RHODES, Iowa – The best junior golfers in the world are heading back to Iowa as the 107th Western Junior is set to be played this week at The Harvester Club.

First played in 1914 and organized by the Western Golf Association (WGA), the Western Junior is the oldest national junior golf tournament in the United States. It has helped launch the careers of numerous PGA Tour stars, including past champions Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler and Jim Furyk. Major winners like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Scottie Scheffler, Hale Irwin and Billy Casper also competed in the event as juniors.

The championship features a 156-player field and begins with 18 holes of stroke play Tuesday and Wednesday. The top 44 and ties will advance to a final 36 holes Thursday to determine the champion. The top three finishers and ties will earn exemptions into the Western Amateur in July.

“This is an incredible opportunity for the game’s top junior players to test themselves on a world-class course,” said Vince Pellegrino, WGA Senior Vice President of Tournaments. “We’re thrilled to bring the Western Junior to The Harvester Club for the first time.”

This year’s field is among the strongest in the tournament’s history, featuring players from 33 states and 12 countries. Notably, 100 participants have already committed to play college golf.

Notable juniors in the field include:

  • Pennson Badgett (Pilot Mountain, North Carolina) – University of Tennessee commit ranked No. 9 in the Rolex AJGA Ranking. Won medalist honors at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic and recently finished T-10 at the Team TaylorMade Invitational in May.
  • Trevor Gutschewski (Omaha, Nebraska) – Ranked No. 12 nationally and committed to the University of Florida. Son of professional golfer Scott Gutschewski. Recently competed in the 125th U.S. Open and won the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in 2024.
  • Cole Stockard (Dalton, Georgia) – The No. 27-ranked junior in the country, committed to the University of Kentucky. Finished third at the 2024 PING Invitational with rounds of 73-69-71 and shot a 68 in local qualifying to earn a spot in the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur.
  • Sterling Hurd (Austin, Texas) – University of Texas commit ranked No. 36 nationally. Finished T-3 at the 2024 Western Junior at 3-under, highlighted by rounds of 66 and 67. Also placed 55th at the Western Amateur and is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American.
  • Edan Cui (Atherton, California) – Stanford University commit ranked No. 37 nationally. Placed third at the 2024 Rolex Tournament of Champions with rounds of 72-67-75-69. Has five top-10 AJGA finishes this year, including a win at the Mizuno/Greyson Sigg Junior Championship, where he opened with a 61.
  • Talan Harrison (Kannapolis, North Carolina) – Ranked No. 38 nationally and committed to the University of South Carolina. Tied for third at the 2024 Western Junior at 3-under with three rounds of 69 and a 70. Also notched a top-10 finish at the Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship (T-9).
  • Cameron Kuchar (Tequesta, Florida) – Son of nine-time PGA TOUR winner Matt Kuchar. Ranked No. 48 nationally and committed to TCU. Has three top-10 finishes in five AJGA starts this season, including a T-10 at the Team TaylorMade Invitational in May.
  • AJ Sposato (Norwalk, Iowa) – Local standout affiliated with Echo Valley Country Club. Tied for fourth at the IAPGA Spring Junior Open in April and finished T-29 at the AJGA Junior at Geneva in May. One of two players in the field from Iowa.

To view the entire field, click here.

This week will mark the Western Junior’s first visit to Iowa since 2007, when Cody Gribble won at Wakonda Club in Des Moines. Gribble went on to be a winner on the PGA TOUR.

Set at 7,275 yards with a par of 72, this will be The Harvester Club’s first WGA championship. Originally opened in 2000, the Keith Foster-designed course sits in the rolling farmland northeast of Des Moines. Foster returned in the late 2010s to oversee a renovation, introducing modern design elements with the timeless style of classic 1920s-era courses. Golf Digest has ranked The Harvester as Iowa’s top course since 2013.

The club also recently celebrated a milestone in youth development, with its caddie program producing its first Evans Scholar in 2024.

Free admission and parking will be available throughout the Western Junior.

For tee times, click here.