The Tournament Committee is proud to announce that the 19th Northern Junior Championship presented by The Golf Performance Center will be contested August 2nd – 4th, 2021 at New Haven Country Club in Hamden, Connecticut. The 36-hole international championship is open to amateur Boys and Girls who have not reached their 19th birthday by August 4th, 2021 and have not yet entered their first year of college.
2020 Tournament and Qualifier Entry Applications will be available on Monday, March 1st
Widely regarded as one of the top private golf courses in New England, New Haven Country Club was founded in 1898 and features an 18-hole championship course designed by Willie Park, Jr. The course has undergone numerous renovations since its inception, including a new set of green complexes that were completely resurfaced in 2009. The course is known for its outstanding playing conditions and its challenging, undulating greens which are often regarded as the best in the state.
2021 will mark the sixth year that New Haven Country Club will host the Northern Junior Championship, having last hosted the championship in 2019. That year, the Northern Junior featured its strongest field to date, with 117 players from twenty-five different states and provinces vying for the title. Top ranked junior golfers Benjamin James of Milford, Connecticut and Emma Shen of Tenafly, New Jersey captured the title in their respective divisions. James, currently ranked in the top 10 of the Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings, will return in 2021 looking to etch his name in history as the first player to capture the title three times.
The present layout was designed by renowned architect Willie Park, Jr. in 1922. While the course is relatively straight-forward from the teeing ground, it is the green complexes that truly define the course. “New Haven Country Club features an incredible set of greens that offer a wide variety of hole locations,” said Kevin Josephson, Course Set-Up Committee. “We are already looking ahead and planning the set-up of the golf course and look forward to providing the players with a unique and interesting challenge come early August.”
New Haven Country Club has a long history of hosting the area’s top amateur championships, having played host to an incredible sixteen Connecticut Amateur Championships and eight Connecticut Open Championships. It also hosted the New England Amateur in 1941 and 1998, and the New England Junior Championship in 2007. Most recently, it hosted the 2018 Connecticut Open Championship, which saw former Northern Junior participant John VarDerLaan capture the title over C.J. Swift.
The 2020 Northern Junior Championship was scheduled to be played at Great River Golf Club in Milford, Connecticut, but was cancelled due to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Northern Junior Championship is a nationally ranked junior golf tournament that was created in order to provide top national and international junior players a chance to compete and also enjoy an entirely unique experience. The 36-hole stroke play event is contested over two days and is open to amateur boys and girls under the age of 19 who have not entered their first year of college. The goal of the event is to provide the same championship treatment offered at the premier amateur, collegiate, and professional events around the world, while also providing junior golfers with exposure to college golf coaches and national media.
The tournament is conducted each year in memory of Stan Trojanowski, father of Cindy and Gary Trojanowski. A golfer himself, his personality and willingness to help others will never be forgotten in the people he met both on and off the golf course. The Northern Junior was established in 2002 in memory of his death on August 21st, 2001.
Championship Schedule
Monday, March 1st
Tournament and Qualifier Applications Released
Monday, July 5th
Tournament Application Deadline
Qualifier Dates & Sites will be announced shortly
Monday, August 2nd
Official Practice Rounds
Players Welcome Reception and Ryan Lee Scholarship Presentation
Tuesday, August 3rd
First Round of Stroke Play
Mini-Golf Putting Contest & Ice Cream Social
Wednesday, August 4th
Second Round of Stroke Play
Awards Ceremony and Trophy Presentation