PGA Past President Suzy Whaley Named 2025 United States Junior Ryder Cup Team Captain

The PGA of America today announced PGA Past President Suzy Whaley as Captain of the 2025 United States Junior Ryder Cup Team. She will lead the U.S. Team of 12 boys and girls as they compete in the 13th Junior Ryder Cup at Nassau Country Club and Bethpage Black in New York, Sept. 23-25, 2025.

Whaley, who served as the 41st PGA President, was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2023. A PGA Master Professional, she also is the President of Golf Nation, an online and connected TV OTT channel that brings golf lifestyle and premium videos together on a shop-able streaming content platform. Additionally, she is one of GOLF’s “Top 100 Teachers in America” and serves as a commentator for ESPN.

Whaley previously captained victorious U.S. Teams at the 2022 PGA Cup and the 2019 Women’s PGA Cup.

“I could not be more excited to serve as Captain of the 2025 United States Junior Ryder Cup Team,” said Whaley. “The Junior Ryder Cup is undoubtedly one of the highlights of Ryder Cup week, and provides a worldwide platform for these highly-skilled junior players to compete. I look forward to leading our team in New York next September.”
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Following two-year terms as both PGA Secretary and PGA Vice President, Whaley became the first woman elected to serve as PGA President in 2018. She steered the Association through the onset of the global pandemic, leading to the establishment of the nearly $8 million Golf Emergency Relief Fund for golf-industry personnel in need, and an unprecedented growth in rounds played, using social distancing protocols established in conjunction with the CDC and Back2Golf.

Whaley is a 2022 Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame inductee as well as a member of the Connecticut Golf Sports Hall of Fame and Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame. She was recognized with the 2023 Walter Hagen Award and the Metropolitan Golf Association’s Distinguished Service Award as well as numerous teaching awards including: Golf Digest Top 50 Instructor, Golf Magazine top 100 instructor, LPGA Top 50 Instructor, two-time Connecticut PGA Teacher of the Year, 10-time Golf Digest State Teacher of the Year and U.S. Kids Golf Master Kids Teacher. She is a five-time PGA Jr. League Championship finals Coach and has instructed more than 300 children to collegiate golf.

A dual member of the PGA of America and LPGA Teaching & Club Professional division, Whaley was a LPGA Tour member in 1990 and 1993. She famously qualified and participated in the 2003 Greater Hartford Open, becoming the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to qualify for a PGA TOUR event. This occurred after Whaley became the first PGA of America woman professional to win the Connecticut PGA Championship.

The 2025 Junior Ryder Cup will take place over three days. Foursomes and four-ball matches will be contested at Nassau Country Club on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and Wednesday, Sept. 24. The decisive single matches will be contested at Bethpage Black, site of the 2025 Ryder Cup, on Thursday, Sept. 25. This marks the first time the U.S. Ryder Cup venue will host the Junior Ryder Cup singles matches on the eve of the Ryder Cup.

The U.S. Team, which owns a 7-4-1 record in the event, will consist of six girls and six boys who are U.S. citizens and are members of the high school graduating class of 2026 or younger. The 2025 U.S. Team points list for qualification will begin at the 2024 Junior PGA Championships, taking place July 30 - August 2 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

For additional information on the qualification process, visit here.