Downingtown West senior Nick Gross added another star to his sparkling amateur golfer resume when he recently earned a spot as one of the 12 top junior golfers (six boys, six girls) on the United States team that will compete in the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup Sept. 26-28 in Rome, Italy.
Golf Nazionale will be the venue for the first two days of four-ball competition Sept. 26-27, then the singles matches will be played at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, site of the 2023 Ryder Cup, on Sept. 28, the eve of the Ryder Cup.
“They’re really rolling the red carpet out for us,” said Gross, who has played outside the United States only once, at the Mayakoba Invitational in Mexico April 21-23. “I’m really pumped up for the last day, the singles matches at Marco Simone – it will be in front of a lot of European fans who are there for the Ryder Cup.”
Gross has played for his home country once before, as a member of the U.S. team at the Junior Presidents Cup team at Myers Park (N.C.) Country Club last year.
“Playing for the United States, it meant more than just playing for myself,” said Gross. “Playing in the Junior Presidents Cup was one of my favorite experiences ever – I knew a lot of the guys on my team through junior golf, and it was great spending time with them. Playing for a cause, there’s a ton of pride involved.”
Junior Ryder Cup alumni among PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour players include major championship winners Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Lexi Thompson and Rory McIlroy.
Gross, a University of Alabama golf commit, is currently ranked No. 8 on the Rolex AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) Rankings and won the 2023 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship last February at Carlton Woods. The 2022 First-Team Rolex Junior All-American finished tied for third place at the 2023 Polo Golf Junior Classic at Bethpage Black in June.
The 16-year-old Gross qualified for the match play rounds in the last two U.S. Amateur Championships, advancing to the quarterfinals in 2022. In the stroke play competition of this year’s U.S. Amateur, played earlier this month, Gross tied for eighth place, shooting an even par 71 at the famed Cherry Hills Country Club, then following it up with a blistering 5-under-par 67 at the Colorado Golf Club.
“My putter got hot in the second round,” said Gross. “It’s a Scotty Cameron blade putter that I’ve used for a long time, and it’s my favorite club. In the first round, at Cherry Hills, the course had really thick, U.S. Open-type rough. Playing in the thin air out there in Colorado, it’s hard to get into the mentality of hitting everything a full club longer, but my caddie, Rob Coyne, and I eventually were able to dial it back and pick the right club for each shot.”
Coyne, the Player Development Professional at North Hills Country Club in Glenside, and the former Downingtown West golf coach, has caddied for Gross at both U.S. Amateurs as well as the sectional qualifier for the U.S. Open and other USGA events.
“Nick is a great kid, he’s something special and it’s great to see him continue to grow,” said Coyne. “How many golfers qualify for match play at the U.S. Amateur two years in a row by age 16? He has a great all-around game, very consistent with no weaknesses, and he has a lot of fire in him.
“I’ve known him since he was 7 years old, and this year, he’s really grown in his mental approach, he’s able to bounce back from a bad hole with a birdie. At the sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open, I counted five times that he followed a bogey with a birdie. If he can get the mental edge at such a young age, it will be interesting to see how much he can continue to develop.”
Earlier this month, Gross tied for eighth place at the 47th Junior PGA Championship in Hot Springs, Ark.
“I knew that I was in good shape the last couple of months on the points list (qualifying for the Junior Ryder Cup),” said Gross. “I just had to keep my head down, and keep working. I’ve been driving the ball really well, after working with John Dunigan at the Applebrook Golf Club.”
Dunigan, who is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher and a Golf Digest Top 50 Teacher, said, “Nick is an all-around good player, and one of the best putters I’ve seen. He’s real good with the wedge too. He loves to compete and hates to fail but is not afraid to. He’s becoming more patient, not trying to force things.”.
Last fall, Gross finished third in the 2022 PIAA Class AAA state golf championships, but will not be playing for the Whippets this fall, due to his busy tournament schedule the rest of this year. He will be competing in the Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass Sept. 1-4, then the AJGA Invitational presented by Ping in Indiana Oct. 6-9.
For the Junior Ryder Cup, Gross will be in Italy for about a week, playing his practice rounds there before the competition starts Sept. 26, and he will stay after his rounds to watch the first day of the Ryder Cup.
