March 12, 2008–Las Vegas golf marketing man Kris Strauss, from OB Sports, operators of several Las Vegas golf courses, has been honored by the American Junior Golf Association for his work in securing media and exposure for several of the organization's events, including the Las Vegas Founders Junior Am played at Las Vegas' Angel Park Golf Club, home of two 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed Las Vegas golf courses, the Mountain and the Palm. He was honored by the American Junior Golf Association at its Annual Meeting with the 2007 “Media Leader Award”. The Media Leader award is typically given to the tournament or media chairperson that receives exceptional media coverage and publicity for the AJGA event, the host course, sponsors and participants.
Each year during the Annual Meeting’s Digger Smith Awards Banquet – named after AJGA Chairman of the Board Jordan R. “Digger” Smith – the AJGA presents awards to the tournaments with the best media coverage, junior-am fundraising tournament, volunteer support base and hospitality. At this time the Association also recognizes its golf professional of the year, new tournament of the year, and overall tournament of the year (the latter of which was actually awarded to the OB Sports-managed Dalhousie Golf Club). Photo: OB Sports principal and current AJGA board member, C.A. Roberts (left) with OB Sports, Director of Marketing, Kris Strauss (right).
Strauss serves as the media liaison between OB Sports Golf Management, the AJGA and the OB Sports managed courses that host AJGA Tournaments. In 2007, OB Sports-managed facilities hosted the ReBath Heather Farr Classic at Longbow Golf Club, the Dalhousie Junior Championship at Dalhousie Golf Club (that was also honored as Tournament of the Year) and the AJGA Las Vegas Junior at Angel Park Golf Club. In 2008, the AJGA will also return to Horseshoe Bend Country Club in Roswell, Georgia with the Horseshoe Bend Junior Classic.
“Kris has done an exceptional job working with both the AJGA and the teams at each of our respective golf courses to enhance media coverage of the courses and the AJGA itself” stated C.A. Roberts, principal with OB Sports and also a current AJGA Board member. “His skills are a true asset to any marketing and PR endeavor,” added Roberts.
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA’s second Premier Partner.