Five-time Presidents Cup participants Stuart Appleby and Justin Leonard have been named captains for the 2019 Junior Presidents Cup.
Five-time Presidents Cup participants Stuart Appleby and Justin Leonard have been named captains for the 2019 Junior Presidents Cup.
Australia’s Appleby, a nine-time PGA TOUR winner who represented the International Team in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2007, will captain the International Team.
Leonard, who made five appearances for the United States between 1996 and 2009, will captain the U.S. team.
The teams will square off for the second time on Dec. 8 and 9 at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, days before the Presidents Cup tees off at the same venue.
“Junior golf has developed greatly from when I was a youth when we did not have opportunities such as this,” Appleby said.
“Having competed on the victorious 1998 International Team at Royal Melbourne I want to share that experience with these kids because they are future PGA TOUR and Presidents Cup Team members on both the U.S. and International Teams.”
Appleby’s last win on the PGA TOUR came in 2010 at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, where he became the fifth player in TOUR history to card a 59.
His birdie from just outside 10 feet on the par-3 18th hole at The Old White TPC capped off his historic round, which erased a seven-stroke final-round deficit and led to a one-stroke victory.
A Cohuna, Australia native, the 47-year-old also has two Web.com Tour victories and three titles on the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia, including the 2001 Australian Open and 2010 Australian Masters.
Appleby was part of the International Team’s lone Presidents Cup victory in 1998, when as a rookie he posted 2.5 points in going 2-1-1 overall. That included a 2&1 win alongside Vijay Singh over Leonard and Tiger Woods.
He earned one point in 2003’s memorable 17-17 tie in South Africa, and two more in his final Presidents Cup appearance in 2007.
That included a 5&4 win over Woods and Jim Furyk in fourball with Singh.
His nine PGA TOUR wins included three consecutive Mercedes Championships titles between 2004 and 2006, one of which went to a playoff over Singh.
He also won the 2003 Las Vegas Invitational in a playoff over Scott McCarron and he came tantalizingly close to a major victory at the 2002 Open Championship before falling in a playoff to Ernie Els.
The Junior Presidents Cup captaincy is seemingly a perfect fit for Appleby, who focuses his charitable pursuits on helping junior golfers through his foundation.
The key vision of the Stuart Appleby Junior Golf Foundation is to provide quality, fun golf experiences to junior golfers throughout Victoria, which is evidenced by his annual Stuart Appleby Rookie Series events.
Allied to this are the opportunities that the game of golf can provide to Victorian youth at club level and beyond, along with opportunities for career development in golf.
“I owe so much to the game of golf. It has presented a kid like me from Cohuna, Australia to travel from the dairy farm around the world,” Appleby said.
“The game gives so many opportunities and teaches lessons that kids can learn whether they pursue it as a profession or simply enjoy the game as a hobby.
“I feel I owe it to take the lessons I have learned from the game and help provide those to other kids who truly will be the future of golf on all levels.”
Leonard joins Appleby with five Presidents Cup appearances on his resume (1996, 1998, 2003, 2005, 2009) as well as three Ryder Cup stints (1997, 1999, 2008) representing the U.S.
The Dallas native competed at the University of Texas where he was a two-time All-American, winner of the 1992 U.S. Amateur and was named the 1994 Haskins Award winner as the country’s most outstanding college golfer.
“It is a true honor to be named captain of this year’s Junior Presidents Cup team,” Leonard said. “I am so excited to be part of representing the U.S. with the best junior golfers our country has to offer.
It will be so special for these young players to compete on the same course, Royal Melbourne, that the pros will play just a few days later.”
The International Team will be made up of the leading 12 qualified players based on the World Amateur Golf Rankin (WAGR) as of Sept. 5.
In the event of a tie for 12th place, the selection will be decided by the individual ranked highest on the most recent previous WAGR revision.
The U.S. Team will be made up of the leading 12 qualified players based on the Rolex AJGA Rankings as of Sept. 5.
In the event of a tie for 12th place, the selection will be decided by the individual ranked highest on the World Amateur Golf Rankin (WAG) list at that time.
The U.S. Team defeated the International Team by a score of 14-10 in the inaugural Junior Presidents Cup in 2017 at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J., where David Toms captained the U.S. Team and South Africa’s Trevor Immelman led the International Team.