PREVIEW of Early Commitments
As the 2023 schedules for many of the world’s most elite junior golfers begin to take shape, the 8th Annual Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship presented by LA Golf awaits them. The three-day tournament is set to take place March 3-5, 2023 at beautiful TPC Myrtle Beach.
The field is already seeing some of the highest ranked juniors in the world make an early commitment to the tournament on both the boys’ and girls’ sides. Take a look below and learn more about some of the highest ranked players that plan on teeing it up at The DJ in March.
Girls
Anna Davis (WAGR – 9)
Ranked inside the top 10 of all women amateurs in the world, Anna Davis is coming off of a strong 2022 season and looking to keep her momentum going at the 2023 Dustin Johnson World Junior. A win at the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur highlighted her season, alongside top three finishes at the Junior Orange Bowl, ANNIKA Invitational and the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. With appearances in 7 professional events including the 2022 US Women’s Open at Pine Needles, she has all the experience one would need to be a contender at The DJ.
Bailey Shoemaker (Golfweek – 4)
A familiar face, Bailey Shoemaker is back for redemption following a runner up finish in 2022. It did not take long for Shoemaker to find herself in contention at another high-level amateur event after leaving TPC Myrtle Beach as she earned a victory at the Florida Women’s Amateur in June. It would be no surprise to see Bailey get over the hump and bring home the title as she has shown an ability to compete at the highest level of professional women’s golf after making the cut and finishing inside the top 50 at both the 2022 US Women’s Open at Pine Needles and the 2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic.
Macy Pate (Golfweek – 15)
If anyone in the field can put up a low number, it’s Macy Pate. She shot a 14-under par 57 at North Carolina’s Central Piedmont 4A Conference Championship in 2021, shattering the North Carolina high school record of 61 set by current LPGA pro Jennifer Chang. Macy continued her success in 2022, winning both the Hope Valley Junior Invitational and the PKBGT Invitational. She also recorded top 5 finishes at the North and South Junior Amateur, Buick Shanshan Feng AJGA Girls Invitational and The Ping Invitational. Pate will be looking to bring home a win for the Carolinas at The DJ.
Boys
Jackson Koivun (Junior Golf Scoreboard – 1)
Jackson Koivun comes into The DJ fresh off of a big win at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and a runner-up finish at The Junior PLAYERS Championship. Koivun also recorded other strong finishes throughout last season highlighted by a top 10 finish at the North and South Amateur Championship at Pinehurst, where he broke the Pinehurst No. 4 course record after shooting 63. TPC Myrtle Beach could be next on Jackson’s list, with the current tournament record of 65 (Caleb Surratt) being the number to beat.
Cooper Jones (Junior Golf Scoreboard – 12)
With a third-place finish at the Dustin Johnson World Junior in 2022, Cooper Jones fell just 2 shots shy of a spot in the sudden death playoff with Ben James and Jack Roberts. This finish kicked off a great spring as he went on to win 4 of his next 5 events he played in (UJGA Opener, Fairways Preview, Johnny Miller Championship and IMG Junior World Qualifying). With appearances in the North and South Junior Amateur, Pacific Coast Amateur and US Junior Amateur Championship, Cooper appears to have as good of a shot as anyone in the field to bring home the title in Myrtle Beach.
Henry Guan (Junior Golf Scoreboard – 14)
Winner of the 2022 Wyndham Invitational in Greensboro, NC, Henry Guan could make some noise at the 2023 Dustin Johnson World Junior. Guan has appearances in numerous big name events, consistently finishing inside the top 25 of each (The Western Junior Championship, Boy’s Junior PGA Championship, The Junior PLAYERS Championship and The PING Invitational). A member of both the Wyndham Cup and Junior Presidents Cup teams, Henry will be looking to add “Winner of the Dustin Johnson World Junior” to his list of accolades.
Kush Arora (Junior Golf Scoreboard – 18)
Winner of the 2021 AJGA Reno/Tahoe Junior Championship, Kush has what it takes to compete. He notched top 3 finishes at the Northern California Open Championship and AJGA Junior at Ruby Hill. With top 12 finishes late in the 2022 season at The Junior PLAYERS Championship and Rolex Tournament of Champions, Arora has his game in great shape.
William Jennings (Junior Golf Scoreboard – 21)
A tough first round put William Jennings behind the 8 ball at the last DJWJ, but a 71 in round 2 and a 70 in round 3 (tied for low score of the day) proved that he has everything it takes to win at TPC Myrtle Beach. Jennings had a successful 2022 season following The DJ, finishing 5th at the Wyndham Invitational and 2nd at the Bobby Chapman Invitational. A participant in the US Amateur Championship and Terra Cotta Invitational, William is no stranger to strong fields. The Greenville, SC junior will look to secure a win in his home state when he arrives to Myrtle Beach in March.
