BRASELTON, Ga. – The American Junior Golf Association and class of 2020 graduates Phoebe Brinker of Wilmington, Delaware, and Taylor Roberts of Parkland, Florida, are excited to announce the inaugural Senior Cup event, benefitting the Emergency Golf Relief Fund and the AJGA’s Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant to be hosted by Parkland Golf and Country Club.
The Senior Cup, part of the AJGA’s State Cup Series , was born from the idea that many of the class of 2020 graduates had their senior season cut short due to COVID-19. Brinker and Roberts, who will captain the event, wanted to create an event that would give high school seniors the opportunity to play competitive golf and give back to the golf industry. Participants will partake in a two-day friendly and spirited Ryder Cup-style match play competition held at Parkland Golf and Country Club in Parkland, Florida. The State Cup Series, a series of junior-led fundraising tournaments, is a branch of the AJGA’s Leadership Links program, which helps develop young men and women by teaching charitable giving skills and service-oriented practices at an early age. This program gives juniors all the tools necessary to donate their time, talent and resources to local charities and the ACE Grant .
The mission of the event is to not only honor the “quarantine” graduates as they transition to a new chapter of their lives, but also to aid the golf industry through the Emergency Golf Relief Fund. The focus of the fund is to provide grants to industry professionals, inclusive of golf association members, employees of local/state associations, caddies and certain professionals playing on developmental tours to help offset financial hardships due to COVID-19, such as living and medical expenses.
Roberts, signed to play collegiate golf for Florida State University in the fall, is currently ranked No. 56 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. She has eight top-five finishes in her national junior golf career including a T-3 finish at the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.
“Phoebe and I are excited to bring together the community of AJGA seniors to benefit the ACE Grant and the Emergency Golf Relief Fund, while also capping off our junior golf careers with a celebratory, fun event before heading off to college.”
Brinker, a two-time Rolex Junior All-American, is signed to play collegiate golf at Duke University in the fall. She has three AJGA victories in her career and was a member of both the victorious 2019 PING Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team and the victorious 2019 Wyndham Cup East Team.
“Seeing the current state of the world around us, we knew we wanted to make a difference, especially for those in the golf industry who are struggling to make ends meet. The Emergency Golf Relief Fund does just this,” Brinker stated.
The event will take place July 21 and 22, 2020 at Parkland Golf & Country Club in Parkland, Florida. Parkland Golf and Country Club board of directors and membership have been instrumental in making this event a reality in such challenging times. Their partnership will ensure this is a special event and every dollar goes to charity!
To support the Senior Cup, please visit ajga.org/ll . For more information, please contact Beth Dockter (bdockter@ajga.org ) in the AJGA’s Development Department or visit ajga.org .
About the American Junior Golf Association
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 7,000 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, Brooks Koepka, 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.