Top junior girls of 2012: No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn simply dominates
From Ariya Jutanugarn's dominating performance at the Concession Golf Club to her older sister Moriya making her way through LPGA Q-School, 2012 was a year to remember for girls junior golf.
Over the course of 10 days, we will bring you the top 10 players of the year starting at No. 10 and ending with the player who we think had the most impressive season.
Who's No. 1? None other than Thailand native Ariya Jutanugarn.
Check out the full series by clicking here.
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1. Ariya Jutanugarn (Bangkok, Thailand)
The resume: She was the 2012 Rolex Player of the Year and was named a first team Rolex Junior All-America. She finished the season at No. 1 in the Golfweek girls junior rankings. Jutanugarn won the Junior PGA Championship, the Thunderbird International Junior and the Rolex Girls Junior Championship by an 18-shot margin. She was a semifinalist at both the U.S. Girls’ Junior (stroke-play medalist, too) and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships. She won the AJGA Polo Junior Golf Classic (stroke play co-medalist honors, too).
Commentary: Without question, Jutanugarn was the No. 1 player in girl’s junior golf this year. The way she dominated fields was ...
Top junior girls of 2012: No. 2 Alison Lee
From Ariya Jutanugarn's dominating performance at the Concession Golf Club to her older sister Moriya making her way through LPGA Q-School, 2012 was a year to remember for girls junior golf.
Over the course of 10 days, we will bring you the top 10 players of the year starting at No. 10 and ending with the player who we think had the most impressive season.
Who's No. 2? None other than California native Alison Lee.
Check out the full series by clicking here.
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2. Alison Lee (Valencia, Calif.)
The resume: Lee had four top-five AJGA finishes in the 2012 season, including wins at the Annika Invitational and The Ping Invitational. The first team Rolex All-America finished No. 2 in the Golfweek girls junior rankings. In USGA championships, she was runner-up at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, was one of three amateurs to make the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open and made it to match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. She represented Team USA at the Junior Ryder Cup and played on the West Team for the AJGA Wyndham Cup.
Commentary: If you could say there is a first second place winner, A ...
Top junior girls of 2012: No. 3 Casey Danielson
From Ariya Jutanugarn's dominating performance at the Concession Golf Club to her older sister Moriya making her way through LPGA Q-School, 2012 was a year to remember for girls junior golf.
Over the course of 10 days, we will bring you the top 10 players of the year starting at No. 10 and ending with the player who we think had the most impressive season.
Who's No. 3? None other than Wisconsin native Casey Danielson.
Check out the full series by clicking here.
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3. Casey Danielson (Osceola, Wis.)
The resume: Danielson, who finished No. 3 in the Golfweek girls junior rankings, had five top-10 finishes in the AJGA in 2012. She was a Rolex Junior All-America as she helped Team USA win the Junior Ryder Cup and the East Team claim the AJGA Wyndham Cup. She was a quarterfinalist at the Polo Junior Golf Classic and made it to the round of 16 at the U.S Girls’ Junior Championship. She also represented the USA at the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy in Scotland.
Commentary: This is your All-American girl right here. If you needed to pick someone to represent your country, Danielson would be the one ...
Top junior girls of 2012: No. 4 Ashlan Ramsey
From Ariya Jutanugarn's dominating performance at the Concession Golf Club to her older sister Moriya making her way through LPGA Q-School, 2012 was a year to remember for girls junior golf.
Over the course of 10 days, we will bring you the top 10 players of the year starting at No. 10 and ending with the player who we think had the most impressive season.
Who's No. 4? None other than Georgia native Ashlan Ramsey.
Check out the full series by clicking here.
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4. Ashlan Ramsey (Milledgeville, Ga.)
The resume: The U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links runner-up, finished No. 5 in the Golfweek girls junior rankings. Ramsey finished in the round of 32 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur. The first team Rolex Junior All-America had six top-10 finishes in the AJGA. She was also the runner-up at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship.
Commentary: I got the chance to watch Ramsey play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in June. Her nickname is the ‘Silent Assassin’ on the course and you can see why. She stays very quite and keeps to herself most of the time on ...
Top junior girls of 2012: No. 5 Nicole Morales
From Ariya Jutanugarn's dominating performance at the Concession Golf Club to her older sister Moriya making her way through LPGA Q-School, 2012 was a year to remember for girls junior golf.
Over the course of 10 days, we will bring you the top 10 players of the year starting at No. 10 and ending with the player who we think had the most impressive season.
Who's No. 5? None other than New York native Nicole Morales.
Check out the full series by clicking here.
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5. Nicole Morales (South Salem, N.Y.)
The resume: Morales, who finished No. 8 in the Golfweek girls junior rankings, had four AJGA top-10 finishes, including a win at the Genesis Junior Open and a runner-up finish at the TaylorMade-adidias Golf Junior at Innisbrook hosted by Sean O’Hair. Morales finished as a semifinalist at the Polo Junior Golf Classic and made the round of 32 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. The first team Rolex Junior All-America represented the East Team at the AJGA Wyndham Cup.
Commentary: The feisty New Yorker had her biggest summer of her junior career, which probably carried over from her 2011 Polo Junior Golf Classic win. Her ...
