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FJT Ranked
Tournaments
Junior Golf Scoreboard - ranks all FJT
stroke play tournaments.
Golfweek/Titleist - ranks all 16-18 age
division FJT stroke play tournaments (not
Q-Series).
ATTENTION
PLAYERS
-
Use the
same name, city, and graduation year
when entering tournaments. Example: if
you use Michael at one event and Mike at
another, you will have two separate
rankings. This hurts your ranking. If
you have two or more rankings with
either Golfweek or Junior Golf
Scoreboard, contact them to have your
rankings merged.
-
Check your
rankings frequently to ensure recent
tournaments results have been submitted
and are correct.
-
Include
your rankings when mailing information
to college coaches.
Many
junior golfers and parents ask which ranking system is better
or which one matters the most. There are several ways to answer that question
but to do so requires some of understanding of how they work. The table below
summarizes the two systems.
|
|
Junior Golf
Scoreboard Rankings™
 |
Golfweek Titleist (Sagarin) Rankings
 |
|
Basic methodology |
Golfers’ scores – scoring differential
vs the USGA rating of the courses played and strength of competition in
each event |
Head-to-head competition –won/loss
record vs other players in the rankings, strength of competition. Scores
not used. |
|
Basic approach |
Every player possible, every time they
play, every event possible |
Players who participate in selected
events, not every time a player competes |
|
Period covered |
“rolling one year” (last 365 days) |
“rolling one year” (last 365 days) |
|
Tournaments required |
3 within last 365 days |
6 within last 365 days |
|
Tournaments used |
All results sent to Junior Golf
Scoreboard (over 1,400) |
Selected list of events (approx. 200
tournaments) |
|
Foreign tournaments? |
Yes |
No |
|
Players ranked – meeting all criteria
(as of September 14, 2005) |
Boys – 5,318 (Ex: 978 in 2008 grad year)
Girls – 1,230 |
Boys – 484 (Ex: 46 in 2008 grad year)
Girls - 212 |
|
Data available |
Tournament results
for each player.
Players' scores.
Rankings by gender.
Rankings by state.
Rankings by grad
year. |
Rankings by gender.
Rankings by state.
Rankings by grad
year. |
|
Used in AJGA Performance
Base Entry system? |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Used by national tournaments to select fields? |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Strengths |
Ranks every player every
time. |
Focuses on older
elite players. |
|
Weaknesses |
Weather can affect
scoring. (system does partially account for bad weather).
|
Players 14 & under
often excluded.
Not every player
every time.
If junior player is
not competing against top players – very hard to be ranked well |
|
College coaches |
Used by
many college programs to find “undiscovered” players, but 6th
or 7th in importance to them to finally assess talent. |
Top 30 of the 292
NCAA Division I programs use consistently, but 6th or 7th
in importance to them to finally assess talent. |
As the
table above illustrates, there are many differences between the two systems. In
this sport, each system is used in a variety of ways. Golfweek has been around
longer and does many different rankings as part of their effort to cover the
golf world whereas Junior Golf Scoreboard focuses entirely on junior
golf. It should be noted that at the elite levels of play, the two systems have
virtually the same players as the best players in their system.
So the
answer of which is best is a matter of perspective. The one thing in common to
both systems is that it is virtually impossible for a player “to manage” their
way up the rankings by not playing or over selecting events. As is always true,
practicing, playing, getting better, and shooting lower scores is the real goal.
The rest will take care of itself.
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