Local organizers of the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior
and FJ Invitational have earned the Charitable Giving Award from the American
Junior Golf Association. The Charitable Giving Award is given each year to a
tournament or tournament committee that exceeds expectations in fundraising and
contribution to grassroots junior golf charities, and in 2012, each tournament
made more than $42,000 in charitable contributions.
Each year, the AJGA presents
awards to the tournaments with the best individual media coverage, Junior-Am
fundraising tournament, volunteer base and hospitality. The AJGA also
recognizes the year’s most outstanding golf professional, superintendent and
general manager, as well as the most improved event, best new tournament, best
Invitational and overall tournament of the year.
The Natural Resource Partners
Bluegrass Junior took place at Bellefonte Country Club in Ashland, Ky., June 12-15.
As one of the longest running events on the AJGA’s schedule, the Natural
Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior has won a number of awards, including the
Volunteer Award (2001), Junior-Am Award (2008), Tournament of the Year (2009),
and the Charitable Giving Award (2011).
The tournament’s focus on helping
promote grassroots junior golf is evident in their 2012 donation of $18,000 to
local high school golf teams, $2,000 to the Eastern Kentucky Golf Association,
$5,000 to the Yancey Scholarship Fund, and more than $17,000 to the AJGA ACE
Grant. Over the last six years, the tournament has given more than $195,000 to
local charities and the AJGA Foundation.
“Our goal at the NRP Bluegrass Junior
is to provide visiting juniors a first-class tournament experience and at the
same time give local players the opportunity to match their skills against the
best from all over the world,” said Tournament Chairman Jeff Conley. “Hosting
the NRP Bluegrass Junior at Bellefonte each year has not only heightened local
interest in junior golf but has also given local players incentive to improve
their game hoping for the opportunity to play in our event. It was decided early on in the evolution of
this tournament that because golf is a non-revenue sport, the best way to promote
junior golf and elevate the quality of local players was to help fund area high
school programs.”
The tournament will return to
Bellefonte Country Club for the 30th consecutive year, June 11-14.
The FJ Invitational, which took
place June 11-15 at Cardinal Golf & Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., has
been honored in the past, receiving Tournament of the Year (2004) and the
Volunteer Award (2007). In 2012, the committee donated $21,000 to the First Tee
of the Triad and $21,000 to the AJGA ACE Grant.
"We appreciate FootJoy’s
generous support of junior golf and the FJ Invitational,” said Tournament Chairman
Mark Brazil. “Because of FootJoy's sponsorship and the support from all
of our other sponsors, we are able to make donations to the AJGA’s ACE
Grant and the First Tee of the Triad. These are two outstanding programs that
are making a major difference in the lives of many young people. It feels
great to be able to help kids achieve their dreams through the ACE Grant and
our local First Tee Chapter. We are very proud to be able to support both
of them through the FJ Invitational, and on behalf of FootJoy, we are honored
to accept this prestigious award.”
The tournament returns to the
AJGA schedule in 2013 and will be played June 10-14 at Sedgefield Country Club
in Greensboro, N.C.
