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Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation Junior All-Star named Junior All-Star of the Year

<i>2018 tournament honored as the best AJGA Junior All-Star Series event of the year</i>
Article Image Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation Junior All-Star - Course Photos (2).jpg

The Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation Junior All-Star has been named the 2018 Junior All-Star of the Year by 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. Awards are also given to the events with engaged media and social media participation. Finally, the AJGA recognizes the year’s most outstanding golf professional, superintendent and golf course executive, as well as the most game changing event, best new event, best Junior Golf Hub Preview Series tournament, best AJGA Junior All-Star Series tournament, best Invitational and overall tournament of the year. Tournament awards for the 2018 season will be presented on-site at 2019 tournaments.

The Mahoning Valley Hospital Junior All-Star was one of 20 tournaments in the AJGA Junior All-Star series in 2018.Mill Creek Golf Course and The Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation will team up to host through 2022 to continue growing the event and its impact. In 2018, net Proceeds for the ACE Grant and the Mill Creek Foundation reached $13,000 and the event cracked the $1.2 million mark in financial impact for the community since 2016.

“Our local community has really embraced the event, and the support of our tournament volunteers has been outstanding since the events inception in 2016,” said Tournament Chair Brian Tolnar. “The fact that we can host an event of this caliber on a ninety-one-year-old golf course designed by Donald Ross has added a special historical value to the event.”

In addition to a passionate community, several local legends have taken part in the tournament throughout the years. Bo Pellini and Jim Tressel attended the event in 2016 and 2017 and Ohio native Jerry McGee, a 4-time PGA TOUR winner, served as an Honorary Tournament Host in 2018.

“The magnitude of the AJGA event for the local community is certainly something very important to us here in the Mahoning Valley,” said Tolnar. “Anytime you can host a national event in your region of the country in the end means a lot for the local kids who now can have a home game.”

The tournament also provided housing for the AJGA staff thanks to Youngstown State. Players and parents were treated to some entertainment and invited to a free concert at Mill Creek Metroparks as well as given access to use the Par 3 course and batting cages free of charge.

“As Mill Creek MetroParks continues to build and grow, the Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation Junior All-Star tournament will grow with it,” added Tolnar. “We’re thankful for the American Junior Golf Association selecting us and we look forward to many more years of growing the game of golf.”

The AJGA will return to Mill Creek Golf Course for the seventh year of the Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation Junior All-Star, June 17-20.

See other 2018 AJGA Tournament Awards