1st Clubs for Kids Foundation named title sponsor of annual Junior All-Star Invitational
By AJGA Staff
Broussard, LA – The American Junior Golf Association is proud to announce 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation as the title sponsor for the 2023 AJGA Junior All-Star Invitational. The annual event held Columbus Day weekend will be contested at Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club in Broussard, Louisiana.
2023 will mark the 24th edition of the year-end invitational for juniors ages 12 to 15. The Ninja Junior All-Star series is a collection of events specifically designed for boys and girls ages 12 to 15. The competition provides an opportunity for younger members to develop their skills and build Performance Based Entry status to earn entry into Open tournaments.
The event will bring together the top 72 juniors ages 12 to 15 from around the world to Broussard, Louisiana, to compete over three days. The 54-hole stroke play event has a long list of past champions that includes PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, NCAA and USGA Champions. Four-time PGA TOUR champion, Sam Burns, won the event in 2011 alongside LPGA Tour professional, Sierra Brooks. 2018 Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Yealimi Noh, won the event in 2015. In just her second season on the LPGA Tour she was named to the US Solheim Cup team where she went 2-1-0.
Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club is a first-time host of the AJGA. The club, founded in 1986, hosted the Web.com Tour’s (now Korn Ferry Tour) Chitimacha Louisiana Open for 30 years. The Robert Trent Jones Jr. signature course plays at par 72 with a total yardage of 7,081.
“Our partnership with the American Junior Golf Association and 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation marks the next chapter in our club’s history. The 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation Junior All-Star Invitational will be one of the most significant junior golf championships ever held in Louisiana,” Dawna Waterbury, General Manger & CEO Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club, said. “We are thrilled our club’s championship Robert Trent Jones, Jr. golf course will continue to be a vehicle for world-class competitive golf that is steeped in philanthropy.
“We are honored and excited to be the title sponsor for the AJGA’s 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation Junior All-Star Invitational at Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club! This opportunity aligns perfectly with our foundation’s work to empower youth to embrace the sport of golf while learning its core values of honesty, integrity, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, sportsmanship, judgment, respect, and courtesy,” Gwen Fontenot, Executive Director 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation , said. “We, along with our Acadiana community, and our great state of Louisiana, are anxious to welcome exceptional junior golfers, coaches, parents, and guests and look forward to providing them with an extraordinary cultural and hospitality experience along with a world class championship tournament.”
The tournament begins on Thursday, October 5th with the Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament. The AJGA’s Junior-Am is modeled after the PGA TOUR’s Pro-Am in which a junior is paired with three amateurs to raise funds for 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation and the AJGA’s Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant. Thursday continues with the official practice round where each junior will be able to take in Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club prior to play.
Competition kicks off Friday, October 6th and runs through Sunday, October 8th. An award ceremony for the boy’s top-5 and girls top-3 will take place at the completion of play on Sunday afternoon. The AJGA and Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club extend a warm welcome to anyone wishing to come out to the club to watch the next generation of champions during the competition or to play in the Junior-Am fundraising event.
The AJGA and 1st Clubs for Kids are also looking for local supporters to help increase the charitable impact associated with the 1st Clubs for Kids Junior All-Star Invitational. If you are interested, please contact Patrick Cansfield, pcansfield@ajga.org. or Gwen Fontenot, gfontenot@1stclubsforkids.com
For more information about the 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation Junior All-Star Invitational visit the tournament website or to learn more about the AJGA visit online through Facebook, Twitter or at www.ajga.org.
About 1st Clubs for Kids
1st Clubs For Kids Foundation exists in order to open doors to a world of life-time skills for kids through an introduction to golf. The foundation will teach kids the values and life-lessons of integrity, perseverance, honesty, focus, etiquette, and will help them hone social skills and confidence while learning a sport that perhaps, many never thought they would learn. This foundation will also provide therapeutic and golf-related opportunities for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those who are impacted by severe grief from the loss of a family member or loved one. To learn more about 1st Clubs for Kids, please visit its website: www.1stclubsforkids.com or online through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
About Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club
Founded in 1986, Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club is one of the South’s most significant private clubs. The 155-acre property, with its Robert Trent Jones, Jr. championship golf course was host to a PGA Tour event for more than 30 years (The Chitimacha Louisiana Open), is home to a Golf Digest Top Golf Academy, and to 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation. The club’s significance is rooted in its commitment to excellence and philanthropy. For more information on Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club, please visit the club’s website here.
