Lambert and Sargent to host Alabama Cup

The Alabama Cup, part of the AJGA’s State Cup Series, will be held at Shoal Creek November 10-11, 2018. 

BRASELTON, Ga. – American Junior Golf Association members Gordon Sargent and Reynolds Lambert have partnered to create the Alabama Cup, hosted at Shoal Creek to benefit Children’s Harbor and the American Cancer Society Alabama Chapter starting in 2018.

The Alabama Cup, part of the AJGA’s State Cup Series, will be a two-day Ryder Cup-style tournament held at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open venue Shoal Creek in Shoal Creek, Alabama. While the event is sure to feature high-quality golf and spirited competition, the primary goal of the event is charitable, with each junior golfer required to raise a minimum of $1000 for the beneficiaries. 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.

“Shoal Creek is looking forward to hosting the first annual State Cup in Birmingham. It is wonderful to be able to support these wonderful charities, and seeing the great fundraising work that Gordon Sargent, Reynolds Lambert, and other young men work to achieve,” said Eric Williamson, Director of Golf at Shoal Creek.

Proceeds will help benefit the AJGA’s ACE Grant program, American Cancer Society and Children’s Harbor. Alabama based Children’s Harbor is a nonprofit organization that provides children with serious illness and their families a place to be themselves, to have fun and relax, while receiving no cost services that make life a bit easier for the whole family.

“Children's Harbor is excited to participate as a beneficiary in the Alabama Cup. We appreciate the efforts of these young men as they use their golf talents to give back to the communities and causes that are meaningful to them," said Erin Slaughter, Special Events Coordinator for Children's Harbor.

Sargent is a two-time AJGA Champion and verbal commit to Vanderbilt University. Sargent has seven top-10 AJGA finishes in his career and is No. 32 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

"I am excited to partner with Reynolds Lambert and other juniors across the state and the AJGA for the first Alabama Cup at Shoal Creek,” said Sargent. “I know we will have a great time together and its very satisfying to be able to contribute to these great charities.”

Seventeen-year-old Lambert won the 2018 Scott Stallings Junior Championship presented by Pilot Flying J and has six top-10 AJGA finishes. 

“I’m excited to be a part of the inaugural Alabama Cup,” Lambert said.  “We hope this event will become an annual way for junior golfers in Alabama to raise funds to support charities that make a difference in our communities.”

Teams will be led by Honorary Captains Trey Mullinax and Casey Wittenberg, whose presence will instill added inspiration and pride among their respective teams and further ensure an unforgettable experience for each junior participant. The two professional golfers combine for seven amateur wins and seven professional wins in their careers.

Wittenberg, a Memphis, Tennessee, native who played golf at Oklahoma State, was a three-time Rolex Junior All-American from 2000-2002.  He was runner-up in the 2003 US Amateur and low amateur at the Masters in 2005.  He currently competes on the Web.com tour.  Mullinax, born and raised in Gardendale, Alabama, played two seasons with the AJGA in 2009 and 2010 and continued his golf career at the University of Alabama where he helped the team to the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Championships. Trey finished in the top 10 at the 2017 US Open and competes on the PGA Tour.

The Alabama Cup will also support the Alabama Chapter of the American Cancer Society. The Alabama Chapter of the American Cancer Society is on a mission to free the world from cancer. They are working to fund research, share expert information, support patients and spread the word about prevention.

The event will take place November 10-11, 2018. To support Lambert and Sargent’s efforts, visit ajga.org/ll. For more information, please contact Liz Powell (lpowell@ajga.org) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1792, or visit ajga.org.