2006 United States Junior Ryder Cup Team heads off to Wales

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- In less than one week, six boys and six girls — American citizens who are 2007 high school graduates and younger — represent the United States in the Junior Ryder Cup with hopes of bringing home the Cup for the first time since 1995.

The Junior Ryder Cup began in 1995 with the vision of encouraging friendship, exchanging cultures and enhancing the enjoyment of golf. Since its inception, Europe and Great Britain have dominated the series over the United States, 4-1. The competition will be contested Sept. 18-19 at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales.

The United States Team was finalized and announced following the conclusion of the 31st Westfield Junior PGA Championship on Aug. 13 in Westfield Center, Ohio. At the Championship, Jack Connelly, PGA Past President and the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team Captain, announced his two Captain's picks in Esther Choe, 17, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Drew Kittleson, 17, also of Scottsdale. Choe, the No. 3 ranked junior golfer in the country, recently won the 2006 AJGA Rolex Girls Junior Championship. Kittleson, the No. 4 ranked junior golfer in the country, shot a final round 66 at the Rolex Tournament of Champions and qualified for the 2006 U.S. Amateur.

"It is a great honor to represent the country and The PGA of America as the Captain," said Connelly, the 32nd PGA of America President. "I am confident that we have the best junior golfers from the United States on this extremely talented team, since we revamped the PGA Points Structure to include the AJGA and USGA junior events into the team qualifications this year. The players know each other, and we are going to go over to Wales to have fun with the goal of bringing home the Cup."

Leading the boys will be Philip Francis, 17, of Scottsdale, Ariz., who is the No. 1 ranked junior golfer in the country. Francis has had an extremely successful golf season this year, with victories at the U.S. Junior Amateur, Rolex Tournament of Champions and the Thunderbird International Junior. He qualified to compete in the 2006 U.S. Amateur and has committed to play for UCLA in fall 2007.

Joining Francis and Kittleson will be Bud Cauley of Jacksonville, Fla. and Andrew Yun, of Tacoma, Wash. Cauley, a member of the 2006 U.S. Canon Cup Team, is ranked No. 13 in the country. Yun also was a member of the 2006 U.S. Canon Cup Team. He is ranked No. 15 in the country.

Highlighting the girls will be Isabelle Lendl, of Bradenton, Fla., the No. 6 ranked junior golfer in the country, who recently won the Scott Robertson Memorial, MCI and Thunderbird International Junior. Lendl is the daughter of professional tennis star Ivan Lendl.

Joining Lendl will be Vicky Hurst, 16, of Melbourne, Fla. and Cassandra Blaney, 16, of Rochester, N.Y. Hurst finished in second place at both the 2006 Betsy Rawls Girls Championship and the U.S. Girls Championship in Charlotte. Blaney, a two time PGA Junior Series Player of the Year, won four events on the 2006 Callaway Golf PGA Junior Series Tour.

The final four spots on the team were granted to the winner and runner up in both the Westfield Junior PGA Championship's Boys' and Girls' Divisions: Boys' Champion Joe Monte, of Chantilly, Va.; Boys' runner-up Tony Mapu Finau, of Salt Lake City; Girls' Champion Brittany Altomare, of Shrewsbury, Mass.; and Girls' runner-up Kristen Schelling, of Mesa, Ariz.

Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2006, The PGA of America was founded in 1916, and is a not for profit organization that promotes the game of golf, while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing the game and the business of golf.