Official Tournament Classifications

As part of the its initiative to introduce more playing opportunities for players to compete for AJGA PBE on the Junior Order of Merit, the JGTA recognizes three event classifications that together make up all officially sanctioned tournaments. These are JGTA Majors, Invitationals and Sanctioned Events.

While JGTA Majors and JGTA Invitationals are organized and conducted by the JGTA (with its staff on-site), Sanctioned Events are in fact organized and conducted by independent tournament organizers (possibly without JGTA staff on-site). However, regardless of classification, a participant in any of the three official tournament classification can only earn Merit Points from their tournament performance if the player meets the JGTA’s official competitive eligibility criteria.

Merit Points and Ranking

Each classification of event is considered officially sanctioned by the JGTA  as counting events on the Junior Order of Merit Ranking. At the beginning of each season, the JGTA gives sets a ‘point-level’ for each tournament.  The point-level determines how many Merit Points a player will earn for a given finish in the tournament, and generally varies between event classifications. This means the number of Merit Points a player may earn is based on the event, the division in which the player competes and the player’s finish in the tournament. Therefore, a player’s finish in one event classification will rarely earn the same number of Merit Points for the same finish in one of the other event classification.

A tournament’s point-level is based on a variety of factors including but not limited to the event’s classification, the tournament’s history and history of competitive results, and the tournament field’s projected level of competition. Regardless of classification, once a tournament is sanctioned on the Junior Order of Merit and given a point-level, they tournament may not move down to lower point levels.  However, the tournament is eligible to move up to higher point-levels over time based on the factors listed above.

The Tour’s point-level system is modeled after the point-level structure of the Rolex AJGA Rankings, due to it being a reliable, objective, and proven method of quantifying the sanctioned ‘weight’ of tournament results.

Sanctioned Events

Sanctioned Events are independent (third-party) tournaments that are not organized or conducted by the JGTA, but that the JGTA recognizes as counting events on the Junior Order of Merit.  Participants of Sanctioned Events may earn Merit Points that count towards their Junior Order of Merit Ranking according to their finish in Sanctioned Events.  Some Sanctioned Events may offer more points than others.  However, all Sanctioned Events start at the same point-level.  Sanctioned Events may not move down to lower point-levels but can move up to higher point-levels pending a ruling from the JGTA Tour Committee.  These changes, though infrequent, are based on a variety of factors including the tournament field, scores, and other indicators of the event’s competitive standing relative to the junior golf landscape in the region.

Tournament results for Sanctioned Events are published on JGTA.ORG and the rankings updated at the end of every week throughout the JGTA season.

Player Requirements

In order for participants’ results in a Sanctioned Event to be recognized and the player to be ranked on the Junior Order of Merit (and therefore eligible to earn AJGA PBE Status), each player must:

The JGTA emphasizes that all players must be an amateur in accordance with the rules of amateur status as approved by the R&A Rules Limited and the United States Golf Association AND have not graduated high school.  Per the discretion of the Tour Committee, an official investigation into a player’s amateur status may be conducted by the JGTA.  Proof of Age may be required prior to ranking and upon request from the JGTA.

Player Verification

In order for a player’s junior golf profile to be verified, the player must register with the email that they provided to the organizers of the Sanctioned Event. The JGTA will inspect all verification forms submitted on JGTA.ORG to ensure only genuine users who represent participants in JGTA-sanctioned events will have their results recognized and earn a ranking on the Junior Order of Merit.

Players may complete verification at any time on the JGTA website and are required to do so only once each season to begin earning points from their finishes in Sanctioned Events.  However, players are required to complete verification no later than 48 hours following the final round of their first tournament to earn Merit Points for that event.  Therefore, it is strongly suggested that players complete verification prior to their first Sanctioned Event to ensure they do not forfeit the Merit Points they could receive from their tournament results.

Inquiries

Players and parents can expect JGTA to be present at most Sanctioned Events. A JGTA representative may also conduct Parents and Players meetings at select events.  All player or parent inquiries regarding the Junior Order of Merit, the verification process on JGTA.ORG, or earning AJGA PBE through their ranking should contact JGTA Player Services Department at playerservices@jgta.org.

JGTA Majors

JGTA Majors are the Tour’s primary event classification, organized and conducted by the JGTA in various countries across the Asia-Pacific. Major Events of the JGTA are reserved for JGTA Tour-Card holders and members of the AJGA are ranked on the Junior Order of Merit, the Tour’s official ranking system, and the source for AJGA PBE Status in the Asia-Pacific.

The main characteristics of Major Events include:

  •  JGTA Majors are organized and conducted by the JGTA.
  •  JGTA Majors are reserved for AJGA members and JGTA Tour-Card holders.
  •  Tournament fields at JGTA Majors are filled according to AJGA PBE status followed by official entry criteria.
  •  While not all JGTA members may earn entry into a JGTA Major Event, all Tour-Card holders are eligible to apply for JGTA Major tournaments, regardless of their status.

JGTA Invitationals

The JGTA Invitational is the Tour’s elite tournament format reserved for top performers on the Junior Order of Merit.  Invitationals, like Majors, are organized and conducted by the JGTA, with players earning entry by invitation only.

Invitational Events are generally held towards the end of the JGTA season (spring), and feature some of the top college golf prospects from around the Asia-Pacific. This includes Fully-Exempt AJGA players and members of the Junior All-Asia Team, AJGA tournament champions and often junior golfers who will go on to compete for top-University golf programs in the United States.

The main characteristics of JGTA Invitational Events include:

  •  Organized and operated by the JGTA at premier golfing venues in the region.
  •  The Tour's elite event classification sanctioned at the highest point-level.
  •  Require an invitation to participate.
  • Invitation criteria varies however is most often based on Junior Order of Merit ranking and All-Asia Team members.