Jr. Ryder Cup, with Norman Xiong, starts Sunday

Opening ceremonies for the 10th annual Junior Ryder Cup will take place this Sunday, September 25, at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota.

The 2016 U.S. Team is led by reigning Junior PGA Champions Norman Xiong, of Canyon Lake, and Lucy Li, of Redwood Shores, California. Xiong and Li captured the boys’ and girls’ titles, respectively, at the 41st Junior PGA Championship, which concluded August 12.

Following opening ceremonies, the 12 junior golfers representing seven states will face their European counterparts on September 26 and 27.

The 2016 Junior Ryder Cup will continue to present the expanded Ryder Cup format of foursomes, mixed four-ball and singles competition. The matches will mark the 10th formal connection between the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe, which biennially stage the Ryder Cup.

The tournament will consist of six foursomes matches on Monday morning, six mixed four-ball matches on Monday afternoon and 12 singles matches on Tuesday.

A total of 12 ½ points is needed to win the cup, out of the 24 possible points on the board. The closing ceremony and trophy presentation will follow the conclusion of Tuesday’s singles matches.

Jim Remy, the 36th president of the PGA of America, will captain the U.S. Team. He will guide a squad that is attempting to capture the Junior Ryder Cup for a fifth consecutive time.

Since 1999, the U.S. holds a 5-3-1 edge over Europe. The United States Team is comprised of six boys and six girls who are U.S. citizens and graduating high school in 2017, or younger.

“To represent your country is the highest honor in sports, and we have an incredibly talented group of boys and girls on the team this year,” said Remy. “The United States Junior Ryder Cup Team is proud to compete with the best players from Europe for one of the most coveted prizes in junior golf. Some of these players are likely to be future stars in the game.”

Steered by Captain Maitena Alsuguren, of France, the 2016 European Junior Ryder Cup Team of 12 boys and girls represents eight countries: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Sweden.