Malia Nam, Amelia Garvey, Jennifer Chang, Gabi Ruffels
Trojans Sign Quartet Of Top Junior Golfers
November 10, 2017 | Women's Golf, Features
Three will join current USC squad in spring semester.
A quartet of junior standouts from across the globe -- Jennnifer Chang of Cary, N.C., Amelia Garvey of Christchurch, New Zealand, Malia Nam from Kailua, Hawaii, and Gabriela Ruffels from Sandringham, Victoria, Australia -- have all signed National Letter of Intent with USC, Trojan Women's Golf Head Coach Andrea Gaston announced today.
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"I'm very excited not only about the talent of our incoming class of student-athletes but equally happy about the diversity of backgrounds joining our program," said Gaston, now in her 22nd year at the helm of the Trojans' program. "We will be a young team but one that does not lack experience. All four of our new Trojans have had extensive experience at the highest levels of junior golf and they will come in ready to compete."
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Chang, Garvey and Ruffels are all expected to enroll at USC in January and compete for the Trojans in the spring semester. Nam will join the Trojans in the Fall.
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Chang, a two-time prep All-American and two-time all-state first-team selection at Athens Drive High in Raleigh, N.C., is one of the top juniors in the U.S and ranked among the top 100 amateurs in the world. She was a finalist at the 2017 U.S. Junior Girls' Championships and earned an exemption into the 2017 U.S. Women's Am. Also this year, she finished second at the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic, played at the PING Junior Solheim Cup and participated in her second Wyndam Cup in a row. As a 2016 junior, she advanced to the semifinals of the North and South Women's Amateur, finished second at the World Junior Girls Championship while helping the U.S. to third overall, posted top 6 finishes at a pair of AJGA events and won the North Carolina state high school title for the third year in a row. As a 2015 sophomore, she was second at the AJGA Girls Championship and was seventh at the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions.
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Garvey, from Burnside High in Christchurch, N.Z., comes to USC with a full resume of success in New Zealand. The third-ranked amateur there, she was first at the 2017 New Zealand Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship and also won the 2017 South Island Women's Stroke Play title. She was selected to represent her country at the Queen Sirikit Cup in China and finished second at the 2017 South Australia Junior Amateur. In 2016, she competed at the Junior World Championships at Torrey Pines and tied for first at the APGC Mitsubishi Girl's Championship in Chinese Taipei. In 2015, she became the second youngest player to win a professional tournament in New Zealand behind LPGA star Lydia Ko after capturing the Sir Bob Charles Tour Autex Muriwai.
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Nam, who attends Kaiser High in Kailua, Hawaii, is a two-time prep state champion with broad success on the U.S. amateur circuit. In 2017, she reached the round of 32 at the North & South Women's Amateur, tied for 14th at the Girl's Junior Americas Cup and was second at her U.S. Open qualifier. She finished first at the King Auto State, at the 2016 and 2017 qualifier for the IMG Junior World and at the 2015-16-17 qualifiers for the Junior PGA. As a 2016 junior, she was also semifinalist at the North & South, took 11th at the Junior PGA Championship and tied for ninth at the Canadian Women's Amateur. As a 2015 sophomore, she tied for seventh at the U.S. Girl's Junior and reached the round of 32 at the U.S. Women's Amateur while taking 14th at the Junior World Golf Championship.
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Ruffels is the daughter of former Trojan women's tennis great and national champion Anna-Maria Fernandez while her father, Ray Ruffels, was also a highly successful professional tennis player. Gabriela Ruffels was also a top-ranked tennis junior in Australia with a national tournament win to her credit and other international success, but she has blossomed in golf. She represented Australia at the 2017 World Junior Girls Championships, was third at the 2017 FGC Junior International and qualified for the Australian Amateur Match Play. In 2016, she represented Australia in international events in Singapore and Thailand, competed in the Women's Western Amateur and was named to the Victorian Women's and Junior State teams. She also qualified for the Junior World Championships and competed at the Australian Amateur.
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"I'm very excited not only about the talent of our incoming class of student-athletes but equally happy about the diversity of backgrounds joining our program," said Gaston, now in her 22nd year at the helm of the Trojans' program. "We will be a young team but one that does not lack experience. All four of our new Trojans have had extensive experience at the highest levels of junior golf and they will come in ready to compete."
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Chang, Garvey and Ruffels are all expected to enroll at USC in January and compete for the Trojans in the spring semester. Nam will join the Trojans in the Fall.
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Chang, a two-time prep All-American and two-time all-state first-team selection at Athens Drive High in Raleigh, N.C., is one of the top juniors in the U.S and ranked among the top 100 amateurs in the world. She was a finalist at the 2017 U.S. Junior Girls' Championships and earned an exemption into the 2017 U.S. Women's Am. Also this year, she finished second at the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic, played at the PING Junior Solheim Cup and participated in her second Wyndam Cup in a row. As a 2016 junior, she advanced to the semifinals of the North and South Women's Amateur, finished second at the World Junior Girls Championship while helping the U.S. to third overall, posted top 6 finishes at a pair of AJGA events and won the North Carolina state high school title for the third year in a row. As a 2015 sophomore, she was second at the AJGA Girls Championship and was seventh at the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions.
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Garvey, from Burnside High in Christchurch, N.Z., comes to USC with a full resume of success in New Zealand. The third-ranked amateur there, she was first at the 2017 New Zealand Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship and also won the 2017 South Island Women's Stroke Play title. She was selected to represent her country at the Queen Sirikit Cup in China and finished second at the 2017 South Australia Junior Amateur. In 2016, she competed at the Junior World Championships at Torrey Pines and tied for first at the APGC Mitsubishi Girl's Championship in Chinese Taipei. In 2015, she became the second youngest player to win a professional tournament in New Zealand behind LPGA star Lydia Ko after capturing the Sir Bob Charles Tour Autex Muriwai.
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Nam, who attends Kaiser High in Kailua, Hawaii, is a two-time prep state champion with broad success on the U.S. amateur circuit. In 2017, she reached the round of 32 at the North & South Women's Amateur, tied for 14th at the Girl's Junior Americas Cup and was second at her U.S. Open qualifier. She finished first at the King Auto State, at the 2016 and 2017 qualifier for the IMG Junior World and at the 2015-16-17 qualifiers for the Junior PGA. As a 2016 junior, she was also semifinalist at the North & South, took 11th at the Junior PGA Championship and tied for ninth at the Canadian Women's Amateur. As a 2015 sophomore, she tied for seventh at the U.S. Girl's Junior and reached the round of 32 at the U.S. Women's Amateur while taking 14th at the Junior World Golf Championship.
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Ruffels is the daughter of former Trojan women's tennis great and national champion Anna-Maria Fernandez while her father, Ray Ruffels, was also a highly successful professional tennis player. Gabriela Ruffels was also a top-ranked tennis junior in Australia with a national tournament win to her credit and other international success, but she has blossomed in golf. She represented Australia at the 2017 World Junior Girls Championships, was third at the 2017 FGC Junior International and qualified for the Australian Amateur Match Play. In 2016, she represented Australia in international events in Singapore and Thailand, competed in the Women's Western Amateur and was named to the Victorian Women's and Junior State teams. She also qualified for the Junior World Championships and competed at the Australian Amateur.
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