Virginian ready for AJGA

BY SPENCER CAMPBELL
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

BRISTOL, Va. – The windows from the Virginian Golf Club’s dining area look out over lush green hills and hazy green mountains. It’s plain idyllic. On Thursday morning, however, two workers were busy obscuring that view with a large green scoreboard.

Such are the concessions the membership of the Virginian is willing to make to play host to the tour that groomed Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Beginning on Monday, the world’s top junior amateur golfers will descend upon the Virginian for the American Junior Golf Association Junior Championship at the Virginian presented by Natural Resources – the first AJGA event of any kind in Bristol.

This will be the fourth national championship hosted by the Virginian, a list that also features the 2003 USGA Senior Amateur.

“We have had numerous opportunities to host numerous things in all ages and classifications,” said Kenny Kerr, the club’s general manager. “But we’re very involved in junior golf, and this is the first time a national junior championship approached us. We jumped at the idea.”

The field for the event will feature 132 boys and girls from 20 different states – including states as far away as California and Washington – as well as China, Ontario and Quebec. 

Among the favorites are Knoxville’s Brandon Rodgers, winner of the Stanford Financial Junior Championship, and Bristol’s Jay Vandeventer, No. 83 in the Polo Golf Rankings for junior amateurs. The girls’ field includes Jefferson City’s Kendall Martindale, winner of the 2009 Tennessee Women’s State Amateur Championship.

“It’s a who’s who of the PGA and LPGA tours of who’s come through the AJGA,” said AJGA representative Chris White, acknowledging alumni Woods, Mickelson, David Duval, Anthony Kim, Luke Donald and Charles Howell III from the PGA Tour, and Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel from the LPGA Tour. “These are the top juniors in the country. The truth is, [spectators] are seeing the best.”

Beyond the event’s stellar cast, both Virginian officials and the AJGA hope that a tournament of this magnitude will help boost the area’s economy.

White says that almost 90 percent of the field will be traveling to Bristol overnight to compete in the championship, which lasts for five days. The impact these visitors will have on the local economy will be felt in rental cars, hotels, restaurants and airport traffic.

“You start adding all those things up, do a regional multiplier and really look at the effect this income is bringing in, it’s typically a pretty big number,” White said. “You’ve got 132 players coming ... even if you lowball it and say they all bring one parent and nobody else, that’s 260 people that we’re bringing into the area for a 4-5 day period. It’s going to create quite a bit of revenue.”

In turn, Bristol has opened its arms to the AJGA in the form of more than 100 volunteers rounded up by Virginian head golf professional Jim Blackmore and Virginian member John Vandeventer.

“That’s something that I think you’ll see this week, it’s going to make this tournament spectacular and set itself apart from the others,” White said. “It’s the community support like that that really makes or breaks an event. It’s really been outstanding here.”

The three-day tournament officially tees off at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning and features a 36-hole cut after Wednesday’s round. But the festivities really kick off on Sunday, when 100 golfers will attempt to qualify for a handful of spots at the Country Club of Bristol. The field on Monday has a practice day and junior-am, which will feature ETSU alum and Champions Tour player Mike Hulbert.

The Virginian says it’s prepared for the week-long circus.

“The staff here, we don’t keep track of time, we don’t ask questions,” Kerr said. “We work until the job is done, and it shows. I think you’ll see the golf course is perfect ... We’re ready. It’s ready.”

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At a glance

What: AJGA Junior Championship at the Virginian presented by Alpha Resources

Who: The top junior amateurs from across the country

When: Monday through Thursday

Where: The Virginian Golf Club in Bristol, Va.

Local influence: Headlining the event will be Bristol’s Jay Vandeventer, a University of Tennesse signee. Other local golfers include Abingdon’s John Stallard and Jordan Patrick, and Bluff City’s Jace Devault.

Protective: The course conditions during the tournament will reflect a major championship. The rough will not be cut after the weekend and the greens will run more slippery than usual. “I’m very protective,” Virginian superintendent Chuck Jones said.