DALLAS — Two North Texas teenage golfers have been named to the U.S. National Junior Team, officials announced Tuesday.
Henry Guan, 15, of Irving, was named to the boys team, while Shyla Brown, 15, of McKinney, earned a spot on the girls roster.
The national teams, which were announced on the Golf Channel on Tuesday morning, are organized through the United States Golf Association (USGA) and will participate in a training camp at Atlanta Athletic Club in May. They'll then play an international friendly match against Australia later this summer. The team members will also receive "year-round support, including world-class coaching and analysis, sports psychology and nutritional guidance."
The teams are comprised of eight golfers on the boys side and 10 on the girls side, all between the ages of 14 and 18. They were selected based on their amateur rankings, scoring history and other statistics, as well as sportsmanship.
“Nearly every other golf country in the world has long enjoyed the benefits of a developmental program and national teams, and the announcement of this team is a major milestone in the USGA’s commitment to the growth of our American athletes and ensuring we remain the global leader in the junior, amateur and professional game.”
Guan, who attends the Laurel Springs Online School, had eight top-10 finishes in junior golf events in 2023 and won the 2022 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Wyndham Invitational as the youngest player in the tournament. Guan was an AJGA first-team All-American in both 2022 and 2023.
Brown, who is home schooled, had a series of high finishes in 2023, including runner-up at the Southwest Airlines Showcase at Dallas' Cedar Crest Golf Course and a runner-up finish at the Texas Junior Amateur. Brown last year became just the second Black golfer to earn a spot on the AJGA Junior All-Star Team, and she's been the top-ranked Black junior golfer in the country.
WFAA featured Brown in a story in November, ahead of her appearance at the Southwest Airlines Showcase, where she was the youngest player in the field.
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