Cheboygan’s PJ Maybank To Represent USA in Junior President’s Cup

By Tom Lang

Calling it the highest honor in team golf for Junior players, PJ Maybank – arguably the best high-school-aged player in Michigan – has earned his way onto the PGA of America’s Junior President’s Cup team. Former PGA Tour player Notah Begay III will be the captain – and he’s been texting Maybank.

Maybank was voted Mr. Golf in 2021 as a sophomore at Cheboygan High but did not compete this past spring season in the MHSAA, so he could travel and play national events. He is skipping high school golf again this coming spring, while enrolled online as a senior. He previously committed to the University of Oklahoma.

“It’s been a goal of mine for quite some time,” Maybank said about the Junior team. “I think it’s the most prestigious team you can make in Junior golf, besides the Jr. Ryder Cup, which is basically the same and alternates different years, of course. It’s the biggest thing you can do in Junior golf and I always wanted to represent my country.”

The match-play 54-hole tournament while consist of alternate shot, foursomes and singles play and will be contested at Myers Park CC, on Sept. 19-20, a few miles from Quail Hollow, where the ‘big boys’ will battle it out representing the USA and all non-European countries.

In 2022 Maybank’s had two top 5s and two more top 10s in AJGA events, which is the point system for Junior President’s Cup. 

Maybank trains in Florida in the winter but gives his Michigan golf experiences a huge thank you.

“Grinding in the wintertime in Michigan before I started going south, that had a huge effect on my play,” he said. “It’s helped me in bad-weather tournaments; in fact, a lot of the tournaments I’ve won over the years have been in horrible weather. So, growing up in cold weather helped me.”

Maybank is looking forward to meeting more PGA Tour pros as they mingle at the President’s Cup event for a couple days. He hasn’t met very many Tour pros so far, but he’s been to Augusta National a lot more than most pros have – three times in the Drive, Chip and Putt finals. He did a Golf Channel promo for the Drive, Chip and Putt with Rickie Fowler and Tommy Fleetwood several years ago and met others when he won DCP at age 12.