GREENSBORO, N.C. – Many of the best junior golfers in the world are set to play in the 21st annual AJGA Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist beginning Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at Sedgefield Country Club.
The Wyndham Invitational is a “major” on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) schedule. AJGA players will use the same course setup PGA TOUR golfers play during the Wyndham Championship each summer. The Donald Ross-designed course will play 7,126 yards for the Wyndham Invitational.
■ Top-20 Juniors in Field: Nine of the top-20 players in the June 3 Rolex AJGA Rankings are in the Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist field:
- No. 2 Eric Lee, class of 2023 from Fullerton, Calif.
- No. 4 Nicholas Gross, class of 2024 from Downington, Pa.
- No. 5 Jack Roberts, class of 2025 from Saint Mary’s, Ga.
- No. 6 Jackson Koivun, class of 2023 from San Jose, Calif.
- No. 9 Sihao Cong, class of 2023 from Irvine, Calif.
- No. 15 Sebastian Gamboa, class of 2023 from Merida, Mexico
- No. 17 Matt Moloney, class of 2024 from Vienna, Va.
- No. 18 Andrew Ramos, class of 2024 from Blaine, Minn.
- No. 19 William Sides, class of 2022 from Tulsa, Okla.
■ Top Player in the Field: Eric Lee, No. 2 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, is the top player in the Wyndham Invitational field. During the 2021 campaign, Lee recorded four top-10 finishes in AJGA events and finished first in the Rolex Tournament of Champions at 8-under-par 278. The Fullerton, Calif., native made a verbal commitment to play college golf at the University of California, Berkeley. Lee earned his first team honor in the 2021 campaign as a Rolex Junior All-American.
■ Class of 2022 Represented: Golfers who just graduated from high school usually leave junior golf behind and begin playing amateur events. With the top members of this year’s graduating class moving on from junior golf, the highest-ranked player from the class of 2022 is No. 19 William Sides from Tulsa, Ok. The field also includes:
■ Class of 2023: 3 of the top-9 players and 14 of the top-50 players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings
Interview with Kyle Haas
■ Another Haas Family Golfer: Kyle Haas, son of Wake Forest University Golf coach Jerry Haas, won the Sam Burns Classic at The Landings Club last month and is making his Wyndham Invitational debut this year. The Haas family has quite a relationship with the Wyndham Championship and the Invitational. Kyle’s father, Jerry, played the Wyndham Championship three times, his uncle Jay played the Wyndham 20 times and his cousin Bill, the 2011 FedExCup champion, has made 17 Wyndham Championship appearances. Kyle’s great uncle, Bob Goalby, won the Wyndham Championship when it was the Greater Greensboro Open in 1958. In 2016 and ‘17, the Wyndham Invitational was named the Haas Family Invitational as a tribute to the long-standing relationship between the Haas family and the Wyndham Championship.
■ North Carolina Juniors Will Play: Some of the top junior golfers in North Carolina will play this year's AJGA Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist. There are no special criteria for North Carolina players to get into the field; they gain entry through the same eligibility standards as the rest of the golfers. North Carolina golfers are listed below with the year of their high school graduation, hometown and their June 2 Carolinas Golf Association N.C. Junior Boys Rankings:
■ Kyle Haas, 2023, Winston-Salem (7)
■ Will Hartman, 2025, Marvin (7)
■ Michael La Sasso, 2022, Raleigh (14)
■ Tyler Jones, 2023, Jacksonville (17)
■ Carson Bertagnole, 2025, Pinehurst (23)
■ Future ACC Players in the field: Six of the golfers in the Wyndham Invitational field made commitments to play college golf in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They are listed below with their year of high school graduation and their ACC school. Those with a (v) made verbal commitments.
■ Will Baker, Clemson, 2022 (v)
■ Carson Brewer, Florida State, 2023 (v)
■ Cooper Claycomb, 2022, Virginia (v)
■ Josh Duangmanee, Virginia, 2022
■ Michael La Sasso, 2022, NC State
■ Joseph Lenane, NC State, 2022
■ 2021 Tournament Recap: Maxwell Ford from Peachtree Corners, Ga., won the 2021 AJGA Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist following in his brother’s footsteps. David Ford won the tournament in 2020. Maxwell posted 12 birdies and two eagles and finished at 7-under-par 273 to claim the Wyndham Invitational crystal trophy. After entering the final round with a single-stroke lead, he shot a 4-under-par 66 to finish five strokes clear of the field. He made four birdies on the back side including one at the 72nd hole. The 2020 and 2021 wins claimed by the Ford brothers marked the first time in AJGA history that two male siblings won the same event in back-to-back years. It was also the first time in 21 years that any set of siblings won the same event in back-to-back years. The last were Naree and Aree Song Wongluekiet at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Maxwell is now playing for the University of Georgia, and his brother, David, just finished his sophomore season at the University of North Carolina.
■ Previous Winners: The AJGA began playing in Greensboro in 1988; the Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist was created in 2002 by taking an existing AJGA event for both boys and girls and creating a boys-only Major event. The 2022 tournament will be the 21st Wyndham Invitational, but because Brian Harmon is a two-time champion, only 20 players are former champions. Previous winners are:
■ 2002: Steve Han ■ 2003: Brian Harman ■ 2004: Brian Harman
■ 2005: Daniel Woltman ■ 2006: Andrew Yun ■ 2007: Peter Uihlein
■ 2008: Cameron Peck ■ 2009: Justin Thomas ■ 2010: Tanner Kesterston
■ 2011: Billy Kennerly ■ 2012: Matthew NeSmith ■ 2013: Matt Gilchrest
■ 2014: Austin Connelly ■ 2015: Charles Huntzinger ■ 2016: Eugene Hong
■ 2017: Trent Phillips ■ 2018: Karl Vilips ■ 2019: Brett Roberts
■ 2020: David Ford ■ 2021: Maxwell Ford
■ Make the Cut: The 72-player Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist will utilize a cut following the third round of play. The top-48 golfers and ties will advance to the final round. Other AJGA events that utilize a cut make it after 36 holes, but this tournament uses a 54-hole cut so every player is guaranteed at least three rounds. Golfers will play in threesomes in the final round, and a tie after 72 holes will be decided by sudden-death playoff.
■ Wyndham Invitational Tournament Schedule:
■ Monday: Morning practice rounds (8 a.m.); Junior-Am Tournament at 1:30 p.m.
■ Tuesday: First-round tee times 7:30 a.m. – 11:43 a.m. off No. 1 tee
■ Wednesday: Second-round tee times 7:30 a.m. – 11:43 a.m. off No. 1 tee
■ Thursday: Third-round tee times 7:30 a.m. – 11:43 a.m. off No. 1 tee
■ Friday: Final-round tee times 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. off No. 1 and No. 10 tees
Awards Ceremony following play at approximately 2 p.m.