AJGA alumnae Taylor Roberts and Phoebe Brinker teamed up to host the 2022 Impact Cup on July 25-26 at the Bobby Jones Golf Club and East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Roberts, a sophomore at the University of Florida, and Brinker, a junior at Duke University, gathered 18 college golfers from around the country to raise a total of $100,000 in support of the Generation Next Project and the AJGA's ACE Grant Program .
The mission of Generation Next Project is to make a positive and direct impact on youth mental health within the golf community, providing players, families and coaches mental fitness tools and communication skills to thrive in today’s world, through the game of golf. The mission of the 2022 Impact Cup is to educate, support and foster awareness around youth mental health, while establishing a peer-to-peer network where no one feels alone.
"What impressed me about this particular State Cup event is that these 20 college kids not only saw a need in their community, they actually are living the experience. Mental health challenges reach into every home, every school, and getting the opportunity to work alongside 20 amazing student-athletes to raise money and awareness around mental health was an honor for the AJGA’s Foundation and my team."
Roberts and Brinker lost out on a 'normal' senior year of high school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cancellation of many senior traditions they had been looking forward to for years began to add up for them, as well as students across the country. Instead of dwelling on what they couldn't control, they chose to have a positive reaction. They created the Senior Cup for graduating seniors to raise money for charity and have one last fun outing together before going their separate ways.
The idea for the Impact Cup came when the duo was again put in a difficult situation as Roberts struggled with her own mental health challenges. They decided to team up once more to create a positive situation by bringing people together who were fighting the same battles.
Roberts and Brinker sat down with the AJGA at Impact Cup to share their story below:
Impact Cup is included in the Cobra Puma Golf State Cup Series , which is a unique junior golf event series providing competitive junior golfers development in important life skills such as charitable giving, leadership, and teamwork. Participants gain a greater understanding and knowledge of the benefiting charities while being celebrated for their accomplishments.