AJGA to celebrate 40 years of partnership with Rolex at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet
Players of the Year | First Team | Second Team | Honorable Mention | Scholastic Honorees
BRASELTON, Ga. – The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) announced today that Miles Russell, 18, of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and Asterisk Talley, 17, of Chowchilla, California, have been named the 2026 Rolex Junior Players of the Year, recognizing their outstanding performances in AJGA and national junior golf competition.
Russell, who has committed to Florida State University, joins Phil Mickelson as the only players in history to earn three Rolex Junior Player of the Year honors, adding to his previous awards in 2023 and 2025. Talley, a Stanford University commit, earns the distinction for the first time following a season highlighted by victories at The Fortinet Stanford Invitational hosted by Rose Zhang and the Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex.
Russell and Talley join a distinguished list of past Rolex Junior Players of the Year featuring Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Rose Zhang, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer and Brian Harman.
The two players will be recognized alongside the 2026 Rolex Junior All-America teams and Rolex Scholastic Junior All-America team at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet on November 21 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas.
This year’s awards banquet will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of Rolex’s partnership with the AJGA, which began in 1986.
“On behalf of the AJGA, congratulations to Miles and Asterisk on these well-deserved honors and their outstanding junior golf careers,” said Stephen Hamblin, AJGA Executive Director. “Their talent, perseverance and sportsmanship reflect the very best of the AJGA. For 40 years, Rolex has helped us develop, support and recognize exceptional young players. Seeing what so many have gone on to accomplish on and off the course speaks to the lasting impact of Rolex’s partnership with the AJGA.”
Miles Russell – Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Russell’s third Rolex Junior Player of the Year honor adds another milestone to an extraordinary junior golf career that includes nine national junior titles and six AJGA titles. In 2026, he successfully defended his title at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, adding to his victory in 2025.
Russell also finished runner-up at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, tied for second at the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods and placed fourth at the Team TaylorMade Invitational. He represented the U.S. Team in the Junior Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club – Course No. 1 and Course No. 2 in September. Medinah also hosted the 2026 Presidents Cup on Course No. 3.
He also found success in professional and amateur competition in 2026, tying for 39th at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and advancing to the semifinals of match play at the Western Amateur.
Asterisk Talley – Chowchilla, California
Talley added three more national junior titles in 2026 on her way to earning her first Rolex Junior Player of the Year honor. She successfully defended her titles at The Fortinet Stanford Invitational hosted by Rose Zhang and the Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex and captured the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley for the second time in three years. She also tied for third at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic and represented the U.S. Team in the PING Junior Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, which also hosted the 2026 Solheim Cup.
With 12 career national junior titles and five Rolex Junior All-America honors, Talley has compiled one of the most accomplished junior golf resumes in recent AJGA history.
Talley’s success extended into amateur and professional competition in 2026. She captured the U.S. Women’s Amateur and competed in several LPGA Tour events, including a tie for 22nd at the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club.
Click to download the Miles Russell and Asterisk Talley AJGA One-Pager
2026 Rolex Junior All-Americans
Boys – First Team
Rory Asselta of Ramsey, New Jersey
Ronin Banerjee of Irvine, California – 4th honor
Grayson Baucom of Hickory, North Carolina – 2nd honor
Sam Carraher of Crown Point, Indiana – 2nd honor
Drake Harvey of Las Vegas, Nevada – 2nd honor
Jessy Huebner of Port St. Lucie, Florida – 2nd honor
Noah Maclauchlan of Moseley, Virginia
Jackson Ormond of Webster, New York – 2nd honor
Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach, Florida – 2nd honor
Luke Ringkamp of Palm Desert, California – 2nd honor
Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida – 4th honor, three-time Player of the Year
Jaden Soong of Los Angeles, California – 3rd honor
Girls – First Team
Grace Carter of Jupiter, Florida – 2nd honor
Kylie Chung of Cumming, Georgia
Madeleine Conser of Portland, Oregon
Anna Fang of San Diego, California – 3rd honor
Inseoul Jiamanukoonkit of (Thailand) San Diego, California
Rina Kawasaki of (Japan) Palos Verdes Estates, California – 2nd honor
Amber Lee of San Diego, California – 2nd honor
