HOOVER, AL (May 14, 2024) – The Alabama Golf Association (AGA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Karl Yergey as the Manager of Junior Golf and Tournaments. Yergey, a Columbia, Maryland native, will support junior golf efforts of the AGA and Junior Golf Alabama. He will assist with the day-to-day operations of the Junior Golf Department, manage relationships between the AGA and allied junior golf organizations, assist with administering Junior Golf Alabama events, AGA championships, USGA qualifiers, and develop future one-day tournament and Interclub programs.
From 2003-2023, Yergey was a high school teacher and golf coach in Hagerstown, Maryland. After serving as a six-month USGA P.J. Boatwright Intern for the AGA in 2023, Yergey joined the Maryland State Golf Association (MSGA) as the Manager of Championships and Events.
"I am excited to return to the Alabama Golf Association to take a full-time position as 'Manager of Junior Golf and Tournaments' after my six-month Boatwright Internship in 2023,” said Yergey. “I am looking forward to applying what I learned last year and in a previous position in Maryland to my work with the outstanding staff and interns at the AGA as well as the opportunity to support our players and volunteers in Alabama."
Yergey graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in history and obtained his Master’s degree in European History from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Karl back to the AGA team after interning with us last year to further elevate our junior golf program while exploring additional playing opportunities for the entire membership,” stated Andy Priest, AGA Executive Director. “His 30+ years of teaching experience working with young people and their parents plus his outgoing personality makes him the perfect addition to our growing junior golf department. Karl is a shining example of the tremendous career opportunities that the USGA P.J. Boatwright Internship Program provides within the golf industry and becomes the sixth member of our staff that is an alumni of the program.”
Yergey began his position with the AGA on May 8, 2024.
About the Alabama Golf Association (AGA)
The Alabama Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1915 whose mission is to serve and promote amateur golf in Alabama. AGA membership consists of 120 member clubs represented by over 28,000 individuals. The activities and services of the Alabama Golf Association are governed by a Board of Directors consisting of Alabama golfers who wish to serve the game and the association through service. A full-time professional staff of seven individuals handles day-to-day activities.
Based in Hoover, the AGA is the USGA's Allied Golf Association in Alabama conducting national championship qualifying, administering the World Handicap System including the GHIN Handicap service, course & slope rating, and Rules of Golf & Handicapping education. The AGA annually conducts 24 championships; team match competitions for men, women, junior and seniors; AHSAA high school golf championship and the SEC Men's Golf Championship. The AGA manages the Junior Golf Alabama program that is a joint venture between the AGA and Alabama-NW Florida PGA Section.
In addition to competitions, the AGA administers the AGA Scholarship Fund through the Alabama Golf Foundation that is dedicated to assisting young golfers in higher education. Additionally, the Alabama Golf Foundation supports the Youth on Course Alabama program providing facility access to junior golfers and provides funding for the Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation. In 2016, the AGA earned the Gold Tee Award for “Outstanding Tournament Operations – Small Association” by the International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA).
Since 1980, the AGA has managed the affairs of the Southern Golf Association which includes conducting the historic Southern Amateur Championship and Southern Junior Championship, in conjunction with the SGA Board of Directors. AGA staff also administers day-to-day operations of the Elite Amateur Golf Series. For more information about the Alabama Golf Association, visit www.alabamagolf.org.
Media Contact:
Mikayla King
Manager of Media, Marketing & Communications
Alabama Golf Association
205-803-6524
mikayla@alabamagolf.org