Top junior girls of 2012: No. 6 Annie Park
From Ariya Jutanugarn's dominating performance at the Concession Golf Club to her older sister Moriya making her way through LPGA Q-School, 2012 was a year to remember for girls junior golf.
Over the course of 10 days, we will bring you the top 10 players of the year starting at No. 10 and ending with the player who we think had the most impressive season.
Who's No. 6? None other than New York native Annie Park.
Check out the full series by clicking here.
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6. Annie Park (Levittown, N.Y.)
The resume: No. 11 in the Golfweek girls junior rankings, Park was a 2012 quarterfinalist at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. She finished twice inside the top-five in the 2012 AJGA season, including a runner-up finish at The Ping Invitational. A second team Rolex Junior All-America, she made it to match play at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and played on the East Team at the Wyndham Cup.
Commentary: Another good player I got to watch at the Women’s Pub Links. Her game is solid, all-around, and will help the University of Southern California women’s team come January (she is graduating ...
Top junior girls of 2012: No. 7 Karen Chung
From Ariya Jutanugarn's dominating performance at the Concession Golf Club to her older sister Moriya making her way through LPGA Q-School, 2012 was a year to remember for girls junior golf.
Over the course of 10 days, we will bring you the top 10 players of the year starting at No. 10 and ending with the player who we think had the most impressive season.
Who's No. 7? None other than New Jersey native Karen Chung.
Check out the full series by clicking here.
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7. Karen Chung (Livingston, N.J.)
The resume: Team USA Junior Ryder Cup player, Chung, had three top-10 AJGA finishes, including a runner-up finish at the Rolex Tournament of Champions. She also represented the East Team at the Wyndham Cup. No. 12 Golfweek girls junior rankings, Chung made it to the round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and the U.S. Women’s Amateur championships. She made match play at the U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Commentary: Chung’s highlights were her runner-up at Rolex TOC and Rolex Girls Junior Championship. She may have been lower on the list if it hadn’t been for her play at the ...
Top junior girls of 2012: No. 8 Sam Wagner
From Ariya Jutanugarn's dominating performance at the Concession Golf Club to her older sister Moriya making her way through LPGA Q-School, 2012 was a year to remember for girls junior golf.
Over the course of 10 days, we will bring you the top 10 players of the year starting at No. 10 and ending with the player who we think had the most impressive season.
Who's No. 8? None other than Florida native Sam Wagner.
Check out the full series by clicking here.
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8. Sam Wagner (Windermere, Fla.)
The resume: The first-team Rolex Junior All-America, Wagner, represented Team USA at the Junior Ryder Cup and the East Team at the Wyndham Cup. No. 14 in the Golfweek girls junior rankings, she had seven top-20 finishes on the AJGA, including a victory at the Exide Technologies Junior Open presented by Mizuno. She finished runner-up at the Junior PGA Championship.
Commentary: The Class of 2015 star has a lot of game for such a young gun. She both succeeded and faltered in her first tournament of the year; her second round of the Annika Invitational was a 67, her final round was a 81. But her win at the Exide ...
Top junior girls of 2012: No. 9 Moriya Jutanugarn
From Ariya Jutanugarn's dominating performance at the Concession Golf Club to her older sister Moriya making her way through LPGA Q-School, 2012 was a year to remember for girls junior golf.
Over the course of 10 days, we will bring you the top 10 players of the year starting at No. 10 and ending with the player who we think had the most impressive season.
Who's No. 9? None other than Thai sensation Moriya Jutanugarn, who has turned pro and won LPGA Q-School two weeks ago.
Check out the full series by clicking here.
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9. Moriya Jutanugarn (Bangkok, Thailand)
The resume: Jutanugarn, winner of the 2012 Scott Robertson Memorial Tournament, played in the U.S. Women’s Open. She had two AJGA top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship. Jutanugarn made it to match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Commentary: Tough to put her this low on the list, but she didn’t play too many junior events to rank her higher. When she did, she was a threat on the course. She defended her title at the Scott Robertson Memorial Tournament, and got the chance to play in the U ...
Top junior girls of 2012: No. 10 Esther Lee
From Ariya Jutanugarn's dominating performance at the Concession Golf Club to her older sister Moriya making her way through LPGA Q-School, 2012 was a year to remember for girls junior golf.
Over the course of 10 days, we will bring you the top 10 players of the year starting at No. 10 and ending with the player who we think had the most impressive season.
Who's No. 10? None other than California native Esther Lee. And, for a bonus today, we've also thrown in three Honorable Mentions, including Casie Cathrea, Shannon Aubert and Andrea Lee.
Check out the full series by clicking here.
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10. Esther Lee (Los Alamitos, Calif.)
The resume: Lee was a member of Team USA at the Junior Ryder Cup and the West Team at the Wyndham Cup. Lee finished No. 4 in the Golfweek girls junior rankings. The first team Rolex Junior All-America, played five AJGA events, and finished in the top-10 each time. She earned co-medalist honors at the Polo Junior Golf Classic.
Commentary: A player who went 5-for-5 at AJGA Invitationals in finishing inside of the top-10. E. Lee finished 3-0 at the Junior Ryder Cup helped her cause, too. She ...
