World No. 1 Sung Hyun Park to sponsor first AJGA event

BRASELTON, GA. – Rolex Rankings No. 1-ranked Sung Hyun Park will partner with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) to host a junior tournament for the next four years.

A field of 72 top players from around the world will compete in the Memorial Junior hosted by Sung Hyun Park. The 54-hole event will be played on The Ohio State University Golf Club’s Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio, June 4-6, 2019. Park’s support of the tournament came in part because of her love for Tiger Woods (himself a two-time AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year) – who won the Columbus PGA TOUR stop five times.

"I decided to partner with the AJGA in order to give junior golfers various opportunities to grow, develop and improve their skills through friendly competition,” Park said. “I hope that this small contribution will make a big impact on the future of many golfers."

After 2019, the six-time LPGA champion will host an AJGA event at a location that is to be determined through 2022. Park will fund her AJGA event personally but was attracted to the opportunity because of her relationship with TaylorMade - the AJGA’s national partner. In fact, just two months ago, Park met Woods during a photoshoot and credited her sixth win at the HSBC Women’s World Championships to the encounter.

“If Tiger is watching this interview, then I would want to say that because we met, you gave me such a good energy, that made me win this tournament,” Park said to the media after the final round.

In the same way, the South Korean LPGA star hopes to inspire the next generation of junior golfers. The 25-year-old already has two major victories (2018 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and 2017 U.S. Women’s Open) and was named 2017 LPGA Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year and Rolex Player of the Year – the first since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to earn both titles. Park first reached No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings on August 20, 2018 where she held the rank for 10 weeks. Her win at the HSBC event vaulted her back up to the top spot.

“S.H. will be an incredible role model for the AJGA players in Columbus,” said Chief Business Officer Jason Etzen. “She has the resume to provide guidance to the juniors who want to follow in her footsteps and is close in age to many looking to take a similar path. Above all, S.H. is investing her time and financial resources into supporting the next generation of golfers and showing how LPGA players Drive On.”

The Memorial Junior hosted by Sung Hyun Park will begin with an 18-hole AJGA Qualifier the Monday before the event. This gives players the opportunity to “play their way in” to the week’s competition between top Rolex AJGA Ranked players ages 12-19. Tuesday will feature official practice rounds and a Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament where members of the local community can play a round of golf with one of the juniors in the field. The tournament rounds will be played Wednesday and Thursday with 36 holes on Wednesday and the final 18 on Thursday. An awards ceremony will follow the final round.

The Scarlet Course is the home of the Web.com Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship and has hosted an AJGA event since 2007. The AJGA event will mimic conditions of the Web.com Tour event, including yardages and hole locations.

The event is free and open to the public. Spectators are encouraged to attend the event and see the next generation of college and professional stars.