World's Top Juniors Comes to Ponte Vedra in December

On December 19-22, 2011 the world's top junior players will convene at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club for the World Junior Golf Series American Junior Championship. Nearly 80 male and female players from more than 25 countries will battle it out on the resort's famed Ocean Course, home to five US Open qualifying events. The WJGS American Junior is the final event of a five-event series played around the world. 

While the competition will certainly be intense, as important to the WJGS, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation, is its charitable mission: Changing the World Through Junior Golf. The WJGS is dedicated to creating a competitive international arena for talented junior golfers through a series of international competitive golf events. The WJGS goal is to promote not only continuous development of talented athletes, but also citizenship, scholarship, benevolence, competitive spirit and outstanding ethical conduct. The WJGS features two charitable components: one is the evening education series for The Players, during which they will be treated to seminars by local business leaders and coached in skill sets of leadership and citizenship. More globally, proceeds from the American Junior Championship event will be donated to local charities focused on children's programs. The goal of the charitable mission is to not just to shape the lives of the kids who play in the WJGS, but also to help improve the lives of the kids who can't.

To support its charitable mission, WJGS operators expect to raise money through corporate sponsorship of the golf events and the post-round seminars, and inviting the community to participate in its new Junior/Am tournament event on the Ocean Course. This event will be considered an official practice round for The Players. Watching the Junior-Am as well as the actual tournament rounds are free to the public.

"The level of junior competition coming to Ponte Vedra this December will surpass any junior competition the area has ever seen," stated Burnett. "Many of these kids will be playing on professional tours in the not too-distant future. We've never held the Junior/Am before, and we feel giving area players the chance to play with these kids is a unique opportunity -- they'll all have the chance to say, 'I played with that kid when...', and to raise a lot of money doing it."

"We are thrilled to bring the Championship back to the Ocean Course," said Burnett. He added, "It's one of the few courses in the area that feels like a truly international golf course. Between the ocean breezes, the undulating greens and variations in terrain from tee to green, players have to use all the clubs in their bag. We encourage golf fans and golfers of all ages to come watch these kids play some exceptional golf on an exceptional course."

Ponte Vedra Beach hosted the event in 2010 at TPC Sawgrass and in 2009 at the Inn & Club. This year's event represents a bigger, stronger field and a more critical event. The World Junior Golf Series is quickly becoming recognized as a key worldwide junior tour. During the American Junior championships, boys and girls born in 1992 or later will be competing for 54 holes of championship golf on an historic course. The tour hosts four other events, including tournaments in South Africa, Germany, Iceland and Poland. Registration for the American Junior opens on August 26, 2011 and can be accessed via www.wjgs.org.

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