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Inventing
a Unique Junior Golf Experience |
HP
continues its support of the AJGA as an official partner |
By
Katy Conlon
Sponsorship Intern
Hewlett-Packard, the world’s largest consumer IT company
and an Official Partner of the American Junior Golf Association,
is an international, first-class company that prides itself
in performing every aspect of its business with unbending integrity.
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| HP
Boys Junior Championship winner Kyle Stanley tees off
at the No. 1 tee at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club. |
Since its beginning in 1939, HP has made giving back to communities
through charitable donations of money, equipment and time a
priority. While millions of people throughout the world use
HP products each day, HP’s philanthropic efforts affect
millions of lives globally as well.
One of HP’s core corporate objectives is global citizenship,
which HP describes as its responsibility to society to be “an
economic, intellectual and social asset to each country and
community in which we do business.” HP was ranked fifth
this year in corporate giving among computer companies by The
Chronicle Philanthropy for their unwavering commitment to bettering
society globally.
This application of global citizenship and integrity in business
is apparent in HP’s dedication to help the AJGA develop
golf’s next generation.
One way that HP has proved itself to be an asset to the AJGA
is through its title sponsorship of the HP Boys Junior Championship.
This world-class junior golf invitational gives the top juniors
from all over the nation the opportunity to compete against
a plethora of talent. Over the past five years, the HP Boys
Junior Championship has boasted one of the strongest fields
in national junior golf for boys.
The remarkably high level of talent contending at this invitational
can also be seen in the past champions of the event that include
Tiger Woods, David Duval and Jim Furyk.
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| Arnold
Palmer's Bay HIll Club & Lodge hosted the HP Boys
Junior Championship for the second time in 2005. |
The HP Boys Junior Championship is distinctive in that it is
played at one of the finest golf facilities in the country,
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando,
which is home of the PGA TOUR’s Bay Hill Invitational.
The integrity of the invitational can also be seen in the extra
touches that HP has enhanced the tournament with, such as providing
all meals throughout the event, holding a special parents reception
and offering a travel stipend for participants.
"The support that HP provides for the HP Boys Junior Championship
is unbelievable," said Mark Oskarson, AJGA vice president
of tournament operations. "HP does a great job of making
sure the juniors have a wonderful experience throughout the
week."
Another example of HP’s unwavering commitment to global
citizenship is its commitment to education. The company believes
that “good education is essential for economic prosperity,
a diverse workforce and prosperous future customers.”
Incorporating its dedication to education with the company’s
sponsorship of the AJGA, HP challenges AJGA members to maintain
a standard of excellence both on the golf course and in the
classroom through the HP Scholastic Junior All-America Team.
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| Award
winners pose in front of the live scoreboard at the HP
Boys Junior Championship. |
At the conclusion of each summer, boys earning a top-10 finish
and girls securing a top-five finish in AJGA regular season
tournaments, excluding Srixon Qualifiers and Nike Golf Junior
All-Star events, are eligible to apply for the team.
Final selections for the HP Scholastic Junior All-America Team
are based on the junior golfers’ grade-point average,
golfing ability and writing skills.
HP honors 10 boys and 10 girls with this prestigious distinction
each year. In addition to being named to the team, HP also awards
the annual essay winner with a computer for his or her high
school. This is the 11th year HP has sponsored this team promoting
both athletic and scholastic achievements.
Through the company’s sponsorship of the HP Boys Junior
Championship and the HP Scholastic Junior All-American Team,
HP’s application of global citizenship and integrity in
business to its support of the AJGA has resulted in a partnership
that has proven to be remarkably valuable in the mission of
developing golf’s next generation. |
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