The 11th Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team includes 20 players from 11 states, the American Junior Golf Association announced Tuesday.

Specifically designed for boys and girls ages 12-15, Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series events present opportunities for younger players to develop their skills and earn entry into AJGA Open tournaments. The team was selected based on the Polo Golf Rankings, and a player had to have competed in at least one Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star event in 2012 in order to be eligible. The team of 10 boys and 10 girls will be honored Friday, Oct. 5, at the Junior All-Star Invitational in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

Philip Barbaree of Shreveport, La., is the only player returning from the 2011 Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team. Barbaree, 14, posted three AJGA top-10 finishes in 2012, including a T2 showing at his hometown event, the David Toms Foundation Shreveport Junior.

Also on the boys’ team is Andy Zhang of Reunion, Fla., who became the youngest player to ever participate in the U.S. Open when he qualified as a 14-year-old this year. Zhang’s AJGA season included a pair of top-10 finishes, the best being a T7 showing at the Junior All-Star at Fieldstone.

Jacob Solomon of Dublin, Calif., earned his spot on the team after winning three consecutive AJGA tournaments, including a pair of Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star events. Solomon, 15, began his winning streak in June at the Junior All-Star at Gainey Ranch, and his most recent win came in August at the Stockton Convention and Visitors Bureau Junior All-Star.

The seven other boys on the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team are: Nick Carlson (Hamilton, Mich.), James Clark, III (Columbus, Ga.), Sean Crocker (Westlake Village, Calif.), Benjamin Griffin (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Cole Madey (West Linn, Ore.), Daniel Martinez (Austin, Texas),and Braden Thornberry (Olive Branch, Miss.).

Karen Arimoto and Mai Dechathipat, both students at Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., lead the 10 girls on the team. Ranked No. 19 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Arimoto’s 2012 season included victories at the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Junior All-Star at Château Élan and Junior All-Star at Fieldstone. Dechathipat has moved to No. 55 in the Polo Golf Rankings behind the strength of runner-up finishes at the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Junior All-Star at Château Élan and Junior All-Star at Fieldstone.

Jordan Daniel of Newnan, Ga., and Kathleen Scavo of Benicia, Calif., also notched victories at Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior-All Star events this season. Daniel’s win at the Evitt Foundation RTC Junior All-Star was one of her four AJGA top 10s, while Scavo won the Stockton Convention and Visitors Bureau Junior All-Star.

The six other girls on the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team are: Abbey Carlson (Lake Mary, Fla.), Rachel Dai (Milton, Ga.), Michaela Owen (Suwanee, Ga.), Grace Park (San Jose, Calif.), Nikolette Schroeder (Avon Lake, Ohio), and Lauren Stephenson (Lexington, S.C.).

Former members of the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team include college and professional standouts, such as Rickie Fowler (2004), Peter Uihlein (2004), Bud Cauley (2005), Brianna Do (2004), Vicky Hurst (2005) and Cheyenne Woods (2005).

                                                                                 

Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy, a full-time signature golf instruction program located in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., began as an Official Partner of the AJGA in 2009. The partnership features an endowment of an Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant and naming rights to the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series for juniors ages 12-15. Montverde Academy, a coeducational independent college preparatory boarding and day school, is the academic arm of Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy and has supported the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series since 2009.

 

Philip Barbaree (Shreveport, La.)

Nick Carlson (Hamilton, Mich.)

James Clark, III (Columbus, Ga.)

Sean Crocker (Westlake Village, Calif.)

Benjamin Griffin (Chapel Hill, N.C.)

Cole Madey (West Linn, Ore.)

Daniel Martinez (Austin, Texas)

Jacob Solomon (Dublin, Calif.)

Braden Thornberry (Olive Branch, Miss.)

Andy Zhang (Reunion, Fla.)

                            

Karen Arimoto (Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.)

Abbey Carlson (Lake Mary, Fla.)

Rachel Dai (Milton, Ga.)

Jordan Daniel (Newnan, Ga.)

Mai Dechathipat (Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.)

Michaela Owen (Suwanee, Ga.)

Grace Park (San Jose, Calif.)

Kathleen Scavo (Benicia, Calif.)

Nikolette Schroeder (Avon Lake, Ohio)

Lauren Stephenson (Lexington, S.C.)