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Some of the best young golfers in the Midwest will be playing in Austin over the next few summers, due to the efforts of Discover Austin.

Austin Country Club will host an American Junior Golf Association championship on July 18-21 in 2023. In 2024 and 2025, the event will be held in June.

The event, which will be the only one of its kind held in the state, will bring 96 of the top male and female junior golfers in the Upper Midwest.

“We’re pretty excited and it’s a pretty big deal,” said Mike Potsma, Austin City Council member and a member of the Board of Directors for Discover Austin. “Eventually some of these kids will play in the PGA. Tiger Woods played in this championship when he was young.”

Sara Wilson, tourism sales manager of Discover Austin, was able to land the tournament by reaching out and selling the AJGA on Austin Country Club, which has recently gone through some renovations.

“We have an amazing salesperson for Discover Austin in Sara. She has done a great job of bringing new groups to town and she was the one who brought this opportunity for us,” Potsma said. “The timing is really good for this event.”

Postma is excited about the social media presence of the AJGA as he’s hoping the visibility of the tournament may draw more eyes on Austin.

There will also be a chance for locals to mix it up with competitors as a pro-am round will be held for area golfers to line up next to the tournament players and play.

“It’ll be really cool to get our local golfers exposed to a high caliber of competition,” Potsma said.

Postma added that the tournament will be looking for sponsors as it draws near.

The tournament is 54 holes and it is the first time since 2018 that an AJGA event will be played in Minnesota. 

“We are thrilled to host an AJGA event back in the state of Minnesota. Austin Country Club has been fantastic to work with and the community is excited to welcome AJGA players, parents, NCAA college coaches and staff to the area,” Patrick Cansfield, AJGA Director of Business Development said. “The commitment by the city and host facility to host this world-class event for the next three years is a testament to their commitment to growing the game of golf and helping provide necessary opportunities for junior golfers to earn college golf scholarships.”

The AJGA is looking for local supporters to help increase the charitable impact associated with the Discover Austin Minnesota Junior Championship. If you are interested, please contact AJGA Senior Midwest Regional Director, Ryan Flanagan at rflanagan@ajga.org.