An 80-player qualifier in the Philippines will send its Boys’ and Girls’ champions to the 2027 Junior PGA Championships, and it picks its field on verified handicaps.
One of the next exemptions into the Junior PGA Championships won’t be earned in the U.S. at all. And for anyone eyeing it, the entry window closes October 28.
Hann Reserve in New Clark City, Philippines, will host the inaugural Junior PGA Championships Philippines December 7–9, per a TVN report published October 20. The overall Boys’ and Girls’ champions earn exemptions into the 2027 Junior PGA Championships at NCR Country Club in Ohio, subject to eligibility requirements.
The event comes out of Hann Reserve’s partnership with the PGA of America. It also puts the Philippines in rare company: TVN reports it joins China as one of only two countries the PGA of America has recognized to host an international qualifier for the championship.
The format is short and selective. The field is capped at 80 players and is open to top local and international amateurs ages 12 to 18 with an official Handicap Index of 8.0 or lower. After an official practice round on December 7, players go 36 holes of gross stroke play on December 8 and 9. Pre-registration runs through October 28, and final selections will be made on verified handicap rankings. The host venue is a 450-hectare estate with 54 holes designed by Nicklaus Design, K.J. Choi and Sir Nick Faldo.
Hann Reserve Director of Golf Clément Rousseau framed the championship as a milestone for the facility as it prepares to open the PGA of America Performance Institute.
The Hub’s view, and this is our opinion: the most useful detail in this story isn’t the location. It’s the selection method. Eighty spots are filled on verified handicap rankings, so the field is set before anyone hits a shot, by a number that already exists on record. A lot of junior golf works this way, which is why the work you do months before an entry deadline matters as much as the week of the event.
What this means for you: know the eligibility requirements for the events on your calendar now, not the week entries close. Keep your handicap current and your results documented, because “verified” is the word that decides who gets in. Parents, when an event caps its field, ask early how selections are made, whether by handicap cutoff, ranking or qualifier, so there are no surprises in December.
The road to the Junior PGA Championships now runs through qualifiers in two countries outside the U.S. Make sure your own record is ready when your window opens: see where you stand in the JGH Rankings.