As many of you know, our motto here at the NTPGA Junior Tour is #WHOSNEXT ®. The NTPGA Junior Tour is well represented by its alumni on the PGA, Web.com and LPGA Tours. Currently, there are 22 former Junior Tour members competing professionally including Jordan Spieth, Cody Gribble, Ryan Palmer, Angela Stanford, Brittany Lang and many more.
But, our #WHOSNEXT® motto doesn’t just apply to future professional golfers. It applies to our former members currently showcasing their talents at the collegiate level all across the country.
In this bi-monthly blog series, we will be featuring former Junior Tour members who are currently playing golf. Every other week we’ll check out what they had to say about their time playing on the NTPGA Junior Tour, and gain some insight into what it’s like to play college golf.
We know it is the goal of many of our current members to move on to play golf in college. Are you the next college golfer? #WHOSNEXT®
Justin Thompson - NTPGA Member 2010-2016
Psychology Major at Southern Methodist University
Graduating in May 2021
Q: What are your post graduation plans?
A: Graduate School
Q: How old were you when you became an NTPGA Junior Tour Member?
A: 12 years old
Q: How did being a part of the NTPGA Junior Tour help or impact your golf game?
A: The NTPGA Junior Tour helped push me to get better as I went up the different levels of competition.
Q: What was the biggest thing you learned while you were a part of the NTPGA Junior Tour?
A: I learned how golf can lead you to meet new people, make new friends, and how golf can impact your life.
Q: What is one piece of advice you would give to current NTPGA Junior tour members?
A: Have fun! You only have one chance to be a junior golfer and make a good impression on college coaches.
Q: How did the NTPGA JUnior Tour help prepare you for playing golf in college?
A: I was able to test and get better through the tournaments.
Q: Please describe what your personal golf recruiting process looked like.
A: At first I just sent an email to a lot of college coaches to get my name out there. Once they emailed me back I began to form relationships with them and was able to narrow down which schools I liked best before making a decision.
Q: How does playing in college differ from the NTPGA Junior Tour?
A: The competition is more difficult, everyone is just very good. Having a team has been very fun to be able to push each other every day.