The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) is proud to announce a five-year partnership with Reynolds Lake Oconee, which will host a new championship event, theJunior All-Star Invitational at Reynolds Lake Oconee. The Invitational will be the season-culminating tournament of the AJGA’s American College Development Services (ACDS) Junior All-Star Series for players age 12 to 15, capping a season-long “Road to Reynolds” sequence of events showcasing the future of the game.
Starting Columbus Day weekend in 2017 and continuing through the fall of 2020, 96 of the top male and female junior golfers will compete in a 54-hole, stroke play tournament at the acclaimed golf resort community, Reynolds Lake Oconee. The international field will be determined by the AJGA Rankings, a proprietary system that provides a worldwide barometer of the top players using wins and top finishes in national junior golf events.
“All roads will lead to Reynolds Lake Oconee,” said Stephen Hamblin, executive director of the AJGA. “This Invitational promises to become one of the premier junior golf events in the world, given the level of competition, the world-class caliber of the golf at Reynolds, and the resources available to junior golfers at The Reynolds Kingdom of Golf presented by TaylorMade.”
The Rolex Tournament of Champions, an international event for top-ranked boys and girls ages 12-18, will return to Reynolds Lake Oconee in 2021. The announcement was made on June 29, during the 2016 Rolex Tournament of Champions, which will conclude at Reynolds Lake Oconee on July 1.
“Hosting the AJGA’s Junior All-Star Invitational and the Rolex Tournament of Champions illustrates our commitment to engaging young golfers in the game of golf,” said Mark Lammi, vice president of golf operations at Reynolds Lake Oconee. “Reynolds Lake Oconee is the ideal golf resort community for the entire family and we are proud to be hosting these incredible juniors and their families this week and now over the next five years.”
The ACDS Junior All-Star Series has college and professional alumni including Rickie Fowler, Morgan Hoffmann, Peter Uihlein, Bud Cauley, Vicky Hurst, Cheyenne Woods, Alison Lee and Jordan Spieth.
The AJGA Junior All-Star Invitational and Rolex Tournament of Champions are among the most significant AJGA events aimed at the next generation of golfers and hosted by Reynolds Lake Oconee. Other notable events include the Linger Longer Invitational, featuring an elite field of NCAA men’s golf teams, is contested each March, while local qualifying rounds for the Drive, Chip and Putt National Championships are held on Reynolds’ renowned Landing Course each June.
The AJGA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women while providing valuable exposure for college golf scholarships. The AJGA has an annual membership (boys and girls, ages 12-18) of more than 6,500 from 48 states and more than 50 foreign countries.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate, and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors, who have compiled more than 600 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours, include Jordan Spieth, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, Hunter Mahan, Stacy Lewis, Vicky Hurst, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, and Brittany Lincicome.
