Where is the 2018 Junior All-Asia Team Now?

The JGTA Junior All-Asia Team, amongst the highest junior golf honors in the Asia-Pacific region, and the focal point for U.S. College Coaches recruiting efforts from Asia. As three seasons on the JGTA have come and gone, we have seen a multitude of success stories coming from the JGTA Junior All-Asia Team. From college commitments to big-time wins, to additional awards and honors, the prosperity of those honored has elevated.

College Golf Commitments

As recruiting classes grow older an increase in college commitments from the JGTA Junior All-Asia Team are on the rise. Twelve JGTA Junior All-Asia Team Honorees from the 2017-2018 season have committed to or are currently playing college golf in the United States at schools such as University of Washington, University of Southern California, University of California Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and more. Amongst those uncommitted are competitors surely bound for college golf, but with recruiting classes that are still young at this time, such as JGTA Hong Kong Junior Classic at Clearwater Bay Champion and 2019 Boys Player of the Year, Pongsapak Laopakdee.

Junyi Tang (2021)

Junyi Tang made his debut on the Tour at the JGTA Taiwan Junior Championship, where he took home the trophy with a come-back victory. He went on to earn 2018 Boys Junior Player of the Year and committed to play college golf at the University of Southern California. His top finish in an AJGA Event is 2nd at the 2019 AJGA Junior at Palo Alto.

Conor Kelly (2019)

Conor Kelly finished in the top-10 in every event of the 2017-2018 season and went on to commit to playing college golf at Seattle University. If his name sounds familiar, he just about broke the internet with an Ace-Albatross-Birdie run at the AJGA Junior Golf Hub Championship, which was covered globally.

Bhitchayoot Sima-Aree (2019)

Sima-Aree was the 4th overall ranked international player for his class according to Junior Golf Scoreboard following his JGTA victory at the 2018 Phuket Junior Open. He currently plays college golf for Marquette University and has quickly become a key contributor to the team. In his freshman year, he started in all events, a rare feat for first-year competitors.

Xuan Luo (2021)

Luo’s JGTA career thus far includes two top-3 finishes, and he has won two AJGA events since earning his spot on the JGTA Junior All-Asia Team. Luo is going to make a great addition to a college team in the near future with the recruiting class of 2021.

Pongsapak Laopakdee (2023)

Laopakdee is the only 3-time JGTA Junior All-Asia Team member to date and is sure to be one of the top-recruits for his class (2023). He holds the title of 2019 Boys Player of the Year and earned his first JGTA victory last season at the JGTA Hong Kong Junior Classic at Clearwater Bay.

Camille Boyd (2020)

Camille Boyd earned Girls Player of the Year in 2018 and won the JGTA Bintan Lagoon Junior Championship presented by dwell Student Living. At this time, Boyd is committed to the University of Washington and she has added an AJGA victory to her resume, at the AJGA Kansas Junior at Buffalo Dunes.

Natachanok Tunwannarux (2023)

Natachanok Tunwannarux became the first 2-time JGTA Girls Champion with her victory at the ATI Ciputra Golfpreneur Junior World 2019 presented by AKI. Her first victory was at the 2018 JGTA Phuket Junior Open. She won her first AJGA event in 2018 and is one of the top recruits from her class.

Jana Ni (2021)

Jana Ni won in her first start on the Tour at the JGTA Taiwan Junior Championship and quickly made a name for herself. At this time, Ni is committed to the University of California, Berkeley. To date, she has six AJGA top-5 finishes, and is one of the best juniors in the Tour’s history.

Selina Li (2019)

Not only did Selina Li finish near the top of the Junior Order of Merit Rankings, Li earned the JGTA’s Scholastic All-Asia award. Today, she is a freshman competitor for the University of Pennsylvania and made two starts for the team in the fall.

Annie Sun (2019)

Annie Sun had a solid AJGA career, finding herself in the top-10 three times. She competed extensively on the JGTA and committed to Columbia University. She is now competing as a Lion and played 10 rounds in her freshman year.

Wen Qi Zhu (2019)

Wen Qi Zhu was a consistent competitor on the Tour and had an extensive AJGA Career, making 16 starts with 9 top-10 finishes. She currently competes for the Unniversity of Richmond and she had the best finish individual finish on the team in her freshman season – T9 at the Bucknell Invitational.

Jingfan Deng (2020)

Jingfan Deng made a start on the Tour at the JGTA Taiwan Junior Championship and finished T2. In her AJGA career, she has finished in the top-5 five times, including one AJGA victory. She is committed to the University of Washington and will be competing as a Husky in 2021.

Yingzhi Zhu (2020)

While Yingzhi Zhu has yet to commit to play college golf, she is sure on her way. Holding a Rolex AJGA Rank of 100 and an extensive AJGA career featuring 6 top-10 finishes, Zhu has been shaking up leaderboards consistently.

Amy Gao (2021)

Amy Gao is a 2-time JGTA Junior All-Asia Team member and went on to win the 2018 JGTA Bintan Lagoon Junior Championship presented by Tradewinds Furnishing and earn the 2019 Girls Junior Player of the Year Award.