Braselton, GA – The American Junior Golf Association is excited to announce a new partnership with the Talor Gooch Foundation to bring more junior golf opportunities to Oklahoma. The Talor Gooch Foundation will serve as the Title Sponsor of an Open tournament this summer with 3Bird Kids Foundation, Inc. as the Presenting Sponsor.
“To support junior golf in my home state and to do it with an organization that helped shape my junior, collegiate and professional career is a dream come true. It’s the least I can do for the state of Oklahoma and for the AJGA,” said Talor Gooch. “I'm excited to meet the kids, have a fun week and see what the future of college and professional golf is looking like!”
From Midwest City, Oklahoma, Talor Gooch is a professional golfer and prominent AJGA alumni. Gooch started the Talor Gooch Foundation alongside his wife, Ally Gooch. The Talor Gooch Foundation’s initiatives and goals aligns with that of the AJGA’s to help develop golf’s next generation. The mission of the Talor Gooch Foundation is to uplift and empower children by equipping them with tools, experiences and opportunities to chase and accomplish their dreams.
"The fact that my path and certainly Talor's path included AJGA tournaments during our junior careers, it adds to the opportunity for the Talor Gooch Foundation. The most important part of this sponsorship is the unique opportunity to give back to a platform that shaped our lives for the better,” said Kelsey Cline, Executive Director, Talor Gooch Foundation. “The memories and friendships made along the way are things that we feel are irreplaceable and we want this generation of young golfers to experience the same. Golf has blessed us beyond measure, and we hope it does the same these young men and women."
This sponsorship with the Talor Gooch Foundation will include naming rights to a summer Open event beginning in 2023. The 3Bird Kids Foundation, Inc. will also serve as the Presenting Sponsor for the tournament. The 3Bird Kids Foundation fosters an environment where kids can utilize golf to develop inner strength and leadership skills. These sponsorships contribute to the support of the AJGA’s mission and its’ dedication to the overall growth and development of young men and women through providing competitive junior golf opportunities.
“The AJGA is thrilled to partner with the Talor Gooch Foundation, who’s mission supports our goals as an organization,” said Director of Business Development, Patrick Cansfield. “We look forward to the addition of this event to our summer schedule as it will allow us to bring more junior golf opportunities to the area.”
The inaugural event, named Talor Gooch Foundation Junior Championship by 3Bird Kids Foundation, Inc., will be held at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The event is set to run on July 24-27, 2023, with the addition of a Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament to be held on the 24th. The 54-hole stroke play event will host the top 12–19-year-olds from around the world. The Open tournament allows an opportunity for all AJGA members in the field to strengthen their skills and build status.
“I am very excited for Gaillardia to host such an elite event. It will be a great showcase of not only Gaillardia but the strength of junior golf throughout Oklahoma as its top juniors compete against some of the best players across the country,” says Nick Hughes, member of Gaillardia Country Club and parent to two junior golfers.”
For more information contact Patrick Cansfield, Director of Business Development at the AJGA (pcansfield@ajga.org ).
About Talor Gooch Foundation
The mission of the Talor Gooch Foundation is to uplift and empower children by equipping them with tools, experiences, and opportunities to chase and accomplish their dreams.
We are so fortunate and extremely blessed by the Lord and this is us simply wanting to pay it forward to future generations with experiences, opportunities, and tools to go after their wildest dreams, and ultimately accomplish them.
We have so much love and passion for children and try to keep a perspective to acknowledge the positive in the negative – to see the glass half-full – and to create moments that are lasting for many years.
About 3Bird Kids Foundation, Inc.
3Bird is an organization for Oklahoma Kids to develop inner strength and leadership qualities using golf and art as the vehicles. 3Bird will be designed to be an outlet for underprivileged youth to escape their own chaos, and allow themselves to be in a freeing environment through nature, art, and golf.
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 7,900 members from 50 states and 51 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 1,000 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Jessica Korda, Nelly Korda, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park and Lexi Thompson.