By Katy Conlon
Sponsorship Intern

Canon, an official partner of the American Junior GolfAssociation and one of Fortune magazine’s “Most Admired Companies in America,” has from its founding employed a corporate philosophy of kyosei which is defined by Canon as “all people, regardless of race, religion, or culture, harmoniously living and working together for the future.”

After 16 years of generous, unwavering sponsorship, it is apparent that Canon applies this concept of kyosei, the philosophy “to live and work together for the common good” to its commitment to facilitate the AJGA in its mission to cultivate golf’s next generation.

Dave Buer shoots video at the 2004 Canon Cup with the Canon XL1S.

One prime example of Canon’s outstanding commitment and application of kyosei to its partnership with the AJGA is its sponsoring of the prestigious Canon Cup.
The unique tournament pits the top 10 junior boys and top 10 junior girls from the East against those from the West in a Ryder Cup-style competition.

“Canon is very proud to sponsor the AJGA’s premier match play competition,“ said Debra Epstein, vice president and general manager of corporate communications for Canon. “The Canon Cup allows aspiring young golfers the opportunity to experience the importance of teamwork and good sportsmanship through this unique team competition.”

The Canon Cup gives talented, deserving juniors a tremendous chance to compete against and with the finest juniors from each side of the nation.

“I really enjoyed playing in the Canon Cup,” said David Gossett, PGA TOUR player. “It was fun and they treated us so nice. I remember working hard all summer long so I could get on the Canon Cup team. It’s the best juniors in the country so the competition is high.”

The elevated level of competition at the Canon Cup is evident in the high standard established by previous participants such as the PGA TOUR’s Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Joe Ogilvie, Chris Riley, Charles Howard III and David Gossett, and the LPGA Tour’s Beth Bauer, Grace Park, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Kelli Keuhne and Wendy Ward.

Another way in which Canon supports the AJGA is by supplying it with valuable, inventive Canon equipment, which the Association utilizes for its vast photography needs, video needs such as swing videos, instructional videos and tournament footage, meetings and high-quality color printing. This means that not only does Canon help the AJGA by sponsoring one of its most prominent and challenging tournaments, but it also assists with the day-to-day operations of the AJGA by giving the Association use of its first-class equipment.

The West Canon Cup team gets their hands on the 2005 Cup.

“Canon is at the head of the class when itcomes to technological innovation. Their support has likewise helped the AJGA maintain a standard of excellence with our photography and audio/visual capabilities,” said Rob Coleman, AJGA chief communications officer.

With the company’s commitment to excellence and the greater good, Canon exemplifies the great extent to which sponsor activation can help the AJGA and its mission to develop golf’s next generation, the fullfillment of kyosei.