Race to Qualify for the 2025 European Junior Ryder Cup Team Underway

The race to qualify for this year’s European Junior Ryder Cup Team is officially underway, with the first counting events for boys and girls now in the books.

Six boys and six girls will take on the United States in New York from September 23-25, 2025 on the eve of the 45th edition of the biennial contest between Europe and the United States.

Three boys and three girls will automatically earn their places on the European team through a season-long ranking system organised by the European Golf Association, while the remaining six players will be selected by captain, Stephen Gallacher.

FIRST EVENTS COMPLETED IN PORTUGAL

The first counting events of this year’s qualifying race were the Portuguese International Amateur Championships contested at Penina Hotel & Golf Resort in the Algarve.

16-year-old Louise Uma Landgraf leads the girls’ ranking after claiming the title in the European season opener. The French international came from behind with a final round 67 (-6) to win the event on 5-under-par.

Landgraf’s French teammate, Sara Brentcheneff, claimed the runner-up spot at Penina and also currently sits second in the girls ranking.

Alice Kong (FRA) and Natalia Aparicio (ITA) are tied for third position in the ranking after finishing in the top-10 in Portugal.

On the boys’ side, Louis Klein is currently the one to catch. The 15-year-old Czech junior carded an incredible final round of 64 (-9) at Penina to jump up the leaderboard and earn a runner-up finish in the prestigious men’s amateur event.

Oscar Couilleau (FRA) is in second position after a strong top-five finish to start the season, while Hugo Le Goff (FRA) rounds out the automatic qualifying spots with a top-10 at Penina.

A LONG WAY TO GO

With eight more playable events for both boys and girls, there’s still a long way to go before any players are confirmed for the 2025 European Junior Team.

With each player’s four best scores counting towards their final point totals, a lot can change in the rankings in the lead up to the final events, The R&A Boys and Girls Amateur Championships in August.

SPANISH EVENTS UP NEXT

The Spanish International Amateur Championships, also known as the Copa SM El Rey and Copa SM La Reina, will be the next opportunity for Europe’s elite amateur juniors to score points towards team selection.

The events feature two stroke play qualifying rounds before switching to match play and will be contested from 25 February to 2 March at Real Club de Golf El Prat (girls) and Real Guadalhorce Club de Golf (boys).

The French International Girls and Boys’ Championships, played over Easter weekend (17-21 April) will be the third counting events before the German Boys and Girls’ tournaments in mid-May.

ABOUT THE JUNIOR RYDER CUP

Six boys and six girls will take on the United States in New York from September 23-25, 2025, with the first two days of the Junior Ryder Cup being played at Nassau Country Club before the decisive singles matches are held at Bethpage Black, the Ryder Cup venue, on the eve of the 45th edition of the biennial contest between Europe and the United States.

Three boys and three girls will earn a place on the European Junior Ryder Cup team through a season-long ranking system, which has been organised by the European Golf Association, while the remaining six players will be selected by Stephen Gallacher, the European Junior Ryder Cup Captain.

Players will earn points for the Rankings based on their finishing position in selected elite amateur events in 2025 and these points will be allocated using the World Amateur Golf Ranking system. The qualification process will end following The R&A Girls’ and Boys’ Amateur Championships on August 16, 2025.

Boys and girls who are citizens of a European country as defined by the International Golf Federation’s Nationality Policy by no later than January 1, 2025, under 18 years of age on January 1, 2025, have not represented a non-European country in an international golf competition during 2025, and who are not enrolled at, or committed to attend, a college in the USA during 2025 are eligible to participate in the 2025 Junior Ryder Cup.

The Junior Ryder Cup has produced a plethora of golfing stars and once again in 2025 the best male and female junior amateurs from Europe and the USA go head-to-head in the mixed event.

Rory McIlroy, Nicolai Højgaard and Nicolas Colsaerts, the 2023 European Ryder Cup Vice-Captain, all triumphed in the junior event before also winning the Ryder Cup, while Suzann Pettersen, Carlota Ciganda and Emily Kristine Pedersen succeeded as amateurs before lifting the Solheim Cup.