The PING Junior Solheim Cup, hosted in 2017 by Des Moines Golf and Country Club, is recognized with the Media Award from the American Junior Golf Association.
Each year, the AJGA presents awards to the tournaments with the best individual hospitality, Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament, charitable giving and volunteer base. Honors are also given to the events with engaged media and social media participation. Finally, the AJGA recognizes the year’s most outstanding people (golf professional, superintendent and general manager), as well as the events (most improved, new, Junior Golf Hub Preview Series, ACDS Junior All-Star Series, Invitational and Open) of the year.
Modeled after the Solheim Cup, the PING Junior Solheim Cup biennially features the 12 best female junior golfers (ages 12-18) from the United States against their counterparts from Europe. The team match play event includes foursomes, four-ball and singles matches played over two days and rotates between U.S. and European host sites coinciding with the Solheim Cup.
“It’s a great honor for our team to receive the AJGA Media Award for the 2017 PING Junior Solheim Cup,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “The event at Des Moines Golf & Country Club provided a great opportunity to share the news about the next generation of golfers with the PING Junior Solheim Cup. We look forward to helping to support the 2019 event at Gleneagles and creating even more engaged fans.”
Honored in 2013 as top AJGA Invitational and Social Media honoree, the ninth edition of the PING Junior Solheim Cup created an impressive media footprint before and during the tournament.
United States captain Alice Miller Team joined USA Solheim Cup Captain Juli Inkster and LPGA golfers Jessica Korda and Austin Ernst for a media day in June.
The goodwill tour continued on-site as Miller, assistant U.S. captain Blair Thompson and player Alyaa Abdulghany attended the Iowa State Fair and met famous Iowa butter cow sculptor Sarah Pratt, who also created a replica Solheim Cup.
During the PING Junior Solheim Cup, held at the same host venue as the Solheim Cup for the first time domestically in the event’s history, more than 40 members of the local and national media were on-site covering the action and participating in the event’s Junior-Am fundraising event.
The event’s reach was global, thanks to partnerships with the Solheim Cup, LPGA, Ladies’ European Tour, European golf federations, Golfing World, Global Golf Post, Golf Digest, Golfweek, Golf Channel, and local media. On-site, players and fans captured and shared memories to the hashtag #JrSolheimCup which reached nearly 10 million on Twitter alone.
Golf Channel aired a highlight package on the event as well as carried the Opening Ceremonies of the Solheim Cup, which honored players on both teams and a highlight video of the competition and camaraderie. Des Moines local media were active during the event as well,
Miller and United States players Emilia Migliaccio, Abdulghany and Kaitlyn Papp were interviewed as part of the Solheim Cup’s lineup of press conferences after first-round tournament pairings were announced.
“The atmosphere of a Solheim Cup is unbeatable,” said PING Junior Solheim Cup Tournament Director and AJGA Chief Operating Officer Mark Oskarson. “The girls have an incredible opportunity to be part of creating history and connection in women’s golf. The support in Iowa with the local and national media helped tell the story of girls chasing their dreams from all over the world.”
In fact, since the first PING Junior Solheim Cup in 2002, 19 players have graduated to play on the big stage, with 13 competing in the 2017 event alone.
The 2019 PING Junior Solheim Cup will be hosted next at Gleneagles Golf Club in Scotland, September 8-10, where Team Europe seeks its first win since 2007. The United States leads the all-time series, 6-2-1.
An AJGA partner since 1990 and the “Official Golf Bag of the AJGA”, PING’s contribution to the event will be recognized this week at the PING Heather Farr Classic at Longbow Golf Club, near Karsten Manufacturing’s headquarters in Phoenix.
About the PING Junior Solheim Cup
The PING Junior Solheim Cup is owned by PING and will be operated by the American Junior Golf Association with assistance from the Ladies Professional Golf Association and the Ladies European Tour.
Founded by Karsten and Louise Solheim, the Karsten Manufacturing Corporation is a long-time sponsor of the LPGA and AJGA. As the makers of PING golf equipment, the Solheim family continues to ensure the same superior workmanship today that they built into their original clubs more than 50 years ago. Now under the direction of John Solheim, Karsten and Louise’s youngest son, the company continues in its efforts to manufacture the highest quality golf equipment. The PING name is known world over. Besides its presence in the United States, PING markets custom-fit and custom-built equipment to more than 70 countries.
About PING
The tournament owner and title partner, PING, designs, manufactures and markets a complete line of golf equipment including metal woods, irons, putters and golf bags. The family-owned company was founded in 1959 by the late Karsten Solheim. Solheim is the only person to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as a golf club manufacturer. Today, the Phoenix-based company is under the direction of Solheim's youngest son, John A. Solheim. PING game-improvement products can be found in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit ping.com.
See other 2017 Tournament Awards