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Billy and Brittany Horschel to host first AJGA tournament

Billy and Brittany Horschel to host first AJGA Stableford tournament

Tournament proceeds to be used to give back to junior golf

BRASELTON, Ga. — The American Junior Golf Association announced Tuesday that Billy and Brittany Horschel will host their first AJGA tournament in Fleming Island, Florida, when 78 of the world’s top junior golfers will compete at Eagle Harbor Golf Club in the Billy Horschel Junior Championship. The tournament will take place October 6 – 9 and will be the first Stableford format tournament the AJGA has hosted.

“Brittany and I are excited to partner with the AJGA to host the AJGA’s first ever Stableford tournament,” Billy said. “Junior golf had a huge impact on our lives, and we are looking forward to giving back to the community and other junior golfers through this event. Not only will we be donating a portion of the proceeds to our philanthropic endeavors, we will also be supporting the AJGA ACE grant. Our hope is that this will grow the game and allow more junior golfers to have the same opportunities we had.”

The goal of the AJGA’s Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program is to give top-flight golf opportunities to young golfers regardless of financial resources. This program helps to fulfill the AJGA’s mission of developing young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.

Billy and Brittany have a deep connection to junior golf and the AJGA. In 2004 they met playing in the Ringgold Telephone Company Junior Classic, now known as the Evitt Foundation RTC Junior All-Star. They went on to play in a total of four events together and eventually moved on to play collegiate golf at the University of Florida. Billy’s AJGA career consisted of two top-10 finishes, with his best finish coming at the PING Junior at Mirasol. During her AJGA career, Brittany had seven top-10 finishes, including her best finish of third at the Fore!Kids Junior at TPC of Louisiana in 2004. On the PGA TOUR, Horschel has 24 top-10 finishes, including three victories. In 2014, he put together two wins and five top-10 finishes which led to him claiming the Fedex Cup.

Unlike traditional scoring methods, where the aim is to have the lowest score, the objective in a Stableford tournament is to have the highest score. Modified Stableford scoring, as what is used at the PGA TOUR's Barracuda Championship, rewards risk-taking on the golf course because a birdie is twice as rewarding (2 points) as a bogey is punitive (-1). Eagles offer huge payoffs (5 points) and the worst a player could possibly do would be a double bogey (-3 points) at which point he could pick up his ball and carry on to the next hole. Those golfers who make a few bogeys but also make a lot of birdies or eagles are more likely to be atop the leaderboards.

In 2016, 37 LPGA and PGA TOUR players were involved in giving back to junior golf through support of the AJGA. These players were involved in many ways, including hosting tournaments and raising money to help provide opportunities to junior golfers around the world.

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 6,600 members from 50 states and 55 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-adidas Golf became the AJGA’s National Sponsor in 2016 after more than 25 years of support. Rolex, which is in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2017, adidas joined the AJGA as a Premier Partner, serving as the Official Apparel and Footwear of the AJGA.

AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 830 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia, Hunter Mahan, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Zach Johnson, Justin Thomas, Bill Haas, Billy Horschel, Stacy Lewis, Ariya Jutanugarn, Alison Lee, Lexi Thompson, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel.