Boston-area native to be honored by Rolex, AJGA as one of junior golf’s best
BRASELTON, Ga. – Michael Thorbjornsen of Wellesley, Massachusetts, was named an honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American by the American Junior Golf Association, establishing himself among the top tier of current and former junior golfers from around the world for the second year in a row.
Thorbjornsen’s 2019 highlights included:
- No. 29 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings
- Verbal commitment to Stanford (high school class of 2020)
- Secured two top-nine finishes including a quarterfinalist finish at the Polo Golf Junior Classic at Liberty National
- Two-time national junior golf champion
- Two-time Wyndham Cup East Team Member (5-2-1 overall)
- Selected to the United States Junior Presidents Cup Team in Australia
- Served as AJGA Player Representative to the Board of Directors
- Played in the U.S. Amateur Championship and U.S. Open
- No. 23 World Amateur Golf Ranking
Introduced by the AJGA in 1978, the Rolex Junior All-America Teams annually recognize the world’s premier junior golfers. The 2019 Rolex Junior All-America Teams are comprised of 96 junior golfers, 48 boys and 48 girls, ages 14-19, from 25 states and eight countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela. These young men and women distinguished themselves through outstanding play in 135 national junior golf events, 120 of which were conducted by the AJGA. The teams were determined exclusively through the Rolex AJGA Rankings as of October 15.
Rolex Junior All-Americans have a long history of success. Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Lexi Thompson, Anna Nordqvist, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, and Inbee Park are among the many Rolex Junior All-Americans who’ve achieved in college and beyond.
In 2019, AJGA alumni Henry Shimp and two-time Rolex Junior All-American Miranda Wang clinched the NCAA Division I team championships for Stanford and Duke, respectively. 2015 first team Rolex Junior All-American Matthew Wolff won the Division I men’s individual title at Oklahoma State and his first PGA TOUR event, joining Ben Crenshaw and Tiger Woods as the third player to do so. Wolff also earned the 2019 Jack Nicklaus and Fred Haskins Award titles. On Tour, two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year Woods claimed a fifth Masters, and 15th major overall. Koepka, a 2007 Rolex Junior All-American, defended his PGA Championship title wire-to-wire. Three-time first team Rolex Junior All-American Thompson sits in the top six of the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings, and LPGA’s Race to the CME Globe, with two top-three major finishes and a 2019 victory. Four-time Rolex Junior All-American Angel Yin and AJGA alum Ally McDonald tied the record in September for the largest four-ball victory in Solheim Cup history (7&5).
2019 Rolex Junior All-America Teams will be honored Sunday, November 24 during the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet, live streamed from PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. “The Greatest Night in Junior Golf” will also celebrate the achievements of the AJGA’s Scholastic Junior All-America Team and Jerry Cole Sportsmanship Award recipient. The Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet also serves as the official start of Rolex Tournament of Champions week, the first official AJGA event of the 2020 season.
For more information, please contact Roseanna Smith (rsmith@ajga.org) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1779 or visit ajga.org.
About Rolex
An unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise
Rolex, a Swiss watch manufacture headquartered in Geneva, is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products. Its Oyster Perpetual and Cellini watches, all certified as Superlative Chronometers for their precision, performance and reliability, are symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The word “Perpetual” is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. Rolex has registered over 500 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated and independent manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, Rolex is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.
About the American Junior Golf Association
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls, ages 12-19) of more than 7,400 members from 50 states and nearly 70 foreign countries. Through initiatives like the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant, a financial assistance program, and Leadership Links, a service-oriented platform that teaches juniors charitable-giving skills, the AJGA fosters the growth of golf’s next generation.
TaylorMade and adidas are the AJGA’s National Sponsors, supporting the AJGA for nearly 30 years. TaylorMade has served as the Official Ball of the AJGA since 2016. adidas has been the Official Apparel and Footwear of the AJGA since 2017. Rolex, in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 1,000 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours.
