Headline: Full Slate of Six Qualifying Sites Announced for the 2017 Massachusetts Junior Amateur Championship

For Immediate Release: January 19, 2017

2017 MGA Junior Amateur Qualifiers at (from top) Amherst GC, Dudley Hill GC & Bayberry Hills

Norton, MA — The road to the 2017 Massachusetts Junior Amateur Championship title will have six paths, as the dates and sites of the third longest tenured MGA Championship Proper were officially announced ahead of the MGA’s February 2nd registration start date for all MGA events.

The announcement was made by Kevin Eldridge, the MGA’s Director of Rules and Competition who oversees the operations of each of the MGA 12 Championships and respective qualifiers.

Ahead of the 99th playing of the 2017 MGA Junior Amateur Championship, being held at Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, Mass., the site of the 2004 US Women’s Open, prospective competitors will need to play in one of six qualifiers across the Bay State with the top players from each site advancing to the Championship Proper.

“We are excited to offer a wide variety of top-quality courses across the state to serve as our qualifiers for the 2017 MGA Junior Amateur Championship,” said Eldridge. “The Bay State has one of the top junior programs in the country and several of the players in this annual tournament often end up competing at the collegiate level. We look forward to what will once again be one of the most competitive events of the MGA season.”

On June 26, Harmon Golf Club (Rockland) will be the first of six venues to host MGA Junior Amateur qualifiers. West Yarmouth’s Bayberry Hills and Dudley Hill GC will host qualifiers on June 28, while Ould Newbury GC will play host on the 29th of June.

Furnace Brook Golf Club and Amherst Golf Club, a short drive away from the site of this year’s three-day tournament, will host the two remaining qualifiers on July 5 and July 6, respectively.

Competitors who have reached their 14th birthday and will not reach their 19th birthday by midnight August 2, 2017 are eligible to play while several top performers from the 2016 Championship may be exempt as a result of their performances in MGA and USGA Championships.

Due to rule changes for the US Junior Amateur Championship, the MGA will also be extending the age limit of this tournament so competitors who are aged 18 are eligible to compete. Previously, only players who were between the age of 14 and 17 were eligible to compete in the event.

The MGA Junior Amateur Championship will be held from July 31-August 2 at Orchards Golf Club while the last day to register for one of the six qualifiers will be Thursday, June 8, 2017 at 5:00 p.m.

For more information on the six qualifiers, visit the 2017 MGA Junior Amateur Championship webpage: /championships/junior/junior.html.