A golfer shields himself from the rain as he leaves the practice area to head to the clubhouse as the final round of the 2021 Circle K Junior Championship Hosted By Otter Creek is canceled due to the weather in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 1, 2021.
The Republic file photo
As local organizers prepare for this year’s Circle K Junior Championship hosted by Otter Creek, they are receiving a high honor for their work with last year’s event.
The local tournament has been named the American Junior Golf Association’s 2021 Open Tournament of the Year. The honor recognizes the overall tournament experience from hospitality, volunteers and sponsor involvement to the impact on the community and more.
“Being honored with the 2021 Open Tournament of the Year award is the culmination of great work and coordination with the City of Columbus, Otter Creek staff, tournament committee, volunteers and sponsors,” tournament chairman John Fairbanks said in a news release. “We affectionately call collaborations like this ‘The Columbus Way.’”
The Tournament of the Year award was the second major AJGA award in the past four years for the Columbus event. It was recognized with the Game Changer Award in 2018.
After coming on as the Title Sponsor in 2018, Circle K made an immediate impact, helping to raise more than $70,000 in tournament contributions. The tournament raised more than $115,000 in tournament contributions in 2021 alone.
“Because of Circle K’s willingness to commit time, financial resources and to require excellence of everyone involved, we are now privileged to be named among the elite junior golf tournaments in the country,” Fairbanks said.
The Circle K Junior Championship hosted by Otter Creek provides a platform for AJGA juniors to serve as role models for the next generation. Fairbanks finds the most joy in the annual junior clinic the tournament puts on for kids in the Foundation for Youth and local Boys & Girls Club chapter.
“The excitement in their faces as they walk out to the practice tee and see up close what golf is all about is priceless,” Fairbanks said.
This year’s tournament is scheduled for June 28-30 at Otter Creek. Camden Smith of Windermere, Florida, and Charlene Chung of Hong Kong were the winners in last year’s event, which was shortened to 36 holes because of rain.
