As the world’s eyes turn to next week’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York, golf’s future stars will be competing in their own international showcase from September 23-25, at Nassau Country Club and Bethpage Black, for the 13th Junior Ryder Cup.
Team Europe, once again led by four-time DP World Tour winner Stephen Gallacher, a member of the victorious 2014 European Ryder Cup team, comes to New York defending the title it won in Rome two years ago with two returning players: Ukraine’s Lev Grinberg, 17, and England’s Kris Kim, 17.
Half of the team is from France, including top-ranked U18 European Amateur Callixte Alzas, 17, who sits second on the European Amateur Golf Rankings. French native Sara Brentcheneff, 18, is also the second-ranked amateur on the European Girls’ Amateur ranking and 37th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Gallacher said: “The team spirit was unbelievable in 2023, and we will be looking to replicate that in New York. Playing away from home is an exciting challenge and I have no doubt that our team will be ready for it. It is a tremendous honour to be their captain, and we are relishing the prospect of taking on the United States. Playing the final day single matches at Bethpage Black is a fantastic opportunity for both sets of players to showcase their skills to the golfing world.”
Captained by PGA of America Past President and PGA Master Professional Suzy Whaley, the US Junior Ryder Cup Team will look to re-claim the Junior Ryder Cup aided by two of the top-ranked junior golfers in America: Stanford University commit Asterisk Talley, 16, and Florida State University commit Miles Russell, 16.
Additionally, the US team boasts six of the top-10-ranked boys and four of the top-10 girls in the AJGA rankings, including 2025 US Junior Amateur champion and University of Georgia commit Hamilton Coleman, 17, of Augusta, Georgia, and Anna Fang, 16, of San Diego, who will join Talley as a Stanford Cardinal in the Class of 2027.
The US Team is looking to rebound from their 20½-9½ loss two years ago at Golf Nazionale & Marco Simone in Rome, which broke a US winning streak of six consecutive Junior Ryder Cups between 2008 and 2018.
As a PGA Master Professional and LPGA Coach, Whaley knows how to prepare her team for the pressure they will experience, especially come Thursday, when the Junior Ryder Cup singles matches will take place at Bethpage Black in front of tens of thousands of fans. “I can provide the awareness of how to bring a team together, how to make sure we have a culture of respect, grit and perseverance.”
Whaley will also aim to create a week they can build on for the rest of their playing careers. “I want them to make incredible relationships with the European team. Some of these players may end up playing together in college or on the professional tours. But even more than that, it gives them a stepping stone. Once you’ve played in front of 40,000 people and on the first tee of the Ryder Cup, that first big college event or first Korn Ferry Tour or Epson Tour event might just feel a little bit easier.”
Following the Junior Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony on Monday, September 22, at Nassau Country Club, play will begin Tuesday with morning foursome matches and mixed foursome matches in the afternoon. Day two will feature mixed four-ball matches at Nassau CC, before they play singles at Bethpage Black Thursday. Their matches at Bethpage mark the first time a US Ryder Cup venue will host the Junior Ryder Cup singles matches on the eve of the Ryder Cup.