The race to qualify for the 2023 European Junior Ryder Cup team is officially underway.

12 spots for junior players (U18) are available in the European team that will take on the USA in Rome from 26 to 28 September ahead of the 44th edition of the Ryder Cup.

Three girls and three boys will be automatically selected for the team through the qualifying ranking, while six more players will be selected by captain, Stephen Gallacher.

The Portuguese International Amateur Championships, contested in recent weeks at Montado Golf Resort, marked the first qualifying events for both boys and girls.

Rocio Tejedo (ESP) made the perfect start to the girls’ qualifying race. The Spanish player claimed the Portuguese International title ahead of a strong field to take an early lead in the ranking.

Despite falling just short in a playoff, Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio (ESP) remains close behind after earning strong points for 2nd place. The current World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) number-seven is the reigning champion of the next qualifying event, the Spanish International Amateur Championship, which starts at the end of February.

Paula Martin Sampedro claimed the final spot on the podium in an all-Spanish top-three in Portugal, and occupies the last automatic qualifying position in the girls’ ranking. A number of strong players are close behind in the top-10 including WAGR number-17, Meja Örtengren (SWE) who sits in fifth, and WAGR number-14, Helen Briem (GER) who is tied for ninth.

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93RD PORTUGUESE INTERNATIONAL LADIES' AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

In the boys’ ranking, Ireland’s Sean Keeling leads the way. The 16 year-old performed impressively in Portugal, finishing as top junior (U18) player and third outright on eight-under-par.

Giovanni Binaghi (ITA) and Lev Grinberg (UKR), who are both just 15 years of age, are tied for second position after finishing joint fourth at Montado Resort. The latter earned the spotlight in the world of golf last May when he became the second youngest player to make the cut in a DP World Tour event at the age of just 14. The teenager will be one to watch in the coming events.

Former Jacques Léglise Trophy players for the Continent of Europe, Jorge Siyuan Hao (ESP) and Tim Wiedemeyer (GER), are two more to keep an eye on during the qualifying race. The pair sit tied for eighth position following a solid top-20 finish in Portugal.

Scotland’s Connor Graham, who won The R&A Junior Open and represented Great Britain & Ireland in the Jacques Léglise Trophy last year also had a steady start to the qualifying race with a top-30 finish at Montado Resort.

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93RD PORTUGUESE INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

The next qualifying events for boys and girls are the Spanish International Amateur Championships, which will take place from 28 February to 5 March. These will be followed by the French International Girls’ and Boys’ Championships in April.

The full standings of both the boys and girls rankings can be found below:

ABOUT THE JUNIOR RYDER CUP

The Junior Ryder Cup is a biennial international match contested between 12-player junior teams from Europe and the USA.

This year’s match will be held from September 26-28 in Rome. The first two days of play will be held at Golf Nazionale before the decisive singles matches are held at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, the Ryder Cup venue, on the eve of the 44th edition.

ABOUT THE 2023 EUROPEAN JUNIOR RYDER CUP QUALIFYING RANKINGS

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

Boys and girls who are citizens of a European country as defined by the International Golf Federation’s Nationality Policy, under 18 years of age on January 1, 2023, and who are not enrolled to play college golf in the USA during 2023 are eligible to participate in the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup.

Players will earn points for the Rankings based on their finishing position in selected elite amateur events in 2023. These points will be allocated using the World Amateur Golf Ranking system, with each player’s best four results counting towards their final point totals. The qualification process will end following The R&A Girls’ and Boys’ Amateur Championships on August 20, 2023. The full list of events can be found below:

BOYS EVENTS

GIRLS EVENTS

*Points for the European Team Championships will be awarded based on finishing position in the stroke play qualifying only. The allocated points will be based on WAGR’s standard ‘power’ and distribution method.