A Sweet 16 at Junior Players: Jim Carthy not ready to give up the reins

Emiliano Grillo won the 2015 Korn Ferry Tour Championship at the TPC Sawgrass Dye's Valley. Jim McCarthy congratulated him on the 18th green. They met in 2010 at Junior Players Championship, when Grillo and Jordan Spieth tied for second place. Junior players from that year included six PGA Tour winners, seven Kn Ferry winners and 16 players who would go on to earn full Pga Tour status. This year's Junior Player's Championship begins on Friday at Players Stadium Course at Tpc Sawdust. It has 10 of the top-20 on American Junior Golf Association Rolex Rankings and 25 players verbally committed to NCAA Division I programs. McCarthy is the only volunteer chairman the Junior Party had ever had.

McCarthy is a native of Vienna, Va., and played football for Bishop O'Connell in Arlington. He majored in Public Administration at George Mason University and worked for the CIA and the Energy Research and Development Administration. McCarthy rose in the ranks of the United States Junior Chamber and eventually became a national vice-president. In 1985 he moved to the First Coast and started a consulting firm. He was tired of Washington D.C. winters and wanted to see what life was like outside the Beltway.

Jim McCarthy was asked to chair an AJGA event at the TPC Sawgrass on Labor Day 2007. He had five weeks to prepare. About 35 people agreed to give up their weekend for the event. There are now 70 Junior Players volunteers. 10 of them have been with McCarthy for more than 16 years. They are dedicated to the cause. The Players Championship executive director Brian Goin knew McCarthy would be good at this. Goins worked with him at Osprey Club and at The players.

Jim McCarthy is a past chairman of The Players Championship. He keeps coming back because of the volunteers, the players and their families. Junior Players get TPC Sawgrass caddies, dress in the PGA Tour players-only locker room, eat in private dining and get practice facilities second to none. They don't have the crowds, media, or TV, but they appreciate the experience. They play at a good pace and they know the rules and etiquette of golf. At the end of week they thank the volunteer. His wife also volunteers at the Junior players. She says that a simple thank you from a player or parent is enough.

Jim McCarthy has been chairing the Junior Players for 16 years. He is hoping for a Junior Player to win the Players Championship. Morgan Hoffmann won the tournament in 2007. He was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy and is now trying to make a comeback. Liz McCarthy is proud of her son's success. She hopes he will continue to lead the event. Jim McCarthy's wife, Liz, is not ready to give up the reins. They hope to see a winner of the Championship in 2021. Justin Thomas is the first Junior Winner to have played in the Tournament.

The American Junior Golf Association invitational has a field of 78 players representing 14 countries and 17 states. Ten of the top-20 players on the AJGA's Rolex Rankings are in the field, as well as 25 players who have either signed or verbally committed to NCAA Division I programs.