RAIN DELAYS START OF 30th TOYOTA JUNIOR GOLF WORLD CUP
Soaked course prompts just 2nd washout in history; Round 1 pushed to Wednesday
TOYOTA CITY, Japan (June 18, 2024) — For just the second time in a history going back three
decades, the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup Supported by Japan Airlines has endured a day
without a single shot being struck.
Steady rain that began in Japan’s overnight hours continued to fall deep into Tuesday morning,soaking Chukyo Golf Club’s Ishino course beyond any playable condition that would allow
Round 1 to start later in the day.
Play in the tournament’s 30th edition now will begin Wednesday, keeping the original tee times.
With rain moving out of the Nagoya area by Tuesday night, tournament officials are hopefulplayers can get three rounds in the books by Friday’s scheduled finish.
“Our goal is to be able to play 54 holes,” said William Kerdyk, chairman of the tournament
committee. “It’s truly unfortunate that our historic 30th playing of this event begins this way, but
we will work to give our participants the best playing experience that we can.”The only other time the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup has lost a day to weather came in the2002 edition, when Round 3 was rained out and the event trimmed to 54 holes. England’s boys
won the team title that year by two shots over Sweden; England’s Matthew Richardson claimed
top honors individually.
Since then, the only other edition to go 54 holes came in 2022, when the event returned to theschedule after a two-year hiatus prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year’s edition returned to its usual four-day format, with host Japan making a clean sweepof boys’ and girls’ team and individual titles.
A total of 63 golfers — 12 boys’ teams and nine on the girls’ side — are at Chukyo GC this week
to compete for the twin trophies. The format is similar to U.S. college golf, with each teamcounting the two best scores among its three players each day.
“I hope we have a really good competition this year,” said Jasmine Koo, back with Team USA fora second time after being part of last year’s record-smashing duel against Japan’s powerhousegirls.
That showdown produced new girls’ scoring records each day, ending with both teams
shattering the previous 72-hole scoring mark as Japan finished two shots clear for its third title
in a four-year span.
Though Koo has two new teammates and Japan’s roster has fully turned over, both sides are
hopeful for a similarly spirited contest this week.
“I know how good a team we had last year,” said Japan’s Mamika Shinchi, who won theAustralian Women’s Amateur earlier this year. “But I think we are no worse than last year'steam. If we play as well as we are capable of, we have a good chance of winning.”
Shinchi used a closing 66 in Australia to overcome a six-shot deficit, with teammate Aina
Fujimoto tying for third.
One of Koo’s teammates is fellow Californian Nikki Oh — daughter of Ted Oh, who played inthree Junior World Cups in the 1990s — along with Junior Orange Bowl International titleholder
Kayla Bryant.
“Two of us need to go low each day,” Koo said, “and I know each of us has the capability to dothat.”

The boys’ division appears wide open, with significant turnover across all rosters. The UnitedStates, which rallied for a share of third last year, has Billy Davis back after tying for third
individually. He’s joined by Jackson Byrd, son of PGA Tour mainstay Jonathan Byrd, and WilliamJennings.
“I really wanted to get some hardware going into (last year), and we managed to do that,” Davissaid. “Maybe we can get the gold this year.”
Two rosters feature three players in the top 800 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings. England is
led by Ben Bolton, winner of the Faldo Series final last December and third in the German Boys’Open.
The wild card could be Colombia, making its first boys’ appearance since 2019 but with threeplayers in the top 500. Samuel Gonzalez is the reigning South American Junior champion andhas stockpiled eight top-10 finishes in 2024.
All seek to add their names to a history that features 10 major champions, including each of thepast four Masters winners — reigning champion Scottie Scheffler (twice), Jon Rahm and Hideki
Matsuyama.
Others include Justin Rose, a former U.S. Open champion and Olympic gold medalist, Cameron
Smith (2022 Open Championship), Henrik Stenson (2013 Open Championship), Charl
Schwartzel (2011 Masters) and Louis Oosthuizen (2010 Open Championship).
Though the girls’ division has yet to produce a major champion in its eight-year history, threeparticipants later won the Augusta National Women's Amateur — Tsubasa Kajitani, Anna Davisand Rose Zhang.
More information about the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup Supported by Japan Airlines can befound online at WJGTC.org, including a video library that includes interviews with former
participants.