U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team unveiled

All 12 members of the U.S. Ryder Cup Team are current AJGA players, including Jim Liu who helped the U.S. retain the Cup in 2010.

In just over a month, the United States and Europe will face off in the biennial Junior Ryder Cup. The 12-member U.S. Team, all current AJGA players, will compete to retain the Cup once more, after defeating Europe by three points in the 2010 event.

Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif., and Jim Liu of Smithtown, N.Y., who both competed on the 2010 team, will hope to claim victory again with teammates Casie Cathrea, Cameron Champ, Karen Chung, Casey Danielson, Gavin Hall, Beau Hossler, Esther Lee, Scottie Scheffler, Robbie Shelton IV and Samantha Wagner.

A victory for the U.S. Team, which has a combined record of 20 AJGA first place finishes, would be their third consecutive win. The 2012 Junior Ryder Cup will take place Sept. 24-25 at Olympia Fields Country Club in Chicago.

Alison Lee, who has verbally committed to play college golf at UCLA, has recorded five career AJGA victories. The four-time Rolex Junior All-American recently finished second at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and third at the Junior PGA Championship.

Liu, who became the youngest player to win the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in 2010, finished second in the event this year. The three-time Rolex Junior All-American has recorded 11 top-10 AJGA finishes since 2007.

Casie Cathrea of Livermore, Calif., is no stranger to match play, as she advanced to the quarter finals at this year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. Cathrea has recorded two AJGA top-15 finishes, and finished in the top10 at the Junior PGA Championship each of the last three years.

Rising junior Cameron Champ of Sacramento, Calif., will compete fresh off his second-place finish at the Junior PGA Championship. Champ has a record of four top-20 AJGA finishes, including T2 at the 2011 Under Armour®/ Hunter Mahan Championship.

Karen Chung of Livingston, N.J., a four-time member of the East Wyndham Cup Team and member of the 2011 PING Junior Solheim Cup team, brings considerable match play experience to the table. The four-time Rolex Junior All-American has recorded four career AJGA wins.

Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wis., ranked No. 10 in the Polo Golf Rankings, has finished in the top-15 at all six of her junior golf appearances this season, including four AJGA events. The 2011 Rolex Junior All-American has 11 top-10 AJGA finishes, including a victory at the 2011 W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek, and is a two-time East Wyndham Cup Team member.

Two-time Rolex Junior All-American  and three-time New York Junior Amateur winner Gavin Hall of Pittsford, N.Y., has recorded 10 top-10 AJGA finishes, including a victory at the 2011 Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf.

Beau Hossler of Mission Viejo, Calif., ranked No. 7 in the Polo Golf Rankings, has recorded 11 top-10 AJGA finishes, including a victory at the 2012 Winn Grips Heather Farr Classic hosted by Longbow Golf Club. The 17-year-old appeared in his second U.S. Open this year, competing in all four rounds to finish T29.

Esther Lee of Los Alamitos, Calif., will compete after finishing in the top 10 in all four of her appearances this season. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American competed as a member of the West Team in this year’s Wydnham Cup and represented the U.S. in the 2011 PING Junior Solheim Cup.

A victory at the Junior PGA Championship guaranteed Robby Shelton IV of Wilmer, Ala., a place on the team. The 2011 honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American has recorded three top-10 AJGA finishes, including a tie for fourth at the 2011 FJ Invitational.

Scottie Scheffler of Dallas, the youngest male team member, has recorded eight top-10 AJGA finishes, including eighth place at this year’s Rolex Tournament of Champions. The 2011 Wyndham Cup West Team member is currently No. 22 in the Polo Golf Rankings.

Samantha Wagner of Windermere, Fla., a member of the 2012 Wyndham Cup East Team, finished second at the Junior PGA Championship. The youngest member of the U.S. team, Wagner has two career AJGA victories and 10 additional top-10 finishes.