BRASELTON, Ga. – The American Junior Golf Association and Tennessee natives Bo Maradik, Bradford Cummins and Rachel Heck are excited to announce the first annual playing of the Tennessee Cup, benefiting the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, The Snedeker Foundation and the AJGA’s Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant.
The Tennessee Cup, part of the AJGA’s State Cup Series, will have its inaugural playing November 2-3, 2019. The Ryder Cup-style tournament will feature 28 participants from around the state of Tennessee. Participants will partake in a two-day friendly and spirited competition which includes a banquet led exclusively by the junior golfers. 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.
Heck, a four-time Rolex Junior All-American and the 2017 Player of the Year, has raised over $2,000 in 2019 while fundraising for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the Leadership Links program. She is currently No. 16 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and has three AJGA career victories including wins at the 2017 Rolex Girls Junior Championship and the 2018 Polo Golf Junior Classic.
“I’m excited to partner with Bo and Bradford in bringing the inaugural Tennessee Cup to the Golf Club of Tennessee,” Heck said. “We have so many talented golfers in this state and I’m excited to see all 28 of us use these talents to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Snedeker Foundation and the AJGA’s ACE grant. It should be a fantastic weekend!”
Maradik, a class of 2022 graduate, has played in five AJGA events and has five wins on the Sneds Tour, a junior golf tour in partnership with The Snedeker Foundation. The Nashville, Tennessee, native has raised over $3,000 in 2019 for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the Leadership Links program.
“I’m really looking forward to a tournament where we can use our skills to help raise money for great causes,” Maradik said. “Having toured St. Jude personally, I saw what an impact the organization has on so many lives. Our goal for the inaugural Tennessee Cup is to raise at least $50,000, and we are thankful to our generous sponsors, supporters, and the Golf Club of Tennessee for helping make this possible.”
Cummins, a Nashville, Tennessee, native, has played in 12 AJGA events and has eight top-three finishes on the Sneds Tour. The high school sophomore has raised almost $5,000 in 2019 through the Leadership Links program for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“It is such an honor to be able to Co-chair the Tennessee Cup with my great friends and players,” Cummins said. “We are so fortunate to be able to play such an outstanding golf course while supporting the Snedeker Foundation, St. Jude and The ACE Grant. I want to say, “thank you” to all the wonderful people who are helping make the Tennessee Cup an exciting and successful fundraising event.”
The event will take place November 2-3, 2019 in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. To support the Tennessee Cup, please visit www.ajga.org/programs/leadership-links. For more information, please contact Bobby Puchner (bpuchner@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.
