Rolex extends longtime AJGA partnership with increased support

The American Junior Golf Association and Rolex have signed a multi-year agreement to extend the partnership for more than 45 total years.

In addition to continuing its Premier Partnership which includes sponsorship of tournaments, the Rolex AJGA Rankings and the Rolex Junior All-America teams, the luxury watchmaker will add formal recognition of top classroom performers by lending support to naming annual fall Rolex Scholastic Junior All-Americans. With the decision, more than 125 total junior golfers who have achieved excellence on and off the course will earn distinction each year during the “Greatest Week in Junior Golf.”

Rolex Scholastic Junior All-Americans are selected based on top performances paired with objective educational excellence: GPA and test scores. Since 1988, top players and Rolex Junior All-Americans Wendy Ward (1990), Matt Kuchar (1994), Boyd Summerhays (1994), Tiffany Joh (2004), Scott Langley (2005), Patrick Rodgers (2009, 2010), Lauren Kim (2011), and Rolex Junior Players of the Year Kellee Booth (1992) and Cristie Kerr (1994) were named Rolex Scholastic Junior All-Americans since 1988. In 2020, four players were distinguished as both a Rolex Scholastic Junior All-American and Rolex Junior All-American in the same season.

“Rolex is a world-class brand with a tremendous history of generously supporting golf at the highest level of the game,” said AJGA Executive Director Stephen Hamblin. “The AJGA is honored to have such a prestigious partner who shares our vision of developing golf’s next generation. This historical extension means the AJGA will have Rolex as a cornerstone partner for nearly 50 years.”

Jack Nicklaus attended the Rolex Tournament of Champions in 2019

Tiger Woods was a two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year

Lexi Thompson was a three-time Rolex Junior All-American

Justin Thomas was a two-time Rolex Junior All-American

In 1986, Rolex partnered with the AJGA to host the Rolex Tournament of Champions.

Rickie Fowler was a two-time Rolex Junior All-American.

In 2019, Maxwell Moldovan and Rose Zhang became the first ACE Grant recipients to be named Rolex Junior Players of the Year.

Award ceremony from the 1988 Rolex Tournament of Champions

Jordan Spieth was named Rolex Junior Player of the Year in 2009.

A Premier Partner since 2004, Rolex first became a title partner of the Rolex Tournament of Champions in 1986 and helped the event reach a new distinction among players.

The only event conducted consecutively since the AJGA’s inception in 1978 includes golf's top names including: three-time victor Phil Mickelson (also a three-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year), 1989 Rolex Junior Player of the Year David Duval, four-time Rolex Junior All-American Webb Simpson, 2002 Rolex Junior Player of the Year Inbee Park, 2005 Rolex Junior Player of the Year Morgan Pressel, Rolex Junior All-American Jaye Marie Green, and 2013 Rolex Junior Player of the Year Alison Lee. Most years, a win at the Rolex Tournament of Champions elevates a top junior golfer into consideration for Rolex Junior Player of the Year honors: 29 have earned the distinction in the same calendar year.

Steeped in rich tradition, the Rolex Tournament of Champions has staged many premiere moments in junior golf. Phil Mickelson is the event’s only three-time champion and dominated the event from 1986-88. In 2014, Sam Burns set the AJGA boys’ 72-hole scoring record at 21-under-par 267 before earning Rolex Junior Player of the Year honors. The 2015 Rolex Junior Players of the Year provided their own fireworks : Philip Barbaree broke Burns’ 72-hole tournament record with a 24-under-par 264 while Hannah O’Sullivan shattered the girls’ tournament scoring record at 14-under-par 274 on Sunriver Resort’s Crosswater course. Longtime Rolex Testimonee Jack Nicklaus hosted an exclusive question and answer session with the Rolex Tournament of Champions field in 2019 and annually hosts top AJGA Leadership Links program fundraisers at the Honda Classic.

Since 1986, Rolex’s support of the AJGA’s postseason awards kicks off the Rolex Tournament of Champions – providing an official start to the “Greatest Week in Junior Golf.” The Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet honors Rolex Junior Players of the Year, Rolex Junior All-American and now Rolex Scholastic Junior All-Americans. The top 96 players in the world, formally honored on this evening, are determined solely based on the Rolex AJGA Rankings , an objective system introduced in 2005 to select Invitational fields and postseason awards and lend further legitimacy to the AJGA’s mission and top players. The Rolex AJGA Rankings provide a 365-day perspective of players based on top finishes in AJGA tournaments and selected other national junior golf events.

Over the years, Rolex Junior All-Americans have included top players and Rolex Testimonees Brooks Koepka (2007), Matthew Wolff (2015), 2021 THE PLAYERS Championship winner Justin Thomas (2009-10), 2009 Rolex Junior Player of the Year Jordan Spieth (2008-10), Rickie Fowler (2005-06), Joaquin Niemann (2016), Cameron Champ (2012-13), Lexi Thompson (2007-09), and two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year Tiger Woods (1990-93).

