The 50th Junior PGA Championships began Tuesday at Fields Ranch East and West in Frisco, drawing 312 amateur golfers from across the United States. Among the competitors are 27 players from the host Northern Texas PGA Section, comprising 13 girls and 14 boys. They join top-ranked athletes from other regions, including Charlie Woods, the son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods.
The four-day, 72-hole tournament runs through Friday. It marks the first time the final two rounds will be streamed live on the PGA of America's YouTube channel. Broadcasts begin Thursday at 3 p.m. CDT and continue Friday at 11 a.m. CDT until the trophy presentation. Bryan Fenley will host from PGA of America Studios, with analysts Ewan Porter and Lauren Withrow providing commentary.
Eligibility for the event is restricted to amateurs aged 18 or younger as of July 31. Participants qualified through a PGA of America Section Championship or earned an exemption. The tournament has previously featured future stars such as Tiger Woods, Rose Zhang, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Lexi Thompson, Yuka Saso, Scottie Scheffler, Akshay Bhatia, and Inbee Park.
The 156-player field in the girls and boys divisions competes concurrently. The first two rounds take place across both Fields Ranch courses before the players shift exclusively to Fields Ranch East for the weekend. A 36-hole cut reduces the field to the low 60 scorers and ties on Wednesday, followed by a 54-hole cut to the low 30 scorers and ties on Thursday.
The Northern Texas contingent includes girls Gia Ahlowalia, Delaney Anderson, Serina Armendariz, Riya Bapna, Elizabeth Bellendir, Alivia Bravo, Kenzi Cho, Tiara Dhir, Eileen Lee, Lois Lee, Megan Lee, Emma Nguyen, and Jianne No. The boys from the section are Rishi Bapna, Knox Barnard, Wyatt Brindza, Miles Cooper, Wilson Kidwell, Henry Kim, Ryan Lee, Jack Lyssy, Rafe O'Rear, Lincoln Rubis, Zachary Rubis, Andrew Scott, Brayden Verret, and Tripp Waller.