2019 Rolex Junior All-Americans (number of total honors in parenthesis)
Boys – First Team
Canon Claycomb of Bowling Green, Kentucky (4)
Connor Creasy of Abingdon, Virginia (2)
Jack Heath of Charlotte, North Carolina
Bo Jin of (China) Encinitas, California (2)
Maxwell Moldovan of Uniontown, Ohio – 2019 Boys Rolex Junior Player of the Year
Joseph Pagdin of (United Kingdom) Orlando, Florida
Bo Peng of (China) Lake Mary, Florida
Brett Roberts of Coral Springs, Florida
Vishnu Sadagopan of Pearland, Texas
Taehoon Song of (South Korea) Buena Park, California
Jackson Van Paris of Pinehurst, North Carolina (3)
Karl Vilips of (Australia) Wesley Chapel, Florida (4)
Girls – First Team
Ty Akabane of Danville, California (2)
Phoebe Brinker of Wilmington, Delaware (2)
Jensen Castle of West Columbia, South Carolina
Briana Chacon of Whittier, California (2)
Xin (Cindy) Kou of (China) La Habra, California (4)
Lucy Li of Redwood Shores, California (3)
Brianna Navarrosa of San Diego, California (3)
Alexa Pano of Lake Worth, Florida (3)
Amanda Sambach of Davidson, North Carolina
Yuka Saso of Manila, Philippines
Erica Shepherd of Greenwood, Indiana (5)
Rose Zhang of Irvine, California (4) – 2019 Girls Rolex Junior Player of the Year
Boys – Second Team
Aaron Du of (China) Sanford, Florida
- Holland Humphries of Austin, Texas (2)
Piercen Hunt of (Canada) Hartland, Wisconsin
Benjamin James of Milford, Connecticut
Brian Ma of Milpitas, California
Andy Mao of Johns Creek, Georgia
Dylan Menante of Carlsbad, California (2)
William Moll of Houston, Texas (3)
Dawson Ovard of Frisco, Texas
Gordon Sargent of Birmingham, Alabama (2)
Ian Siebers of Bellevue, Washington (2)
Keaton Vo of Austin, Texas
Girls – Second Team
Zoe Antoinette Campos of Valencia, California (3)
Sadie Englemann of Austin, Texas (4)
Annabell Fuller of London, United Kingdom
Sophie Guo of (China) Orlando, Florida (3)
Rachel Heck of Memphis, Tennessee (5) – 2017 Girls Rolex Junior Player of the Year
Alyssa Montgomery of Knoxville, Tennessee (2)
Michaela Morard of Huntsville, Alabama (5)
Bohyun Park of (South Korea) Farmers Branch, Texas (2)
Catherine Park of Irvine, California
Megan Schofill of Monticello, Florida (2)
Christine Wang of Houston, Texas (2)
Kelly Xu of Claremont, California
Boys – Honorable Mention
Jake Beber-Frankel of Miami, Florida (2)
Trey Bosco of Austin, Texas (2)
Stephen Campbell Jr. of Richmond, Texas
Kelly Chinn of Great Falls, Virginia
You Seong Choi of (South Korea) Hacienda Heights, California
Tucker Clark of Phoenix, Arizona
George Duangmanee of Fairfax, Virginia (2)
Nicholas Dunlap of Greer, South Carolina
David Ford of Peachtree Corners, Georgia
Nathan Franks of Roebuck, South Carolina
Andrew Goodman of Norman, Oklahoma
Austin Greaser of Vandalia, Ohio (2)
Jonathan Griz of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Leopoldo Herrera III of (Venezuela) Doral, Florida
Andrew Yong. H Jung of (South Korea) San Diego, California
Scotty Kennon of Bradenton, Florida
Caden McMackin of Laguna Beach, California
Yuki Moriyama of (Japan) Las Vegas, Nevada
Luke Potter of Encinitas, California (2)
Drew Salyers of Howard, Ohio
Michael Thorbjornsen of Wellesley, Massachusetts (2)
Tyler Wilkes of Tampa, Florida
Wells Williams of West Point, Mississippi
Alexander Yang of Carlsbad, California (2)
Girls – Honorable Mention
Amari Avery of Riverside, California (3)
Sophia Bae of Norwood, New Jersey
Hailey Borja of Lake Forest, California (2)
Jillian Bourdage of Tamarac, Florida
Camille Boyd of Yorba Linda, California
Jennifer Cleary of Wilmington, Delaware
Macy Fox of Austin, Texas (2)
Megha Ganne of Holmdel, New Jersey
Melanie Green of Medina, New York
Jiarui (Joyce) Jin of (China) Encinitas, California (2)
Hailey Jones of Dallas, Texas (4)
Rachel Kuehn of Asheville, North Carolina (3)
Mackenzie Lee of North Little Rock, Arkansas
Faith Low of Foster City, California
Kaleiya Romero of San Jose, California
Calynne Rosholt of Cedar Park, Texas (2)
Brooke Seay of Rancho Santa Fe, California (5)
Latanna Stone of Riverview, Florida (2)
Kailie Vongsaga of Diamond Bar, California (3)
Casey Weidenfeld of Pembroke Pines, Florida
Nicole Whiston of San Diego, California (3)
Ashley Yun of West Covina, California
Yunxuan Zhang of (China) Plano, Texas
Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
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