The Circle K Junior Championship hosted by Otter Creek was honored with its second award in the last four years.
The most recent edition of the championship was named the 2021 Open Tournament of the Year. That honor recognizes the overall tournament experience from hospitality, volunteers and sponsor involvement to impact on the community and more.
Being honored with the 2021 Open Tournament of the Year award is the culmination of great work and coordination with the City of Columbus, Otter Creek staff, tournament committee, volunteers and sponsors. We affectionately call collaborations like this 'The Columbus Way.'
The Circle K Junior Championship hosted by Otter Creek is more than just a junior golf tournament. It provides a platform for AJGA juniors to serve as role models for the next generation.
For example, each year the tournament puts on a junior clinic for kids in the Foundation for Youth and local Boys & Girls Club chapter. Watching tournament participants work with the kids is something that never gets old for Fairbanks.
The excitement in their faces as they walk out to the practice tee and see what golf is all about is priceless.
Upon looking back over the past four years of the tournament, Fairbanks quickly acknowledged how important Circle K's support has been to the event.
Because of Circle K's willingness to commit time, financial resources and to require excellence of everyone involved, we are now privileged to be named among the elite junior golf tournaments in the country.
After coming on as the Title Sponsor in 2018, Circle K made an immediate impact, helping to raise more than $70,000 in tournament contributions. Given such a significant impact, the Circle K Junior Championship hosted by Otter Creek was recognized with the 2018 Game Changer Award.
Always looking to raise the bar, the tournament raised more than $115,000 in tournament contributions in 2021 alone.
We want to create a unique experience and show our appreciation for the juniors, their families and our vendor partners that travel into Columbus. Not only do we have a great group of local and national sponsors that really make the difference in fundraising and the Junior-Am, but this tournament gives Circle K team members and Vendor Partners a few days to meet face-to-face, network and build on our relationships, all while supporting the AJGA, the ACE Grant and our local charitable partners.
The first Circle K corporate office opened in Columbus, Indiana, in 2001. Since then, Circle K has supported the local community in any way it can, which includes this junior golf tournament.
We realize these golf families have numerous options as they travel across the country for tournaments and vacations. Given Circle K has more than 7,000 stores across 47 states in the United States, we want to be their preferred destination for convenience and fuel when they travel.
The AJGA schedule features more than 50 Open championships, including tournaments supported by the likes of Mizuno and Under Armour, as well as events hosted by Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed to name a few.
With so many great Open tournaments on the schedule, it's not lost on everyone involved with the Circle K Junior Championship hosted by Otter Creek just how significant this most recent award is.
As I think about the names from the game of golf that support the other Open tournaments across the country, it really makes the award even more special to the Circle K organization. We have to give thanks to the people from the community who support the event, in particular the volunteers and the local and national sponsors that participate with us to make it all happen.
About the AJGA
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 7,300 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, 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.