The American Junior Golf Association will partner with Ping An Bank to title sponsor events beginning in 2021 and add valuable playing opportunities through 2023. In addition to its Title sponsorship, Ping An Bank will also headline a social media platform which will incorporate acclaimed golf coach Gary Gilchrist.
“Ping An Bank is committed to providing the best all-around growth platform to develop young people,” said Xie Yonglin, General Manager and Co-CEO of Ping An Group and Chairman of Ping An Bank. “We are excited to partner with the AJGA to provide competitive opportunities to young men and women. The AJGA represents the best in junior golf, and we are thrilled to partner with an amazing organization that holds itself to a high standard.”
Ping An Bank will sponsor two events in 2021, an Open Tournament in August and a Junior All-Star Championship in November. Both tournaments will feature top players from around the world. Two additional sponsored events will be added in 2022 with a final two more – for a total of six – in 2023.
AJGA tournaments begin like a PGA TOUR or LPGA Tour event with an 18-hole AJGA Qualifier held prior to the event. This additional opportunity is a merit-based opportunity for talented players to earn their way into the 54-hole competition. Each event offers an official practice round and Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament to support a local charity. The following days feature tournament rounds and an awards ceremony after the final round of play.
This cooperation with the AJGA is Ping An Bank’s first attempt to build a platform with a world leader in junior golf to support a tournament to help Chinese youth. These sponsored AJGA events will not only provide an international arena for junior golfers to showcase their talent, but also will help provide Chinese golfers with access to consideration by prestigious college programs in the United States.
“We are thrilled to add Ping An Bank to the AJGA family,” said AJGA Chief Business Officer Jason Etzen. “They are a banking leader who will help support our mission for junior golfers around the world.”
In addition to tournament opportunities, the Ping An Bank partnership will expand into educational social media content with acclaimed golf coach Gary Gilchrist. The platform will debut in 2021 with featured instruction spun in the AJGA’s fun and cutting-edge style.
For more information, please contact Tim Jackman (tjackman@ajga.org ) in the AJGA Communications Department.
About the Ping An Bank’s commitment to junior golf
Ping An Bank is devoted to the education and growth of the children of its customers and has provided education on subjects ranging from liberal arts to financial intelligence. Ping An Bank has invested in golf for many years including, the “Ping An Fortune Cup Golf Tournament” in its eighth consecutive year. Ping An Group has also built and developed a great golf culture and rich resources. Through years of development and a new understanding of golf sport philosophy, the Group established the significance of GOLF through the acronym Green, Oxygen, Sunshine, and Friendship.
Despite a recent entry into junior golf and thanks to the vast attention and support from customers and exceptional internal and external resources, Ping An Bank believes in short order that their sponsored tournaments will become the new benchmark for junior golf events around the world.
Ping An Bank will continue to bring an all-round golf experience by establishing partnerships with excellent junior golf training and development organizations, individuals and resources. With this commitment, Ping An Bank is determined to become a large part and contributor of honoring and promoting sunshine, friendship and mass participation in golf.
About the Ping An Bank
Ping An Bank is a nationwide joint-stock commercial bank headquartered in Shenzhen. Its predecessor, Shenzhen Development Bank, is the first nationwide joint-stock bank listed in the Chinese mainland. Ping An of China, together with its majority-owned subsidiaries, is the controlling shareholder of Ping An Bank. As of the end of June 2020, Ping An Bank had 34,980 employees and provided clients with diversified financial services through 92 branches and 1,078 outlets across the country.
Ping An Bank continued its mission to build “China’s most outstanding, world-leading smart retail bank” under the strategy of “technological empowerment, breakthroughs in retail banking, and enhancement of corporate banking.” Ping An Bank insisted on retail transformation, comprehensive finance with technological empowerment, and balanced and coordinated development. Ping An Bank has positioned itself as “a digital bank, an ecosystem, and a platform.”
In recent years, Ping An Bank’s business development and its features have been well received by authorities. In 2020, Ping An Bank won “Best Digital Bank in the World” issued by EUROMONEY; “Best Network Security Product”, “China’s Best Trade Finance Bank Award” and “China’s Best Banking Application” issued by The Asian Banker; “Best Private Bank” of the 13th China Star issued by Global Finance; and “Junding Award for Chinese Bank’s Wealth Management Brand” and other awards issued by Securities Times.
About the AJGA
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls, ages 12-19) of more than 6,900 members from 50 states and 60 foreign countries. Through initiatives like the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant, a financial assistance program, and Leadership Links, a service-oriented platform that teaches juniors charitable-giving skills, the AJGA fosters the growth of golf’s next generation.
TaylorMade and adidas are the AJGA’s National Sponsors, supporting the AJGA for more than 25 years. TaylorMade has served as the Official Ball of the AJGA since 2016. adidas has been the Official Apparel and Footwear of the AJGA since 2017. Rolex, in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 900 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Ariya Jutanugarn, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Anna Nordqvist, Inbee Park and Lexi Thompson.