Chicopee Country Club Golf Director Mike O’ Neill (middle) stands with Jack Carew (right) and Sofia Lu (left) who both won their respective divisions at the AJGA golf tournament.
Photo credit: Chicopee Country Club
CHICOPEE — The American Junior Golf Association returned to the Chicopee Country Club for the seventh time for the FM Global Championship presented by the John D. Mineck Foundation.
The John D. Mineck Foundation, established in 2007 to honor the late John Mineck, an entrepreneur, former caddie, and founder of the Boston Golf Club in Hingham, shares a deep commitment to nurturing the game of golf and young players’ passion for it.
The tournament began with the qualifying round on June 30, and the tournament rounds followed from July 2 through July 4.
The AJGA tournament has a history of featuring rising stars in golf, with notable past participants including Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Nelly Korda and Anika Sorenstam, who have gone on to have successful careers at the collegiate and professional levels.
Last year’s tournament field featured 17 past AJGA champions, six college commitments, 12 Massachusetts natives, five 2024 graduates and four countries represented.
This year, June 30 was the qualifier, where nine of 78 boys and girls make the field of the actual tournament that ran from July 2 through July 4.
The 54-hole tournament featured 60 boys and 36 girls. The field also featured 22 past champions and six countries represented.
There were several coaches, mostly Ivy League, that were walking the grounds and recruiting.
This year, the tournament featured playoffs in each the Boys and Girls Divisions. Jack Carew, who shot nine under par, from Newbury and Sofia Lu, who shot four under par, from Rancho Palos Verdes, California, were both winners in extra holes.
It was Carew’s first career AJGA win and Lu’s second career AJGA win.
Chicopee Country Club Golf Director Mike O’ Neill talked about hosting the event again and said everything was “excellent.”
O’Neill also talked about the publicity, popularity and attention this tournament brings to benefit the city, the country club and golf course itself.
He said, “The city benefits a number of ways. First of all, we get to showcase our beautiful golf course to kids and families from across the globe; six different countries were represented in the qualifier and tournament. The majority of these families are staying multiple nights in our hotels and patronizing local restaurants and businesses in our city. Local news stations and papers are on site and interviewing players, families and tournament officials, which is great for our course. Sponsorships help to defer the expenses of this event and when there is a surplus the AJGA will donate half of the funds back to local community.”
The golf course itself has received many accolades over the years and “the golf course is in such great condition and all of parents and kids can’t believe we’re a municipal course of how nice the condition is,” according to O’Neill.
O’Neill credited a team of important key pieces that helped the tournament run smoothly and efficiently including Golf Course Superintendent Michael Bach and his staff, Virginia Robak and her team of nearly 40 volunteers, local sponsors, food concessionaires on site and the AJGA who provide a tournament director and staff of 12 interns.
“It really is a team effort and we have a great one thanks to all mentioned above including the volunteers who give up their time for these juniors to give them the best possible experience in our city of Chicopee,” O’Neill stated.
