For most 15-year-old junior golfers, stress is a 20-foot putt for par or an AP test. For Mykhailo Golod and his family, it’s been the threat of missile strikes and an invading army.
For more than a week, Mykhailo and his family bunkered down in their hometown of Kyiv, Ukraine, hoping for an end to the violence. But after seeing his friends lose their homes to these strikes and his home golf course become occupied by Russian soldiers who turned it into a basecamp for military operations, Mykhailo and his family decided it was time for him to leave their home and everything he has known to seek safety in the United States. Mykhailo’s journey to the United States routed through Hungary and ended in Orlando, Florida, where he is set up for the foreseeable future. His mother and father will remain in Ukraine.
The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) is dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women and often this extends beyond the golf course. That is why we are raising money for Mykhailo to help fund his journey and relocation across the world to safety.
Among the top golfers in Ukraine, Mykhailo is within the top 500 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and routinely competes outside of his home country in tournaments, including becoming the first Ukrainian to compete in the USGA’s U.S. Junior Amateur which took place at the Country Club of North Carolina last summer.
The Country Club of North Carolina developed a special bond with Mykhailo and is providing the founding donation to him and his family in their efforts to establish a temporary life for Mykhailo in the U.S. The United States Golf Association has also made a significant contribution.
Costs of travel and relocation are high, which is why all proceeds raised will go towards these costs for Mykhailo and his family and any additional funds will be used towards relief efforts in Ukraine.