long Drive Contest and Ryan Lee Scholarship Presentation

Tuesday, August 6th

First Round of Stroke Play

7:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Starting Times (All play will be in threesomes)

6:00 p.m. – Mini-Golf Putting Contest

Wednesday, August 7th

Second Round of Stroke Play

7:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Starting Times (Players will be re-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

– Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @NorthernJunior