Class of 2027 Boys Preview

5/11 CGC Staff

It's that time of year again! Active recruiting season begins for the class of 2027 on June 15th, the day which many prospective recruits have had circled on their calendar for many months. With the pending settlement and possibility of roster limits looming, the recruiting landscape may look a little different this year, but coaches will hopefully know definite numbers that they will be dealing with by mid-June. Our hope is that each class of recruits has similar opportunities for roster spots as the previous classes, and that coaches and players can go through this recruiting cycle with less drama than the classes of 2025 & 2026. With that being said, let's preview the top recruits of 2027!

The is no question that Florida's Miles Russell is the number one recruit in the class of 2027, and many believe him to be the best recruit across all classes of junior golfers. The one question we all have is 'Will he turn pro or go to college?' It is plausible that Russell will follow his predecessor Blades Brown to the professional ranks, but also feasible that he wants to enjoy the team camaraderie of college golf and test the waters in the NCAA. Russell had an impressive string of wins in late 2024 and early 2025, with wins at the AJGA Rolex tournament of Champions, South Beach International Amateur, AJGA Simplify Boys Championship, and the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. His dominant run follows wins in 2023 at the Junior Players Championship and the Junior PGA Championship, a top-5 finish at the loaded-field 2025 Jones Cup, top-20 at the Western Amateur, and a top-20 Korn Ferry Tour finish in April of 2024. Russell has shown incredible consistency over the past two years, and will easily be the most sought after recruit in June. It remains to be seen if he will choose the professional ranks over a college education and the opportunity to earn a PGA Tour card through PGA Tour University.

Photo: USGA

Photo: TCPalm

Photo: Facebook

The next two athletes who have distanced themselves from the rest of the pack are Florida'a Jessy Huebner and Californian Ronin Banerjee. Both have consistently been ranked in the top-5 of their class over the past two years and have only continued to up their game before recruiting begins. Huebner's list of accolades includes top-10 finishes at the 2025 Dustin Johnson World Junior and AJGA Boys Simplify Championship, in addition to the 2024 Wyndham Invitational. He has finished in the top-15 at the 2024 Mayakoba Invitational, 2025 Terra Cotta, and the 2024 Western Junior, showing solid consistency in elite fields. Huebner reached the round of 32 at the 2024 US Junior and has carded two open AJGA wins and won the Florida Junior Amateur in 2024. Huebner has only finished out of the top-20 in major events once in the past year. Banerjee notched three big-time top-5 finishes in 2024 at the AJGA's Ping and Wyndham Invitationals, and the Junior PGA Championship. Solidifying his elite status in 2024, he also carded top-10s at the R&A Amateur and two AJGA invitationals: the Mayakoba and the Rolex Tournament of Champions. His best result of 2025 thus far is a top-15 finish at the AJGA Simplify.

Photos: AJGA, Sun Sentinel

The next talented duo in the class of 2027 includes Florida's Giuseppe Puebla and Sohan Patel, who are part of a seven person contingent from the state ranked in the top-10 on JGS. Puebla has been steadily rising in the rankings, with his best finishes being top-5s at the 2024 Junior Jones Cup and the 2025 AJGA Simplify. He added top-10 finishes to his resume at the 2024 AJGA Team Taylormade Invitational and the 2025 Terra Cotta, in addition to a top-15 showing at the 2024 Mayakoba Invitational. Regionally, he carded top-5 finishes in 2024 at an open AJGA and the Sea Pines Junior Heritage. Patel has finished in the top-10 at the AJGA Mayakoba Invitational and the Ping Invitational in 2024. He added a top-5 finish at the 2024 Bobby Chapman Invitational and had one Florida Junior Tour win in 2024. While both of these players have shown some inconsistency in elite events with several finishes outside the top-20, they are young and we expect them to continue to gain experience and consistency in their final two years of junior golf.

Although the North American depth of talent is not nearly as strong as the star-studded class of 2026, there are several athletes who have the potential to make some moves on the elite scene in the next year or two. Athletes on our radar include Owen Coniaris, Lucas Jimenez, Kaden Chang, Lunden Esterline, Evan Liu, and Brandon Sipe. Coniaris made himself known to the junior golf scene with a round of 16 appearance at the 2024 US Junior after winning the Illinois Junior Amateur. Jimenez . He was solidly in the top-15 at the 2025 Terra Cotta and we look forward to seeing him succeed in more elite events. Jimenez found himself in the top-10 at the 2024 Junior Jones Cup and won an AJGA open event in March. He also has three AJGA top-3 finishes in the past year, including the larger field event at Innisbrook in April, and was in the top-5 at the Bobby Chapman and the Elite Invitational. Chang competes mainly in AJGA, SDJGA, and Toyota Tour Cup events, win three wins already in 2025 and one in 2024. He also had two SDJGA top-3 finishes in 2024. Esterline had two wins in 2024, one in an open AJGA event and one TJGT win, in addition to two local Minnesota PGA wins and an OJGT event top-3 finish. Liu is another athlete who focuses on AJGA opens and Toyota Tour Cup events, with three wins and one top-3 finish in the past year. Sipe has had some success in elite competition, with a top-10 at the Junior Jones Cup and a top-15 at the Junior North & South.

Internationally, Czechia's Louis Klein leads the pack at #138 in WAGR. It is unknown whether Klein will remain amateur for college or turn professional, but his skillset is enticing to any college coach. He made match play at the 2024 US Junior and was second at Sage Valley and in the top-10 at the Dustin Johnson in 2024. Hong Kong's William Lisle deserves a mention, with a top-10 finish at the 2024 Junior North & South and a top-5 at the 2025 AJGA Simplify.

Look for our first rankings for the class of 2027 at the beginning of June!