The High School Class of 2021 had some interesting challenges. They were the first class to be affected by recruiting rule changes. In the spring of 2019, their sophomore year of high school, schools could recruit players... well, at any time, I suppose. I think they couldn't come on campus for an unofficial visit until they started high school, but there were 6th and 7th graders committing (very uncommon), so offers could be made. As I remember, some "top players" would commit by the fall of their sophomore year, but the majority did wait until the fall of their junior year. Needless to say, the rule changes have pushed recruiting back. How bad were these rule changes for the 2021 class? They couldn't talk to coaches for 6 weeks. The rule changes began on May 1. For the 2021 class, they could talk to coaches again on June 15.
That said, the summer between their junior and senior years was during COVID, so it was challenging. No US Junior that year. No Junior Ryder Cup. Lots of events were cancelled or postponed. But that did not stop a good battle between Kelly Chin and David Ford for the AJGA Player of the Year award. Here were the top 4 players in the class with the best finishes:
| Kelly Chinn | Preston Summerhays | David Ford | Gordon Sargent | |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2018 | 2018 | | 2018 | | US Junior 17 | IMG Junior World 3 | | Wyndham 3 | | | | | Future Masters 7 | |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2019 | 2019 | 2019 | 2019 | | US Junior 3 | PING Heather Farr 7 | Future Masters 3 | Simplify 5 | | Rolex TOC 1 | Sage 10 | PGA Junior 7 | Junior PLAYERS 4 | | Junior Jones Cup 2 | US Junior 1 | Rolex TOC 7 | | | | | Junior Jones Cup 9 | | |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2020 | 2020 | 2020 | 2020 | | Sage 6 | Sedgefield 4 | Simplify 8 | Simplify 6 | | Sedgefield 6 | Sunnehanna 1 | DJ World 7 | Sedgefield 7 | | US Amateur 33 | Junior PLAYERS 6 | Sage 6 | North & South Am 9 | | Junior PLAYERS 2 | US Open 83 | Sedgefield 1 | PING 2 | | Middle Atlantic Am 1 | PING 9 | US Amateur 33 | Rolex TOC 4 | | PING 1 | Rolex TOC 8 | Junior PLAYERS 1 | | | South Beach Am 3 | Maridoe Am 2 | PING 3 | | | | | Rolex TOC 1 | | |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 | | Northeast Am 5 | PING Heather Farr 2 | Jones Cup 9 | Jones Cup 6 | | North & South Am 9 | Terra Cotta 10 | Simplify 2 | Simplify 3 | | US Junior 17 | Barbasol Junior 1 | US Junior 17 | Terra Cotta 7 | | | Barbasol Championship 85 | Western Am 5 | US Junior 5 | | | US Amateur 33 | | Western Am 2 | | | | | US Amateur 33 | |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ************************************* SUMMARY ******************************************************| | | | Wins 3 Wins 3 Wins 3 Wins 0 | | Runner-up 2 Runner-up 2 Runner-up 1 Runner-up 2 | | Top 5 8 Top 5 7 Top 5 7 Top 5 8 | | Top 10 11 Top 10 13 Top 10 14 Top 10 14 | | | | ******************************************************************************************************|
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Read more: Through the Years: A Look at the 2021 High School Class
The class of 2022 is mostly seniors and redshirt juniors in college. Well, unless your name is one of the following:
Nick Dunlap - won the 2024 American Express, turned pro. Won the 2024 Barracuda Championship as well.
Luke Clanton - left college after junior season in 2025. Received PGA Tour card via the PGA TOUR University Accelerated
Caleb Surratt - left school after a year and a half, signed with LIV. Has made over $12 million in winnings on the LIV golf tour, including one top 10, since joining in 2024. (Wow, LIV really pays well).
Michael La Sasso - left college a semester short of graduating... to join LIV. Which... really pays well.
Jeevan Sihota - the Canadian turned pro after high school.
The 2022 high school class had some of the most accomplished players in junior golf. Dunlap, Surratt, and Clanton were all top players, but arguably the best is still in college, in Virginia's Ben James. Ben, Nick, and Caleb *seemed* to have won everything in junior golf, and because of that, they were able to overshadow excellent players like Clanton, Luke Potter, Bryan Lee, Wells Williams, Mahanth Chirravuri, and Jonathon Griz. All of those players, at one point or another, cracked the top 3 in the class. Ben, a Milford, CT native, currently has a large lead for the PGA Tour U #1 spot and the PGA Tour card that comes with it. That would make three 2022's on the PGA Tour this summer, to go along with two on LIV. (Did I mention how much LIV pays for fairly mediocre play? Sorry, I just don't really follow LIV. I have nothing against it, I just don't follow it. And, I was shocked by what Caleb has earned in 26 events.)
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Read more: Through the Years: A Look at the 2022 High School Class
The class of 2023 is well into their college careers and makes up a lot of the top players on teams throughout the country. Ask coaches for a realistic timeline for when they need players to be part of their starting five, and unless they have major needs, the spring of their sophomore year and definitely by their junior year. And the 2023's, unless they redshirted, are in their junior year.
One disclaimer I feel like I should make is that these players are way more than just the numbers by their name. Golf is a game; it is meant to be fun. For many, it's great that they get to represent their school. They are trying their best, but we have no idea what is happening in their life that could affect their play during a 5 or 6-hour round, maybe 10 or 11 hours on those 36 hole days. Injuries, family matters, relationship issues, exams, papers due, classes, body changes from working out, equipment changes... You never know what could be the cause of a player's struggles.
I say all of this because the #1 player in the 2023 class, Jackson Koivun, is apparently immune to all this. Or, at least, it has not had any effect on his golf game, as he came into college best in his class and has just been phenomenal. He won all the major awards as a freshman, to help lead his Auburn Tigers to a team National Championship. This past summer, he "Clanton'd" his PGA Tour starts. Oh, and he already has locked up a PGA Tour card for whenever he wishes to turn pro, either after this, his junior year, or if he wants to come back for a senior year.
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Read more: Through the Years: A Look at the 2023 High School Class
The class of 2024 is well into their college career and at the point where most coaches want to see them contributing to their team. And many have.
2026 will see the first player of the 2024 class to play in a Major professional event, as Tennessee's Jackson Herrington has a start at the Masters this April.
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Read more: Through the Years: A Look at the 2024 High School Class
The class of 2025 is starting the spring season of their first year in college, and already, we are seeing players making an impact for their respective schools. Top 10 freshmen in the college rankings after the fall season (Junior Golf Scoreboard entering senior year of HS in parentheses):
Michael Riebe (1) - Vanderbilt
Carson Bertagnole (10) - North Carolina
Lucas Politano (114) - Rutgers
Kihei Akina (3) - BYU
JD Culbreth (6) - UGA
Jake Albert (11) - Auburn
Jon Ed Steed (17) - Vanderbilt
Sam Udovich (117) - TCU
Shiv Parmar (16) - Texas A&M
Cayse Morgan (102) - Xavier
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Read more: Through the Years: A Look at the 2025 High School Class