Field peek: Top juniors commit to DJ World Junior in March

With less than three months to go before the fourth edition of the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship, the field is nearly filled.

And it looks tough.

The field of 90 golfers (which includes 66 boys and 24 girls) includes both defending champions in addition to 28 of the top 100 boys in the country and 16 of the top 100 girls. Michael Brennan of Leesburg, Va., is the reigning boys winner after holding off the country’s top-ranked player, Akshay Bhatia, in the final round with an eagle on the final hole. Alexa Pano, who is No. 6 in Golfweek’s Junior Rankings, won the girls division at the start of a year that included a runner-up finish at the U.S. Girls’ Junior and selection to the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team.

The tournament will take place March 1-3 at TPC Myrtle Beach, and with Johnson’s touch, the idea is to provide a PGA Tour-like experience for the game’s best juniors. That’s an invaluable experience for an upcoming generation that has eyes on college golf and beyond.

“Dustin wants to create the best junior golf tournament in the world, and we have certainly taken another step toward fulfilling that goal this year,” said Scott Tomasello, Golf Tourism Solutions’ Tournament Director. “This year’s field is on par with the best junior tournaments in the country, and they will be tested by TPC Myrtle Beach, one of America’s premier golf courses.”

TPC Myrtle Beach has hosted the Senior PGA Tour Championship and is listed among Golf Digest’s top 100 public courses in the country.

Other headliners on the boys side include No. 15 Jackson Van Paris (Pinehurst, N.C.), No. 22 Nick Dunlap (Greer, S.C.), the highest ranked South Carolinian in the field, No. 27 Gavin Noble (Ringgold, Ga.), and No. 28 George Duangmanee (Fairfax, Va.).

On the girls side, No. 11 Ashley Menne (Surprise, Ariz.), last year’s runner-up, is returning, along with No. 30 Latanna Stone (Riverview, Fla.), No. 43 Jensen Castle (Columbia, S.C.), and No. 44 Erika Smith (Orlando, Fla.).

The only three slots remaining to be filled will be determined by a one-day qualifier at TPC Myrtle Beach on February 9. Two boys and one girl will advance from the qualifier. A complete field list can be found here.