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For the first time in the American Junior Golf Association's 29-year history, with the support of the PGA TOUR's Mayakoba Golf Classic, the Association will conduct an AJGA Open event outside of the United States or Canada. The Mayakoba Junior Golf Classic will be staged at El Camaleón Golf Club in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, México, Oct. 5-8, 2007. Seventy-eight boy and girl junior golfers (ages 12-18) will make their way to this PGA TOUR venue south of Cancún to compete in the 54-hole event.
"The AJGA is excited to partner with the PGA TOUR's Mayakoba Golf Classic," AJGA Executive V.P. of Corporate Partnerships Jason Etzen said. "By adding this event to the AJGA's 2007 schedule, we are able to give even more playing opportunities to our growing membership and help expand the junior game in México. Participants will be able to enjoy all of the opportunities a PGA TOUR host provides - world-class venue, amenities and competition."
Golf history was made this past February when the PGA TOUR conducted its first regular-season, official-money event in México at the inaugural Mayakoba Golf Classic. The first tournament to go "south of the border" was a smashing success as thousands of fans witnessed veteran Fred Funk capture the inaugural title, winning a thrilling two-hole sudden death playoff against Argentina's Jose Coceres, while countless more watched worldwide on The Golf Channel. The stage is set for 2008 to be even better when 132 PGA TOUR professionals return to Mayakoba February 18-24.
"We are very excited to introduce the beautiful Mayakoba Resort and the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleón course to golf's next generation," said Larson Segerdahl, tournament director for the Mayakoba Golf Classic. "One of the missions of the PGA TOUR staging an event in México is to help grow the game on a more global basis. To have an association that is one of the premier leaders in junior golf come to Mayakoba is going to help that goal in a tremendous way."
While the AJGA is not a total stranger to México - it conducted the Junior All-Star Classic hosted by Zona Norte in Monterrey in May 2006 - this is the first AJGA Open event eligible to all ages of its membership. The Junior All-Star Series event contested at Club de Valle Alto A.C. was specifically designed for boys and girls age 12 -15 years old.
The Mayakoba Junior Golf Classic now becomes one of 81 AJGA events that will be conducted in 2007.
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 largest Association of its kind, the AJGA has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of more than 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and more than 25 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.
For more information on this event or the AJGA, please contact Steve Ethun (sethun@ajga.org) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1786 or visit the AJGA Web site at ajga.org.
For information on the Mayakoba Golf Classic, please contact Lee Patterson (pattersonprinc@yahoo.com), Media Director of the Mayakoba Golf Classic, on (704) 913-1088 or visit mayakobagolfclassic.com.
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