Asselta of New Jersey (SJR) takes individual medalist honors
PINEHURST, North Carolina ー Virginia (BLK) hoisted the trophy while Rory Asselta of New Jersey (SJR) took home the individual medalist honors at the 2025 PGA Boys High School Golf National Invitational presented by Titleist and FootJoy spanning three days and 54 holes at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Nos. 5, 6 and 8.
Virginia (BLK) shot a 13-under 851, earning a nine-stroke victory over Utah (LPK) and North Carolina (PNC), which tied for second with 4-under 860 cumulative totals. South Carolina (TLH) finished fourth with 3-under 861, and Utah (CRC) and New Jersey (SJR) tied for fifth at 2-over 866 for the tournament.
“The environment here is pretty unbeatable,” said Virginia (BLK)’s Pierce Campbell, a recently-graduated senior who went 73-71-76 for the tournament. “You’re playing for a national championship that doesn’t come around that often and at such a special place like Pinehurst.”
“In the first round, we played really well with a couple of guys under par and Jake [Albert] shooting really low,” Campbell continued. “We followed it up on No. 8 with not our best performance, but we hung in there. We had a one-shot lead going into today and knew we had to do something special, so we just hung in there, played good golf and got it done.”
Virginia (BLK)’s team previously competed in the National Invitational in 2022 ー which marked the last time the event was held at Pinehurst ー where it finished eighth as a team but celebrated its own Jake Albert earning individual medalist honors. Albert, also a recently-graduated senior, shot a course record on Pinehurst No. 5 with a 62 in the first round Sunday.
“I honestly didn’t know what the course record was, and I didn’t think I got it,” said Albert. “It means a lot knowing I have this at such a historic course.”
New Jersey (SJR) freshman Asselta carded a one-stroke, 16-under 200 victory over Albert. Albert missed a birdie putt on his final hole to force a playoff with Asselta.
“My last two rounds were really good,” said Asselta, who went 65-66-69. “I didn’t make a bogey, so today I told myself to just keep doing the same thing… Make birdies on gettable holes, and that should do it. When it started to rain, that was right after I missed a two-footer for par on No. 10. It started looking bad, but I bounced back with a birdie on No. 11.”
“It’s so cool to come down here,” he continued. “We had a great season up in New Jersey, and this is such a cool way to end the season.”
Asselta receives exemptions into the 2025 Junior PGA Championships next week at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex at Purdue University and the 2026 North & South Junior Amateur at Pinehurst Resort.
Highlighting the final round was a hole-in-one from junior Rithik Rajendran of Georgia (MLT) on Course No. 8, who aced the fifth hole from 140 yards with his pitching wedge. Rajendran finished 83-79-79 241 for the tournament.
Georgia (RVA) captured the 2025 PGA Girls High School Golf National Invitational held on Pinehurst Nos. 1, 6 and 7 last week (July 14-16) where individual medalist honors went to Michelle Lee of Texas (AHT) after she defeated Kallyn Black of Georgia (RVA) in a playoff.
This marks the first of three consecutive years that the event will be played at Pinehurst and the seventh edition of the PGA High School Golf National Invitational since its debut in 2019, which features golfers who won their respective high school state championships as a team or as an individual from large, small, private or public schools. It was previously held at Pinehurst from 2020-22.