The Ultimate Guide

This page provides a guide on How to Play the JGTA. Junior golfers as well as parents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with this information prior to participating so that they may get the most out of their experience as a JGTA-member and/or a ranked player on the Junior Order of Merit.

Why Play on the JGTA?

The JGTA is specifically designed to help junior golfers in the Asia-Pacific to pursue their ambitions for success at the next level, whether that be in the American Junior Golf Association, on an American college golf team in the U.S., or on a professional tour.

Junior golfers who participate on the JGTA hone their talent alongside their peers from over 12 countries across the Asia-Pacific region who share similar aspirations for greatness.

The overwhelming success of junior golfers who began their journey on the JGTA can be credited to each player’s dedication to their goals for college and their achievements in the AJGA – made possible by the AJGA PBE Status they earned locally through performance in JGTA-sanctioned competition.

Eight Fundamentals to Playing on the JGTA

There are eight (8) fundamental components of playing on the JGTA that every player should become familiar with to maximize their success on Tour. These include:

  1. Understand the System
  2. Confirm Your Eligibility
  3. Complete Verification / Obtain Tour Card
  4. Compete in Tournaments
  5. Maximize Your Ranking
  6. Pursue Junior All-Asia Honors
  7. Earn AJGA PBE
  8. Achieve AJGA and College Excellence

1. Understand the System

Having a firm grasp on the basic JGTA system will prove to be an important asset for players to acquire from the very beginning.  Here’s what all players should know:

  1. The JGTA organizes and sanctions an annual schedule of events in the Asia-Pacific dedicated prepare the next generation of AJGA, college and professional golfers for success through competitive junior golf.
  2. Participants on the JGTA vie for AJGA PBE Status on the Junior Order of Merit – the official ranking system of the JGTA, which determines a junior golfer’s competitive standing in the region relative to their peers.
  3. To become ranked, players can earn Merit Points by competing in any one of the three official event classifications of the JGTA: Sanctioned Events, JGTA Majors and JGTA Invitationals. Together, these three event classifications make up the different types of counting events on the Junior Order of Merit (tournaments with results that count towards a player’s ranking). A player’s finish in a counting event dictates the amount of Merit Points he or she will earn. Players are ranked on the Junior Order of Merit on a cumulative average points per-tournament basis.
  4. At the end of each JGTA season, the top 60 juniors (30 boys and 30 girls) on the Junior Order of Merit are awarded AJGA PBE Status according to their final ranking. The AJGA PBE Status they receive is added to their total AJGA Status and can be used for entry into higher-level AJGA tournaments in the U.S. where college golf coaches conduct recruiting activities.

2. Confirm Eligibility

A core belief of the JGTA is that the growth of the game and the advancement of the next generation of prominent golfers depend on fair and competitive tournament entry policies that adhere to competitive eligibility criteria.

Therefore, a player must meet the Competitive Eligibility Criteria of the JGTA to be considered eligible for a Junior Order of Merit ranking. Prior to participating the Junior Order of Merit or competing in JGTA events it is strongly recommended that all players review the eligibility criteria to ensure they are qualified.

3. Complete Verification / Obtain Tour Card

All players that wish to be ranked on the Junior Order of Merit must either 1) complete player verification or 2) obtain a JGTA Tour Card, which signifies annual JGTA membership. Players can do both on JGTA.ORG.

However, a Verified Player and a JGTA Member do not mean the same thing. It’s important players understand the difference and choose what’s best for them and their path to success on the JGTA.

Player Verification

In addition to meeting the competitive eligibility criteria of the JGTA, all players who wish to earn points by competing in JGTA-sanctioned events must complete verify their junior golf profile with the JGTA by submitting a registration form on JGTA.ORG.

For a player to be verified, he or she must complete and submit the verification form with the same email they provided to the tournament organizers of the Sanctioned Event. The JGTA will inspect all verification forms submitted on JGTA.ORG to ensure only genuine users who can be verified as actual participants in Sanctioned Events will have their results recognized and be ranking on the Junior Order of Merit. Players only need to complete verification once, and do not need to re-verify the following season so long as the player does not lose access to the email with which their original verification was completed.

Important: Only non-JGTA members (and those who have never been a JGTA member in the past) who wish to earn points from participation in Sanctioned Events are required to complete player verification.  As all current and past members of the JGTA are verified upon signing up for an annual JGTA Tour Card, these players are not required to complete verification again.

48-Hour Deadline

Players may complete verification on the JGTA website at any time prior to the event. However, all players who wish to earn points from participation in a Sanctioned Event must complete verification no later than 48 hours following the final round of the tournament to receive Merit Points for their finish.

Player HQ

Upon verification, players will receive an email from the JGTA with a link to their Player HQ on JGTA.ORG. Player HQ is a secure area where each player can view JGTA results and statistics, and perform various key functions related to their participation on the JGTA and the Junior Order of Merit.  In their Player HQ, users can:

  • Track their individual tournament results, ranking and statistics.
  • Manage and edit their profile and player information.
  • Access and download a growing library of junior golf development resources
  • Apply to and track applications to JGTA Major events
  • Withdraw from JGTA Major events
  • Complete surveys and polls for improving Player HQ and the JGTA

4. Compete in Tournaments

Schedule of Events

The Official Tournament Schedule of the JGTA is published on JGTA.ORG. Here, players can find a list of tournaments for the current JGTA season that count towards their Junior Order of Merit ranking.

