BRASELTON, GEORGIA, November 16, 2016 – The AJGA is pleased to announce a five-year partnership with Reynolds Lake Oconee, which will host the AJGA Junior All-Star Invitational, a season-culminating tournament of the ACDS Junior All-Star Series for players ages 12 to 15. The 16 Junior All-Star Series events in 2017 will all be a part of the “Road to Reynolds” sequence leading up to the AJGA Junior All-Star Invitational.
The event will take place on Columbus Day weekend in 2017 and will continue each year through 2020. 96 of the top male and female junior golfers will compete in a 54-hole, stroke play tournament determined by the Polo Golf Rankings.
“All roads will lead to Reynolds Lake Oconee,” said Stephen Hamblin, executive director of the AJGA. “This Invitational promises to become one of the premier junior golf events in the world, given the level of competition, the world-class caliber of the golf at Reynolds, and the resources available to junior golfers at The Reynolds Kingdom of Golf presented by TaylorMade.”
“Hosting the AJGA’s Junior All-Star Invitational illustrates our commitment to engaging young golfers in the game of golf,” said Mark Lammi, vice president of golf operations at Reynolds Lake Oconee. “We are the ideal golf resort community for the entire family and we are proud to be hosting these incredible junior golfers for the next five years.”
Reynolds Lake Oconee was home to the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions in 2016 and this event will return there in 2021. Aside from AJGA events, Reynolds Lake Oconee has hosted other notable events including the Linger Longer Invitational and local qualifying rounds for the Drive, Chip and Putt National Championships each June.
The ACDS Junior All-Star Series has college and professional alumni including Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Morgan Hoffmann, Peter Uihlein, Bud Cauley, Patrick Reed and Alison Lee.
About Reynolds Lake Oconee
Reynolds Lake Oconee, located between Atlanta and Augusta, Ga., is situated along more than 350 miles of Lake Oconee shoreline and features six championship golf courses, dining, swimming pools, pedestrian trails, marinas, a tennis center and a wellness campus. Reynolds is also home to The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, a 251-room lakefront resort and spa, which was named a 2015 AAA Five Diamond Lodging and 2014 Forbes Four-Star resort. The community is located about an hour and a half drive from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. For more information, visit reynoldslakeoconee.com.
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 2007, after 12 years of support, Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 600 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, Stacy Lewis, Ariya Jutanugarn, Alison Lee, Lexi Thompson, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel.