French players Hugo Le Goff and Louise Uma Landgraf lead the race to qualify for the 2025 European Junior Ryder Cup team.
Three boys and three girls will automatically earn their spots on the 12-player European team - set to take on the USA this September - through a season-long ranking system organised by the European Golf Association.
European team captain, Stephen Gallacher, was in attendance in Spain this week to watch the prestigious Spanish international amateur championships, the second counting events of the qualifying race.
A NEW LEADER IN THE BOYS' RANKING
Hugo Le Goff, who narrowly missed out on a spot in the European team in 2023, had a perfect week at Real Guadalhorce Club de Golf. The French junior finished in a tie for ninth in the stroke play qualifying before winning all six of his matches to claim the Copa S.M. El Rey title just a few days shy of his 17th birthday.
The points haul puts him at the top of the boys’ ranking, overtaking Louis Klein (CZE) who moves down to second position.
Björn Driessen (NED), who was defeated by Le Goff in the quarter-finals this weekend, rounds out the top-three after a strong showing in Spain.
Raúl Gómez Montalvá (ESP), Oscar Couilleau (FRA), Bruno Frontero (ITA) and 2023 European team players, Kris Kim (ENG) and Lev Grinberg (UKR) occupy spots four to eight, respectively, and are all within touching distance of the top-three after two played events.
FRENCH PLAYERS RMEAIN ON TOP IN THE GIRLS' RANKING
On the girls’ side, the top-two remained unchanged after the Copa S.M. La Reina with Louise Uma Landgraf (FRA) in pole position and Sara Brentcheneff (FRA) close behind. The former reached the quarter-finals last week while Brentcheneff closed the gap to the ranking leader with a tied-for-third finish.
However, Nagore Martinez (ESP) (pictured above) was the standout performer in Spain. The 17-year-old came from behind in the final match at Real Club de Golf El Prat to lift the title and jump up to third position in the Junior Ryder Cup Rankings.
The top-three have opened up a sizeable gap to fourth-place, although there’s still seven events to play for the girls.
THE FULL RANKINGS
2025 Junior Ryder Cup Rankings - Update 2
The French International Junior Championships, set to take place from 17-21 April, are the next opportunity for boys and girls to score points towards automatic team selection.
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.
