Abilene Hosting International Junior Golf Tournament

The American Junior Golf Association is pleased to announce the continuation of the Folds of Honor Junior Championship hosted by Bob Estes. Abilene Country Club will again host the 54-hole national junior golf tournament, July 17 – 20 when 132 boys and girls from across the country and around the world will compete for the title.

The Folds of Honor Junior Championship hosted by Bob Estes has been hosted annually in Abilene since 1981. Over the 36 years the AJGA has been in Abilene some well-known players have taken home the trophy, including Phil Mickelson, Scott Verplank, Kelli Kuehne and Emilee Klein.

This year Folds of Honor has joined the tournament as the title sponsor. Since 2007, the Folds of Honor has carried forth a mission to provide educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service-members. Bob Estes will continue his longtime support of the event as well. He has been involved with the tournament since 2010.

This year’s tournament field features several players who are high in the AJGA Rankings. Hailey Jones of Dallas, Texas, is the highest ranked player in the field at No. 15. In 2017 she has a win at the Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research. She also played for the West Team at the 2017 Wyndham Cup. The top-ranked boy in the tournament field is Kyle Cox, who is currently No. 86 in the AJGA Rankings. Cox is from Carrollton, Texas, and has given a verbal commitment to Mississippi State University. The 2018 grad has a top-10 AJGA finish in 2017 and in 2015 claimed a victory at this event.

The tournament will begin Sunday, July 16, with a qualifier for the tournament. Eighty-four players will attempt to qualify their way into the tournament which begins on Monday, July 17, with a Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament and a practice round. During the Transamerica Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament amateurs will have the opportunity to play alongside the future stars of the game.

First-round play will begin Tuesday, July 18, with first- and second-round tee times running from 7:30 a.m. – 9:10 a.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees for the first wave and 12:15-1:55 p.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees for the second wave. Final-round tee times will be from 7:30-9:30 a.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees. The awards ceremony will take place at approximately 2 p.m. on July 20, after final-round play.

The Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau expect 350 people to stay in Abilene for the tournament, in addition to generating over $132,000 in economic impact into the community. “This annual event is possible due to community support and the generosity of the Abilene Country Club,” Debi Schultz, with the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau stated.

About the AJGA: 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 AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls, ages 12-19) of more than 6,600 members from 50 states and 55 foreign countries. Through initiatives like the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant, a financial assistance program, and Leadership Links, a service-oriented platform that teaches juniors charitable-giving skills, the AJGA fosters the growth of golf’s next generation.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf became the AJGA’s National Sponsor in 2016 after more than 25 years of support. Rolex, which is in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2017, adidas joined the AJGA as a Premier Partner, serving as the Official Apparel and Footwear of the AJGA.

AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 830 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia, Hunter Mahan, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Zach Johnson, Justin Thomas, Bill Haas, Billy Horschel, Stacy Lewis, Ariya Jutanugarn, Alison Lee, Lexi Thompson, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel.