CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine — More than 100 of the nation’s top junior golfers have gathered at the Sugarloaf Golf Club to compete in this week’s American Junior Golf Association Coca-Cola Junior Championship.
Among this year’s field of athletes are six players from Maine, led by 2018 Maine Amateur runner-up Cole Anderson of Camden.
The 17-year-old Anderson, a rising senior at Camden Hill Regional High School in Rockport, is no rookie when it comes to the Sugarloaf Golf Club or AJGA Coca-Cola Championship, having won this event last year.
Players got a first look at the course during Monday’s sanctioned practice round, with competition kicking off at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
The AJGA Coca-Cola Junior Championship is a 54-hole, stroke-play event spanning four days with three rounds of competitive play. The tournament field is comprised of more than 125 male and female competitors ages 12-18, hailing from 24 different states and 10 countries.
The tournament field will be cut to a minimum of 50 percent following the second round.
The marks the sixth straight year the Sugarloaf Golf Club has hosted an AJGA event.
“Each year I am blown away by the caliber, commitment, and passion these young players have for the sport,” Sugarloaf head golf pro Zach Zondolo said. “We’re excited to once again bring these junior golfers and their families to Sugarloaf and look forward to the next three days of competition.”
Also representing Maine in this year’s tournament will be Anthony Burnham of Scarborough, Tom Higgins of South Portland, Caleb Manuel of Topsham, Jeremy Baker of Portland and Austin Legge of Cape Elizabeth.
The AJGA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.
Many of the top golfers on the PGA and LPGA tours are former AJGA members, including Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson and Davis Love III.
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