All News Polo Ralph Lauren #InspiredPerformances Social Recap presented by True Temper
News

Tournament of the Year: Under Armour® / Jordan Spieth

tournamentoftheyearspieth2015.jpg

Under Armour® / Jordan Spieth Championship presented by American Campus Communities honored as AJGA Tournament of the Year

Tournament Committees shape the tournament experience for players, families, AJGA staff and the entire community. This was done best at the 2015 Under Armour® / Jordan Spieth Championship presented by American Campus Communities, and the AJGA has recognized the Committee’s efforts by naming its championship the Tournament of the Year.

Led by Co-Tournament Chairmen Trudi Dossey and Brandi Niblett, the committee focused on hospitality and charitable giving. The University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas, hosted the tournament for the second consecutive year, and the 96 players were treated to a ping-pong tournament, ice cream social, complimentary meals and locker room access at UT Golf Club.

Jordan Spieth created the most buzz Sunday afternoon, as he visited with Junior-Am participants and then gave an hour-long clinic, hitting shots with players and talking about his AJGA career and wins at the Masters and U.S. Open. After the clinic, the Spieth-themed week continued with yellow and green M&Ms (in honor of his Masters victory) in locker rooms and signed Masters flags as gifts to every tournament participant.

“Our goal was for everyone – the players, their families, the volunteers and our sponsors – to have a great experience. Brandi and I have had the privilege of being at AJGA Invitationals, and we wanted this Open event to feel just like an Invitational,” Dossey said. “I love that our membership at UT Golf Club was so involved and supportive because they truly realize that the next Jordan Spieth may have been in our 2015 field.”

In addition to impacting the tournament experience, Dossey and Niblett helped make a tremendous impact on the Austin community through charitable giving. Led by Fundraising Chairman Gary Grissom, the tournament was able to donate $31,000 to two Austin charities – the Rise School of Austin and the Hannon Society – and $21,000 to the AJGA ACE Grant.

“There is nothing more rewarding than seeing all the fingerprints that are left behind from an event, make such a positive impact on others,” Niblett said. “I am grateful to be, in some small way, a part of those collective fingerprints.”

The Tournament Committee will receive its award at the Under Armour® / Jordan Spieth Championship tentatively scheduled for July 2016.

“Trudi, Brandi and the entire committee are passionate about junior golf and the AJGA, and they are very deserving of the Tournament of the Year Award,” said Darren Nelson, AJGA Senior Regional Director, South Central. “They take equal pride in hospitality and charitable giving, and the result was an outstanding tournament that has set a very high standard.”

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 the highest 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 All-Star tournament, best Invitational and overall tournament of the year.

 

See other 2015 AJGA Tournament Awards.