Circling Back / AJGA event returning to Otter Creek for ninth consecutive year

Golfers check in before teeing off during the final round of the AJGA Circle K Junior Championship at Otter Creek Golf Course on Thursday June 2, 2020 in Columbus. Mike Wolanin | The Republic

Although the field will be smaller than normal again this year, the 2021 Circle K Junior Championship Hosted By Otter Creek could have one of the best player pools in the tournament’s nine-year history.

Several of the nation’s top juniors from around the country are entered in this year’s American Junior Golf Association event, which will take place June 29 to July 1.

“It’s a pretty good field for sure,” AJGA Midwest Regional Director Ryan Flanagan said. “There are some young players that haven’t had an opportunity to play that are getting their chance. We may see the next Drew Doyle. There are a lot of strong players.”

Doyle, the two-time defending boys champion from Louisville, has moved on to college golf at LSU. Natalie Cao of Sugar Land, Texas, last year’s girls winner, also has graduated from high school and will not return to Otter Creek this summer.

One player who will be there is Elizabeth Beek of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Beek is ranked No. 66 in the AJGA girls point standings.

“Even these golfers who aren’t ranked in the top 100 are just amazing golfers, and they’re just awesome kids to be around,” AJGA tournament director Sadie Gruntmeir said.

Gruntmeir is in her first year with the AJGA, and this will be the second tournament she will administer.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people in our office who have said it’s a great event,” Gruntmeir said. “It’s one of our longest-running tournaments on our schedule. They have a great committee. It has a lot of community support. I’m excited about going to experience it.”

Like last year’s tournament at Otter Creek, this event will have a reduced field size because of COVID concerns. The tournament, which normally consists of 144 golfers, will be capped at 78.

“We’re OK with that,” PGA tournament chairman John Fairbanks said. “It gives us an opportunity to get all the kids off in the morning. Basically after 12:30 or 1 p.m., the golf course goes back to the Otter Creek professional staff, so they can generate some revenue in the afternoon, which they haven’t done in the past.”

As of this weekend, 58 players — 33 boys and 25 girls — were entered. The boys field includes Luke Schneider, who just finished his junior season at Columbus North.

The list eventually will grow to 66 total players. Then, four sponsor exemptions will be added, and 80 kids will play for eight spots in a qualifier the morning of June 27.

A Junior-Am event with players and sponsors will take place the morning of June 28.

“We’re pretty excited about that,” Fairbanks said. “That’s something that we were not able to do in ’20 that we are able to do in ’21. We’re still following some of the COVID protocols from last year. We were fortunate last year that we were able to have an event at all. We did no fundraising, which was fine with the AJGA.”

Circle K remains the title sponsor, and Boys and Girls Club-Foundation For Youth is the primary local charitable partner. Achieving Competitive Excellece (ACE) Grant also will be a beneficiary this year.

“That offers young men and women the chance to play in AGJA Tournaments around the country when they may not have the financial opportunity to do that,” Fairbanks said.

Fairbanks is hoping next year, the tournament’s 10th in a row in Columbus, the field can return to its full capacity.

“We want to get back to the size that we’ve had in the past,” Fairbanks said. “We’re excited to get back to a point where we can raise money and play golf on a great golf course. We’re very fortunate that we have a golf course that can host something this big and a title sponsor in Circle K that has the resources to make this a big event.”