Event Classifications

All eligible and verified players who compete in a counting event on the Junior Order of Merit, regardless of the event classification, will earn merit points according to their finish and will be ranked on the Junior Order of Merit.

However, not all events that count on the Junior Order of Merit are organized and conducted by the JGTA.  Depending on the Event Classification, the tournament entry criteria, application process, and many other aspects can be very different. The event classification can even dictate which tournaments are open to non-JGTA members and which are open to JGTA Tour Card holders only.

There are three official Event Classifications on the JGTA that together make up all counting events on the Junior Order of Merit. The three Event Classifications are: 1) Sanctioned Events, 2) JGTA Majors and 3) JGTA Invitationals.

Players should understand the differences between the Tour’s official Event Classifications, so that they can best navigate their path to success on the JGTA.

5. Maximize Your Ranking

Players earn points towards their ranking according to their finish in counting events on the JGTA Junior Order of Merit. Players’ rankings can be found on the official Junior Order of Merit microsite, which is updated each Sunday following the final round of a counting event.

The Junior Order of Merit ranks players based on a cumulative average points per tournament basis. Players and parents can read more about the Junior Order of Merit system and how players’ average points per tournament are calculated on the About the Rankings page.

6. Pursue Junior All-Asia Honors

The JGTA introduced the Junior All-Asia Teams in 2017 to recognize the junior golfers who have proven to be Asia’s top prospects for U.S. college golf.

Official team rosters are determined exclusively through the JGTA Junior Order of Merit following the conclusion fo the JGTA season. For finishing atop their respective divisions, the Boys and Girls JGTA Players of the Year are named Team Captains of the JGTA Junior All-Asia Team.

All players named are considered to have proven their elite competitive standings through their outstanding performance in JGTA-sanctioned tournaments during the JGTA season.

7. Earn AJGA PBE Status

The top 60 juniors (30 boys and 30 girls) on the Junior Order of Merit are awarded AJGA PBE Status according to their ranking at the end of each JGTA season. The amount of AJGA PBE Status a player earns from the Junior Order of Merit is then added to their total AJGA PBE Status and can be utilized for AJGA tournament applications and to gain entry into higher-level AJGA events where college golf coaches conduct recruiting activities.

Players and parents can visit the AJGA PBE Status page on JGTA.ORG to learn more about earning AJGA PBE Status on the Junior Golf Tour of Asia and to view the AJGA PBE Conversion Chart.

AJGA Membership Policy: For any player to have status in the AJGA, he or she must be an AJGA member.  All players are required to secure their AJGA membership directly from the AJGA prior receiving any AJGA PBE Status. Each season, the JGTA will announce a cut-off prior to which all players ranked on the Junior Order of Merit must secure their AJGA membership otherwise may be de-ranked. Players can sign up for their AJGA membership on the AJGA website.

About AJGA Performance-Based Entry

AJGA Performance Based Entry (PBE) Status is the official status system of the AJGA and a fundamental building block of college golf development. A player’s AJGA PBE Status can be a major catalyst in his or her probability of earning a college golf scholarship. For more info players and parents ar encouraged to visit: https://www.ajga.org/performance-based-entry

8. Excel in the AJGA and College Golf

The AJGA is where college coaches undertake the lion’s share of their recruiting activities. Not only has the AJGA produced the most college golf scholarship earners for decades, but also a disproportionate number of the world’s most successful college golf and professional golf athletes.

For this reason, players who finish atop the rankings on the Junior Order of Merit receive a major boost to their pursuit of college golf opportunities. By capitalizing on their success and applying their improved AJGA PBE Status to their U.S. tournament schedule in the summer, many boys and girls have achieved their dreams. We encourage players and parents to visit the College Commitments page on JGTA.ORG to browse the growing wall of achievements.

Additional Tips

Get to Know the Tour's Policies

Players are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the policies of the JGTA. Understanding the rules and regulations of the JGTA and Junior Order of Merit system, as well as what is expected of juniors and parents, will play a major role in affecting one’s experience on the Tour.

Have a Question?  Check the FAQ

Players are also encouraged to review the FAQ page, even in the case that they do not have a question for the JGTA team. The FAQ page has been crafter with years of players and parents most common and pressing questions.

Can't Find the Answer? Contact Player Services

Send an email to JGTA Player Services Department at playerservices@jgta.org with your inquiry and a representative will be in touch shortly to assist you.

Please note, the Player Services Department at the JGTA is dedicated to providing assistance to verified players and JGTA members. For that reason, individuals who are not verified players or JGTA members are asked not to send their inquiries to Player Services. For a timelier response from the JGTA, such individuals are kindly asked to use the JGTA Contact Form to send in their inquiries.