Golf Australia Partners with USGA in New Initiative

Liberty Corner, New Jersey, United States: Queen Sirikit Cup individual runner-up Sarah Hammett will spearhead a strong Australian team in a first-of-its-kind competition for the newly-developed US National Development Programme.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced that its National Junior Team will host members of the Australian High Performance programme for a two-day match (July 2-3) at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

A World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR)-sanctioned event, the match will feature 12 players representing each nation in a mixed Ryder Cup-style format. The format is as follows:

· Tuesday, July 2 – Four-Ball Team Matches (am); Foursomes Team Matches (pm)

· Wednesday, July 3 – Singles Matches

While the US squad is composed of the top six male and top six female junior golfers on the US National Junior Team based on their WAGR ranking, on the Australian side, the roster was selected by Golf Australia’s High Performance selection committee.

Joining Hammett in the Australian team is fellow 17-year-old Shyla Singh, recently crowned Australian Junior Amateur champion, 16-year-olds Reagan Denton and Rachel Lee and 15-year-old Amelia Harris. At the age of 18, Ella Scaysbrook is the senior member of the team.

Of the six boys, Australian Junior Amateur champion Sam Cascio, Josiah Edwards, Hamish Farquharson and Chase Oberle are all 16. Joining them is 15-year-old Spencer Harrison and 17-year-old Kayun Mudadna.

“We are delighted to partner with the USGA in this exciting initiative as a first for the US Team,” said Brad James, General Manager of High Performance at Golf Australia (GA).

“We see this as a tremendous opportunity not only from a competitive standpoint, but as a great chance for the USGA and Golf Australia to share information on high performance.

“Australia and the United States have a great friendship, and that applies to golf as well, not to mention a healthy rivalry that exists through all levels of the game.”

Currently 82nd in the WAGR, Hammett placed second in the individual standings at the Queen Sirikit Cup in New Zealand in March. The previous month, she tied for 37th at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific.

Chris Zambri, Head Coach of the US National Teams, said: “This match is another milestone in advancing the vision of the US National Development Programme by empowering elite juniors with a chance to play on the international stage.

“We’re thankful to Golf Australia for partnering on this initiative, allowing our athletes to compete and learn from one another in what we hope is the first of many more events to come.”

Established earlier this year as part of the US National Development Programme, the US National Junior Team is an 18-player roster of 10 girls and eight boys representing the country’s elite junior golf talent.

It is the first of three national teams to be formed; an Amateur Team is set to be announced in 2025 followed by a Young Professional Team in 2026.

Located in central Wisconsin and opened in 1982, SentryWorld was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr and has since undergone significant renovations. This public, parkland course is part of a sports complex developed by Sentry Insurance, which also includes indoor tennis courts, banquet space, and restaurants.

At the heart of the 200-acre property lies the championship layout. In 2013, Jones oversaw a major renovation led by architects Bruce Charlton and Jay Blasi.

SentryWorld has a rich history of hosting prestigious tournaments, including three USGA championships. Most recently, it was the venue for the 43rd US Senior Open Championship in 2023, where Bernhard Langer made history as the oldest US Senior Open champion at age 65 and achieved his 46th PGA Tour Champions victory, surpassing the record held by five-time USGA champion Hale Irwin.

SentryWorld hosted the US Girls’ Junior Championship in 2019 when Angelina Lei Ye became the second USGA champion from the People’s Republic of China, and it served as the host site of the US Women’s Amateur Public Links in 1986.