Junior Presidents Cup Honored with AJGA Tournament Awards

BRASELTON, Ga. – The inaugural Junior Presidents Cup, hosted by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and the PGA TOUR, was named the AJGA’s 2017 Invitational of the Year and earned the AJGA’s annual Social Media Award.

Each year, the AJGA presents awards to the tournaments with the best individual hospitality, Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament, charitable giving and volunteer base. Awards are also given to the events with engaged media and social media participation. Finally, the AJGA recognizes the year’s most outstanding golf professional, superintendent and general manager, as well as the most improved event, best new event, best Junior Golf Hub Preview Series tournament, best ACDS Junior All-Star Series tournament, best Invitational and overall tournament of the year.

The Junior Presidents Cup was developed to give the best junior golfers from around the world, excluding Europe, a unique playing opportunity in an international team match play competition and showcase the global reach of junior golf. The historic event was held at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, New Jersey, a past host of THE NORTHERN TRUST, a FedExCup Playoffs event.

The U.S. Team and the International Team were led by Presidents Cup and AJGA alumni David Toms and Trevor Immelman, respectively. Honorary Captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player attended the singles matches and Closing Ceremonies where they awarded their teams with medals.

“It was quite an honor for the guys and for me to be part of this team and to represent the United States of America,” said U.S. Team Captain David Toms. “The AJGA is really the PGA TOUR of junior golf. What they are able to do to give back to the game and run golf tournaments all over the country it’s very important to these juniors and their future.”

The U.S. Team defeated the International Team 14-10 in four-ball, foursome and singles matches. 

The AJGA and PGA TOUR aimed to provide an unforgettable experience for the juniors which included team uniforms, a gift set, caddies, captains, assistant captains and national media coverage from Golf Channel and PGA TOUR Entertainment.

After the conclusion of the tournament, Junior Presidents Cup players were treated to a VIP Presidents Cup experience. Both teams spent time at the Presidents Cup Fan Experience at The Oculus, made appearances on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive and took a VIP ferry to Liberty National Golf Club. At Liberty National, players took team photos with the Presidents Cup teams, had inside-the-ropes access during the practice round, spent time in the player cabins and had a private lunch with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

Players and their families also attended the Presidents Cup Celebration at Ellis Island on the eve of the Presidents Cup.

During the first round of the Presidents Cup, teams had reserved seating on the first tee and were recognized before play began.

“To get the experience with my friends and David Toms and to meet Jack Nicklaus for the first time, it was something special,” said U.S. Team member Akshay Bhatia. “It is something that will help me as I try to play in the actual Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup. It was an unforgettable experience.”

With the help of PGA TOUR, Presidents Cup and AJGA social media accounts, the Junior Presidents Cup reached 21 million people on Twitter, made more than 725,000 impressions on Instagram and reached more than 250,000 people on Facebook. Dedicated Snapchat filters received more than 61,000 views.

The 2019 Junior Presidents Cup will take place on Sunday, December 8, and Monday, December 9, 2019, at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. The Junior Presidents Cup will precede the 2019 Presidents Cup, which will be contested at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club for the third time later that week.