BRASELTON, Ga. – The American Junior Golf Association will host the AJGA Invitational presented by PING at The Pfau Course at Indiana University, located in Bloomington, Indiana. In partnership with the AJGA and PING, the event invites the top 72 boys and girls in the Rolex AJGA Rankings to The Pfau Course to compete in the Invitational scheduled for October 6-9, 2023.
The AJGA Invitational presented by PING will showcase top junior golf talent from around the world. The Pfau Course at Indiana University will help give a platform for players to earn final points toward the AJGA’s top honor of the season, the Rolex Junior All-America Teams, and Rolex Junior Players of the Year.
Indiana University envisioned having a facility that could host major collegiate, amateur, junior, and professional national events and hosting the AJGA Invitational presented by PING is our most prestigious event to date. We at The Pfau Course and Indiana University could not be more excited for our staff, faculty, donors, members, students, and community to showcase our amazing facility to the world’s best junior golfers.
Established in 2020 and designed by highly acclaimed architect Steve Smyers and two-time major winner and Hoosier native Fuzzy Zoeller, The Pfau Course at Indiana University offers a unique, world-class layout that is set in the natural beauty of southern Indiana. Smyers utilized the area’s natural topography in designing the course, while also highlighting the combination of forest, open space and forest edges that result in both amazing views and a wonderful golfing test.
We at Visit Bloomington are thrilled to host such a prestigious event on the campus of Indiana University. The Pfau Course at Indiana University is a championship caliber course that can test the best golfers and we couldn’t be more excited to showcase this incredible facility.
The venue change takes place after Karsten Creek, located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, undergoes renovations in 2023. This year, it finds its home at The Pfau Course and is eager to showcase its excellence and reputation in the golf world. The Pfau Course tied for No. 2 on Golfweek’s list of top public courses in Indiana in 2023 and has been ranked in the top three in the rankings in each year since opening. It also earned honors at No. 76 of Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses.
We are excited to bring the AJGA Invitational presented by PING to the Pfau Course at Indiana University. This event represents the pinnacle of junior golf competition, and we are confident that the course's challenging design and the warm hospitality of Indiana University will make it a memorable experience for all involved.
The tournament is expected to draw golf enthusiasts, college recruiters, and families from all over the country, boosting the local economy and showcasing Bloomington as a premier destination for golf and sports tourism.
Tournament History
The inaugural PING Invitational took place in 2006 and in the tournament’s 17-year history, has crowned many notable past champions. Jordan Spieth is the only two-time Boys Division champion, winning in 2008 and 2010. Other notable champions include PGA TOUR player Emiliano Grillo and college standouts – Stanford senior Michael Thorbjornsen and 2023 Walker Cup team member Ben James, a sophomore at the University of Virginia.
Rose Zhang, two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year and LPGA Tour star, joined Spieth as the first two-time champion in the Girls Division with victories in 2018 and 2020. In 2021, Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida, became the youngest champion at 13 years, 6 months, and 18 days old. Clemente successfully defended her title in 2022, winning by seven shots to join Spieth and Zhang. The 2026 grad will return to the event for a third year this October. Notable Girls Division champions also include: Nelly Korda, Alison Lee and Patty Tavatanakit.
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 9,000 members from 50 states and 51 foreign countries. Through initiatives like the Liberty National 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, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang.
About PING
PING, a golf club manufacturer with the goal to help golfers play their best, has been an AJGA supporter since 1990 and began supporting the PING Phoenix Junior in 1991. The PING Invitational, one of the AJGA's top Invitationals held over Columbus Day weekend, began in 2006 at Karsten Creek. The PING Junior Solheim Cup, the all-girls match play biennial event, has received worldwide recognition and many participants are able to say they played for their country as a junior and professional.
An Official Partner since 2002, the golf club manufacturer sponsors PING College Golf Signing Day and became "The Official Bag of the AJGA" in 2009. In 2010, PING debuted golf bags for all AJGA champions. PING also became the AJGA's first Legacy Partner in 2020.
About The Pfau Course
The Pfau Course at Indiana University is the home course of the flagship university in the state of Indiana.
Opened in 2020, the course was designed by highly-acclaimed architect Steve Smyers and two-time major winner and Hoosier native Fuzzy Zoeller, The Pfau Course at Indiana University offers a unique, world-class layout that is set in the natural beauty of southern Indiana. It’s drawn rave reviews since opening, highlighted by its No. 76 ranking in Golf Digest’s 2023 Top 100 Public Golf Courses in the United States list.
Among the course’s many take away features is 147 bunkers spread out amongst the 18 championship holes. The bunkers come in a wide variety of sizes and depths, offering players with creative ways to navigate them. Like the bunkers, The Pfau Course at Indiana University’s greens come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. The average green size is 6,680 square feet, and they range in size from 4,145 square feet on No. 10 to 10,014 square feet on No. 7.
In addition to offering a supreme test for championship-caliber players, the Par-71 design is also accessible to players of all skill levels. It features six tee options, offering an 18-hole experience that ranges from 4,586 to 7,908 yards.