The American Junior Golf Association and National Sponsor TaylorMade Golf announce the Team TaylorMade Invitational, a new Memorial Day 2021 event hosted on Streamsong Resort’s Blue Course.
Seventy-eight top junior golfers will earn invitation through the Rolex AJGA Rankings. The Team TaylorMade Invitational practice round will take place Friday, May 28 and offer 18 holes of competition on Saturday-Monday, May 29-31.
I know the value of the AJGA firsthand. It provides a competitive platform for aspiring players, but more importantly, an incredible opportunity for growth and development as a person. At TaylorMade, we’re a proud supporter of not only the AJGA, but also each of the junior golfers who share our passion for the game. We’re excited to attach our name to one of the AJGA’s premier Invitationals.
The 54-hole event, and the recently-announced Jack Burke Jr. Invitational in August, will debut in 2021 as the newest AJGA boys’ stroke play Invitationals added since 2007, joining the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods (February), AJGA Invitational at Sedgefield (June), and The Junior PLAYERS Championship (September).
Related: AJGA 2021 Schedule
Streamsong Resort , located 60 minutes east of Tampa, will host the AJGA for the first time. The unique golf destination boasts a bevy of accolades including all three courses in Golfweek’s top Resort Courses for 2021; Golf.com's No. 4 Best Florida Courses and Top 100 U.S. Course, and recognition from Golf Digest under Best Golf Resorts in the state.
Designed by Tom Doak – credited with Pacific Dunes, Old Macdonald and Ballyneal – the layout features elevation changes, towering sand dunes, massive shelf greens and wide fairways. The Blue starts atop a 75-foot sand dune.
“This event offers a multifaceted connection like we rarely see. TaylorMade can support some of our top AJGA players by providing an incredible competitive platform at one of the best golf courses in the country,” said Jason Etzen, AJGA chief business officer. “We are always looking for opportunities to serve the next generation and we believe this holiday weekend offers a unique chance to collaborate in the best interest of junior golf.”
Team TaylorMade alumni with AJGA ties include: Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff, Rickie Fowler, Sung Hyun Park, Maria Fassi, Charley Hull, and Sierra Brooks.
Woods is one of the most decorated junior golfers of all time. The two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year remains tied for second total career individual wins all-time (eight) and most individual wins in a season (four, twice). He and Wolff represent two of the 27 NCAA Division I individual champions in the AJGA’s history. Wolff was recognized as a Rolex Junior All-American (or top 48 boy in the nation) at the end of the season in 2015 when he played in all three of the top boys-only Invitationals.
Fowler, a two-time Rolex Junior All-American won two AJGA events including the February Boys Invitational event, then held at Bay Hill. Fowler has supported AJGA’s Leadership Links program, inspiring junior golfers to fundraise more than $3 million for their communities through golf since 2009.
Johnson played in events from 1999-2002 with his best finish at the summer boys-only Invitational (T10). Two-time Rolex Junior All-American Morikawa collected six top-10 AJGA Invitational finishes, including fifth at TPC Sawgrass in 2013.
Brooks was a five-time Rolex Junior All-American. She collected six career victories including two sponsored by TaylorMade: an AJGA Open then hosted at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course, and an Easter Junior All-Star event at Chateau Elan.
Though she did not compete with the AJGA as a junior golfer, Park now supports a tournament with TaylorMade. In 2021, she will host during the AJGA’s highly competitive Easter weekend slate of events in Florida. In addition to her status as one of the AJGA’s 30 female Division I individual champions since 1978, Fassi played in four events supported by professional golfers and collected four top-six finishes during her AJGA career. Hull, recently the youngest selection for the Solheim Cup’s European team, also competed in the AJGA’s junior event in 2011.
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Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, TaylorMade Golf Company is a leading manufacturer of high-performance golf equipment with industry-leading innovative products like SIM2 metalwoods, SIM2 irons, TP5/TP5X golf balls and Spider putters. A major force on the PGA TOUR, TaylorMade has an unrivaled athlete portfolio that includes Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff and Rickie Fowler.