Invited Announces Sponsorship of PGA TOUR Professional Austin Connelly
DALLAS - Invited – The World Leader in Private Clubs® (NYSE: MYCC) – today officially announced a sponsorship with rising star Austin Connelly, playing in his first year as a professional and competing in this weekend’s John Deere Classic on the PGA TOUR. Connelly, just 19 years old, learned the game as a junior golfer at Hackberry Creek Country Club, a member of the Invited family of clubs.
The player sponsorship is a first for Invited, which owns and operates almost 160 golf and country clubs and many business clubs across the country. Invited clubs offers a variety of junior golf programs – clinics, lessons, team and individual tournaments, and activities – designed to make learning the game of golf fun, help juniors achieve success as golfers and instill lessons that go beyond the course.
“We are excited to sponsor Austin as he begins his career as a professional golfer,” said Eric Affeldt, Invited CEO. “As a junior golfer at Hackberry Creek, Austin not only showed his incredible talent but a commitment and respect for the game of golf – values that our clubs strive to teach all young players when they are first learning the sport. We are proud that Austin will represent Invited and those same values as he rises through the ranks of professional golf.”
A dual American-Canadian citizen, Connelly has spent much of the 2016 season playing the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada events where he competed in seven events with two top-10 finishes. This year he also played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Valspar Championship. Before turning professional in 2016, Connelly was ranked as high as fourth in the World Amateur Golf rankings and won the prestigious Jones Cup Invitational in 2015. As a junior golfer, Connelly was one of 12 players on Team USA at the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup in Scotland which resulted in the fourth consecutive win by the Americans.
“I learned so much through the golf programs offered at Hackberry Creek and playing in the many Invited golf tournaments held in the Dallas area,” said Connelly. “I am proud to represent Invited now that I am playing professionally and thankful for their support as I continue into the next phase of my golf career.”
About Invited (NYSE: MYCC)
Since its founding in 1957, Dallas-based Invited has operated with the central purpose of Building Relationships and Enriching Lives®. Invited is a leading owner-operator of private golf and country clubs and private business clubs in North America. Invited owns or operates a portfolio of over 200 golf and country clubs, business clubs, sports clubs, and alumni clubs in 26 states, the District of Columbia and two foreign countries that serve over 430,000 members, with approximately 20,000 peak-season employees. Invited Holdings, Inc. is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MYCC). Invited properties include: Firestone Country Club (Akron, Ohio); Mission Hills Country Club (Rancho Mirage, California); The Woodlands Country Club (The Woodlands, Texas); Capital Club Beijing; and Metropolitan Club Chicago. You can find Invited on Facebook at facebook.com/Invited and on Twitter at @Invited.
About Invited
Since its founding in 1957, Dallas-based Invited has operated with the central purpose of Building Relationships and Enriching Lives®. The leading owner-operator of private golf and country clubs, city and stadium clubs in North America, Invited is relentless in its pursuit of providing extraordinary experiences, meaningful connections, shared passions and memorable moments for its more than 430,000 members. With approximately 20,000 peak-season employees and a portfolio of over 200 owned or operated golf and country clubs, city clubs, sports clubs, and stadium clubs in 27 states, the District of Columbia and two foreign countries, Invited creates communities and a lifestyle through its championship golf courses, work spaces, handcrafted cuisine, resort-style pools, tennis facilities, golf lounges, fitness centers and robust programming.
Invited properties include: Firestone Country Club (Akron, Ohio); Mission Hills Country Club (Rancho Mirage, California); The Woodlands Country Club (The Woodlands, Texas); and The Metropolitan in Chicago. You can find Invited on Facebook at facebook.com/Invited and on Twitter at @InvitedClubs.