American Junior Golf Association
June 27, 2003
Volume 2
Issue 5

In This Issue

The Teenager Invasion:
Seven AJGA members will take their game to the next level at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open.

View From Chateau:
The AJGA and Ashland, Ky., have a unique relationship and tradition that keep people coming back year-in and year-out.

The Gallery:
There is always fun to be had on and off the golf course at AJGA events.

The Scoring Tent:
Here are the newly crowned champions from the past two weeks of AJGA events


News From the Fringe:

Go Shopping!
Celebrate the nation's birthday in style! Check out the some of the sale items on the AJGA Golf Shop.

AJGA, Bellefonte Country Club Celebrate 20 Years
Champions banquet commemorates and remembers this long-standing event

As Good as Gold
At AJGA majors this year, Brian Harman has been right on time.

Picture of the Week
Rolex's Big Winners

 By the Book
How well do you know the rules of golf? Not as well as Gus Montano, the AJGA director of education. He'll test you here.

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Our Old Kentucky Home

The AJGA and Ashland, Ky., have a unique relationship and tradition that keep people coming back year-in and year-out.

By Tonya Oskarson
When someone mentions Ashland, Ky., or the Bluegrass event, a smile comes to my face for many reasons. That event and town is like no other. There is something special about it, or should I say, there are a lot of special things about it.

I have been a staff member at this event three times, the first as an intern in 1998 and the past two years as a full-time staff member. On my first visit, it was my intern team’s first event and we were excited to get the summer started. We all arrived eager and excited and were greeted by Tom Cooksey and his tournament committee. All throughout the town were “Welcome AJGA” signs, so we knew this was big-time. We were totally spoiled by the volunteers and everyone at the club. They were willing to do whatever it took to help make the event a success.

Mary Jo Thompson, along with Bill, her husband, now serve as the co-tournament chairmen for the Henry-Griffitts Bluegrass Junior Invitational.
The thing that I probably remember most is Mary Jo Thompson coming over the radio and saying “This is Mary Jo. I am starting the lunch train. Let me know where you are.” And within minutes, we were eating one of the best boxed lunches you could have. She was just one of the many volunteers that were there. There were spotters on EVERY hole. With a 120-player field, those are very long days, but they did not care. They loved every minute of it.

The community support there was awesome and we were excited to get to our next event and meet more wonderful people. We were expecting every club to be like Bellefonte Country Club, or at least that was what we were hoping for. Although we went to many other wonderful sites, none compared to the excitement that was in the air in Ashland.

Last year when I returned – four years later – nothing had changed. Tom Cooksey had handed over the reigns to Mary Jo and Bill Thompson as tournament chairmen, but the community support and excitement was still there. And Cooksey was still very much involved.

This year, the AJGA Henry-Griffitts Bluegrass Junior Invitational celebrated its 20th year at Bellefonte Country Club and for good reason – because we love going there and they love having us. When Stephen Hamblin was speaking at the Junior-am reception and asked all those who had supported the event for 20 years to stand up, I was amazed. I think more people were standing than sitting!

There are several things that you can always look forward to at the Bluegrass. The volunteers are second to none and they take their jobs seriously. There are some that have been spotters on the same hole for 15 or more years! And Tom Cooksey, the senior rules official and former tournament chairman, will try to pull a prank on the tournament director. The TDs are always forewarned, but he always manages to pull it off at the perfect time when they least expect it. And I can’t forget the awesome hamburgers at the cookout.

Ashland, Ky., holds a very special place in my heart and you can bet when we are looking at the schedule next year to see who will travel to the events, I plan on my name being right beside the Bluegrass. And I know that although the year might change, nothing else will.