Clairey Lin of (Canada) Palos Verdes Estates, California – 3rd honor
Lily Peng of San Ramon, California – 4th honor
Eliana Saga of Stevenson Ranch, California – 4th honor
Asterisk Talley of Chowchilla, California – 5th honor, 2026 Rolex Junior Player of the Year
Amelie Zalsman of St. Petersburg, Florida – 4th honor
Boys – Second Team
Brady Barnum of Dublin, Ohio – 2nd honor
Chase Bauer of Gotha, Florida – 2nd honor
Hayes Corcell of Tampa, Florida
Grant DeLorenzo of Houston, Texas
Cameron Kuchar of St. Simons Island, Georgia – 2nd honor
Dawson Lew of Toronto, Ontario, Canada – 2nd honor
William Lisle of (United Kingdom) Bradenton, Florida – 2nd honor
Evan Liu of Rancho Santa Fe, California – 2nd honor
JP Lynch of Austin, Texas
Sohan Patel of Weston, Florida – 2nd honor
Alexis Rouleau of Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Andrew Sciortino of Brentwood, Tennessee
Girls – Second Team
Zoe Cusack of Potomac, Maryland – 2nd honor
Maria Isabella Errichetto of Southern Pines, North Carolina
Honorine Ferry of McKinney, Texas – 2nd honor
Courtney Grace of Birmingham, Alabama
Aubrey Hilgers of Surprise, Arizona
Iris Lee of Orlando, Florida – 2nd honor
Shauna Liu of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada – 3rd honor
Juliet Oh of Diamond Bar, California – 2nd honor
Macie Rasmussen of Chesapeake, Virginia
Emily Song of Irvine, California – 2nd honor
Ava Zhang of Lake Mary, Florida – 2nd honor
Kelly Zhang of Hillsborough, California – 2nd honor
Boys – Honorable Mention
Bodie Brumlow of Cartersville, Georgia
Yilang Chen of (China) Irvine, California
Andy Dai of Markham, Ontario, Canada
Frederick Egnatios of Scottsdale, Arizona
Lucas Gimenez of Jacksonville, Florida – 2nd honor
Cody Guetzke of Hartland, Wisconsin
Charlie Haney of Manhattan, Kansas
Tripp Hildreth of Las Vegas, Nevada
Chase Hughes of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – 3rd honor
Matthew Hull of Corona Del Mar, California
Jeremy Hung-Wei Hsu of (Taiwan) Port St. Lucie, Florida
Hudson Justus of Gainesville, Georgia
Brayden Jones of Seal Beach, California
Oscar Liang of Irvine, California
Slater Meade of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Andy Metzler of Boise, Idaho
Ryan Nana Tanke of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Aadi Parmar of Selma, Texas – 2nd honor
Ainslie Stanford of Edmond, Oklahoma
Kailer Stone of Alameda, California
SJ Thomas of Birmingham, Alabama
Brooks Urquhart of Columbus, Georgia
Jonathan Ward of Waukee, Iowa
Zude Xu of Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Girls – Honorable Mention
Anna Bell of Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Sahana Chokshi of Jacksonville, Florida
Mia Clausen of Carlsbad, California – 2nd honor
Alisa Davidova of Roanoke, Virginia
Elizabeth Guthrie of Charlotte, North Carolina
Jodie Han of (Canada) Lewis Center, Ohio – 2nd honor
Ella June Hannant of Pikeville, North Carolina
Fay Jia of Murrieta, California
Hailey Kim of Simi Valley, California
Amy Seung Hyun Lee of (South Korea) Langley, British Columbia, Canada – 3rd honor
Kuree Little of Palmdale, California
Ysabel Liu of Short Hills, New Jersey
Maggie Jiayi Ma of (China) Irvine, California
Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada – 2nd honor
Alexandra Phung of Forest Hills, New York
Annika Raja of Irvine, California
Emerie Schartz of Wichita, Kansas – 2nd honor
Keira Shavitranuruk of Orlando, Florida
Alexandra Snyder of Orlando, Florida – 2nd honor
Amy Tang of Greenlane, New Zealand
Nicole Tang of Bellevue, Washington
Elin Wang of (Hong Kong) Beijing, China – 2nd honor
Alli Wiertel of Oswego, Illinois
Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada – 3rd honor
About Rolex
An unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise
Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacture. Headquartered in Geneva, the brand is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Perpetual watches are certified by COSC, then tested in-house for their precision, performance and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization.
The word ‘Perpetual’ is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. 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. In the course of its history, Rolex has registered over 600 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops and produces the majority of its watch components, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, the brand 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 AJGA
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 10,500 members from 50 states and 58 international countries and territories. Through initiatives like the Liberty National 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 Rolex are the AJGA’s Global Partners, supporting the AJGA for more than 60 years combined. TaylorMade has served as the Official Ball of the AJGA since 2016. Rolex, in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004 and assumed the Global Partner position in 2026. adidas has been with the AJGA for many years and became a Premier Partner in 2026.
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. AJGA alumni include Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Jessica Korda, Nelly Korda, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang.
Media Contact:
Lily Joyce, Manager, Communications
AJGA
ljoyce@ajga.org
