Angela Zhang of Bellevue, Wash. has been selected by the United States Golf Association (USGA) for its inaugural U.S. National Junior Team.
Zhang is on the 18-player roster that will represent the country’s elite junior golf talent who will embark on a unified pathway designed to nurture the potential of America’s top players. The USGA plans to grow the National Junior Team to 30 boys and 30 girls over the next three years.
At 14 years old and just a freshman at Bellevue High School, Zhang is the youngest player on the national squad.
She has compiled an impressive playing record, earning her a spot on the roster. In 2023, she won a playoff to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open, becoming the youngest player, at age 14, in that national championship. She had won the Washington Women’s Amateur in 2022, being the youngest player, at age 13, to win that state championship, and then repeated the feat in 2023 for her second consecutive title. At The Home course in DuPont, she set the women’s course record with a 7-under par 65 to win the Washington Champion of Champions by 11 strokes. Also in 2023 she won seven WJGA titles, including the state title. So dominant was she in 2023 that Washington Golf named her the Player of the Year in both the Women’s and Junior Girls’ categories. She was recently nominated for the Sports Star of the Year by the Seattle Sports Commission.
Throughout the 2024 season, the 18 players will participate at bi-annual camps and compete internationally under the U.S. flag. The team’s first training camp will be held May 8-11 at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga., and the first international friendly match will take place this summer against Australia. Members of the U.S. National Junior Team will receive year-round support, including world-class coaching and analysis, sports psychology and nutritional guidance. U.S. National Development Program (USNDP) staff will collaborate with players’ home coaches and support teams to ensure they have the resources necessary to develop the physical, mental and life skills to reach their potential.
The USGA’s naming of the team is the latest milestone for the USNDP, which launched last year to ensure that American golf is the global leader in the game by focusing on six key pillars: talent identification, access to competition, national teams, athlete resources, player development and relations and athlete financial support. The program’s elite juniors represent the first of three national teams to be formed with the Amateur Team to be announced in 2025 followed by a Young Professional Team in 2026.
“We are thrilled to introduce the first U.S. National Junior Team, a group of 18 exceptionally talented young athletes who represent the bright future of American golf,” said Chris Zambri, head coach of the USNDP. “Nearly every other golf country in the world has long enjoyed the benefits of a developmental program and national teams, and the announcement of this team is a major milestone in the USGA’s commitment to the growth of our American athletes and ensuring we remain the global leader in the junior, amateur and professional game.”
The U.S. Junior Team roster will be compiled and reevaluated annually by a selection committee of USNDP staff members. Selections are made in accordance with eligibility criteria and based on a variety of competitive factors including scoring, results, statistics, rankings, sportsmanship and scouting.
For more information on the players and to view a full team roster, please click here.
Earlier this year, the USGA opened applications for the USNDP Grant Program, which will assist talented golfers and their families with the financial resources needed to pursue a competitive path in the game. All 2024 grants will be awarded in the coming weeks. The USNDP and its grant program is supported by philanthropic giving and secured resources to fulfill the USGA’s commitment to providing pathways to elite levels of the game, regardless of financial considerations. For more information, visit usga.org/give_usndp.
In January, the USGA announced that it had created a state team pilot program that expands the pipeline for elite junior golfers into the USNDP. Through close collaboration between the USGA, its Allied Golf Associations, the PGA of America and relevant state junior programs, seven states joined the initial phase with the goal of all 50 states having a team by 2033. In February, it was announced that Ally would become a founding partner of the USNDP.