Rolex’s commitment to girls’ golf is an important cornerstone of its AJGA partnership.

Rolex has intentionally committed to supporting three girls’ events in the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, PING Junior Solheim Cup, and Diamond Resorts ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex.

The Rolex Girls Junior Championship, which began in 1992, was elevated to the forefront of national junior golf thanks to Rolex’s title sponsorship in 2002. Past champions include three-time Rolex Junior All-American Brittany Lang (2000-02) and four Rolex Junior Players of the Year (Inbee Park (2002), Paula Creamer (2003), Morgan Pressel (2005) and Alison Lee (2013)). The event also focuses on providing opportunities for mentorship and networking. Creamer has returned to speak as a guest alongside media personalities, Olympians, and golf and business leaders.

Ariya Jutanugarn earned 2011 Rolex Junior Player of the Year honors and went on to win the Rolex Girls Junior Championship in 2012 by a record-breaking 18 shots, creating one of the most iconic moments in the event’s storied history. She set the AJGA girls’ 72-hole scoring record at 18-under-par 270, breaking the previous record she established in 2011, to earn a second consecutive berth as Rolex Junior Player of the Year.

On the international stage, Rolex’s support of girls’ golf centers around its partnership with the PING Junior Solheim Cup. Rolex was a founding supporter of the event, held in conjunction with the Solheim Cup biennially since 2002. Since its first year, selection to PING Junior Solheim Cup teams is a top goal in junior golf, and the event boasts a growing list of alumnae who have graduated to compete in the professional event, including Rolex Testimonees Lexi Thompson and Anna Nordqvist.

The Diamond Resorts ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex began in 2009 thanks to a desire from Rolex Testimonee Annika Sorenstam to elevate international girls’ golf. Based on more than 10 years of success, most Rolex Junior Players of the Year, ANNIKA Intercollegiate, and LPGA Tour players now have roots in this foundational event.

In 2004, Rolex helped establish another important AJGA initiative by becoming the first founding corporate partner of the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant . The ACE Grant provides financial support to junior golfers with the skill, but not the financial ability to play a national junior golf schedule. To date, the program has reimbursed more than $4.8 million to junior golfers, which has translated to more than $15 million awarded in college scholarships. The importance of this program was emphasized in 2019 as ACE Grant recipients Maxwell Moldovan and Rose Zhang were named the first recipients to also earn Rolex Junior Player of the Year recognition.

Moldovan now attends Ohio State University while Zhang has become one of the most successful junior golfers in AJGA history. In 2020, she became one of just 15 players to repeat as Rolex Junior Player of the Year. She has led the Rolex AJGA Rankings for more than two years, and since 2019, has won three Rolex-supported AJGA Invitationals.

Rolex Testimonee Bryson DeChambeau is one of the thousands of juniors since 1986 to use the AJGA’s national junior golf platform to earn a college opportunity. The 2020 U.S. Open champion was the first SMU player to win an NCAA Division I individual title and in 2009, finished top 10 at the AJGA Trader Joe’s Junior Championship.

For more information about the extension and partnership, please contact Tim Jackman (tjackman@ajga.org ) in the AJGA Communications Department.

About Rolex
Rolex and Golf
Rolex is committed to the permanent quest for excellence in all its endeavors and has been a long-term supporter of golf in its pursuit of the same. The brand’s enduring relationship with the sport began more than 50 years ago, in 1967, when Arnold Palmer, joined by Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, became the brand’s first golfing Testimonees. Known together as The Big Three, these legendary players changed the face of golf forever, and their partnership with Rolex marked the beginning of a relationship based on the shared commitment to continuous improvement and unwavering precision. Since then, the affiliation has grown and flourished, permeating every level of the game worldwide. From elite players and golf legends, to all the game’s Major championships, where success represents the pinnacle of achievement in the sport, as well as the foremost professional tours and worldwide amateur championships, Rolex is ever-present. In 2021 Rolex further deepened its support by becoming a Worldwide Partner of The Ryder Cup, to act as Official Timekeeper at every iteration of the sport’s pre-eminent team competition. The Swiss manufacturer’s support for the game is built on a strong sense of integrity and respect for tradition that promote the continuity of expertise and transfer of knowledge, and an understanding of the importance of investing in the sport’s development for future generations.

An unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise
Rolex, a Swiss watch manufacture headquartered in Geneva, is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products. Its Oyster Perpetual and Cellini watches, all certified as Superlative Chronometers for their precision, performance and reliability, are symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The word “Perpetual” is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. Rolex has registered over 500 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated and independent manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, Rolex is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.