Atlanta, Ga. (September 24, 2009) - Junior golfers and their families from around the Atlanta area came together to celebrate and be honored at the annual Atlanta Junior Golf (AJG) awards banquet held at prestigious Druid Hills Golf Club.

Kicking off the evening was guest speaker, current President of the Georgia State Golf Association, Chris Cupit, who spoke before more than 150 attendees about his experiences with AJG, the benefits of learning to play golf for a lifetime and personal insights regarding the role of parents as positive role models for their children from his years of involvement with the game of golf.

Matthew McKagen (Powder Springs) and Isabella Skinner (Cumming) were both recognized for their outstanding seasons on the golf course. Each player claimed the coveted Giddings’ Cup at the Grand Championship held in August and top honors at the banquet as Players of the Year in their respective divisions. Skinner also claimed the Metro Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association (MAADA) Award for accruing the highest point average at the end of the season, a perfect 120 points.

Keeping with the tradition of the evening, juniors were recognized for their success in the following categories: All-Atlanta Junior Golf Teams, comprised of the top-10 juniors in the Open and the top-five juniors in the Club divisions; All-Atlanta Junior Golf Academic Teams, recognizing high school boys and girls, who have excelled in the classroom during the previous school year with a 3.5 or higher grade point average; Overall Boys and Girls Grand Champions; and Players of the Year, boys and girls in the Open divisions, who completed the year on top.

The 2009 Junior Golf Ambassador award was presented to long-time Druid Hills golf professional and now Director of Golf, Randall Couch, for his 40 years of dedication to supporting junior and amateur golf alike. Mr. Couch’s steadfast effort to propagate golf is evident in his support of local junior golf and the annual Dogwood Invitational tournament held at the golf club where he works.

Additionally, The Larry Nelson Sportsmanship Award, which identifies one individual who demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship as voted on by summer staff members, was awarded to Nick Fazio (Carrollton). The Most Improved Male and Female Awards were given to Open division players Matthew McKagen and Katherine Skeeles (Marietta), and the Aroha “Roh” Wezner Trophy, similar to the PGA Tour’s Vardon Scoring Trophy, was awarded to Jacob Harper (Valley, AL) for the lowest overall scoring average from the 2009 season, 70.75.

Atlanta Junior Golf is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) organization and gains its funding through memberships, sponsorships and contributions. Contributions to the association are thus tax deductible by individuals and corporations alike. Based in Marietta, the organization is governed by a Board of Directors composed of leading area business people, golf enthusiasts and golf professionals. Members of the Board serve as volunteers and help guide the activities of the organization. For more information, log on to www.atlantajuniorgolf.org.

*See the following pages for a complete listing of all our 2009 award recipients.

**Editors Note: For more information, please contact operations manager Matt Hooper at (770) 850-9040 or mhooper@atlantajuniorgolf.org

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