International Match Play Event for Top 12-Year-Olds Follows Championship on Historic Pinehurst No. 2
ATLANTA, GA (July 19, 2007) – They’re coming from near and far for the eighth annual U.S. Kids Golf World Championship. The world’s best young golfers are coming to Pinehurst from as near as Cary and Concord and even Pinehurst itself. They’re also coming from as far away as the United Arab Emirates, Bolivia, Malaysia, China, India, theCzech Republic and South Africa to form the largest international field in the history of the tournament – 258 players from 32 countries.
The international contingent will add a distinct flavor to the event that is now the world’s largest golf tournament for kids 12 and under. Tournament officials are estimating 1,175 players – 836 boys and 339 girls – for the Aug. 2-4 championship.
In addition to the international players, there also is plenty of homegrown talent. North Carolina will have 44 players in the field, including Joshua Martin who could ride his bicycle from his house in Pinehurst to the first tee to try and win his fourth straight U.S. Kids Golf World Championship age-group title.
The largest international delegations are from Mexico, which is bringing 43 players; the United Kingdom andCanada, which have 31 players entered; and Colombia and Japan, which have 19 players each. In addition, 12 countries will be represented by five or more players.
"Golf is an international sport, and this tournament provides dramatic evidence of the game’s growing global popularity," said Dan Van Horn, founder and president of U.S. Kids Golf, who moved the tournament to Pinehurst two years ago to increase its attraction to the best players in the world, regardless of their nationality.
If recent history is any indication, the international players and their parents – many of whom will caddie for their sons and daughters – aren’t stamping their passports just to go sightseeing or outlet shopping. They’re here to compete – and win. Of the 60 plaques awarded for the first- through fifth-place finishers in 2006, 19 went to international players, including three for first place.
"As we’re seeing on the men’s and women’s professional tours, international players are some of the game’s very best players," said Van Horn. "When you see the caliber of these kids’ games, you know why."
The U.S. players come from 45 states. With 122 players, Florida has the largest number of entries, followed byCalifornia with 120. Players qualify for the championship by winning their age and gender division titles at state qualifying events held throughout the U.S. and at international qualifiers and through other qualifying criteria.
The tournament, which is returning to the North Carolina Sandhills area for the second year in a row, will be played on the No. 3, 5 and 8 courses at Pinehurst Resort, along with Longleaf Golf & Country Club, Midland Country Club, Mid Pines Golf Club, Little River Golf Resort and Talamore Resort. The courses will be shortened to gender- and age-appropriate lengths between 1,300 and 6,000 yards. Following practice rounds and opening ceremonies on Aug. 1, the three-day stroke play event begins on Aug. 2 in 12 age and gender groups. Rounds are 9 or 18 holes per day, depending on age group. Following the World Championship, the U.S. Kids Golf World Cup will be held on Aug. 5 on Pinehurst No. 2 with the top 12-year-olds from the World Championship squaring off in a U.S. vs. international match-play event.
About U.S. Kids Golf
U.S. Kids Golf is based in Atlanta, Ga., and manufactures equipment, apparel, balls and accessories specially for kids. In addition to more than 4,000 golf shops and retail locations in the U.S., the company’s products also are available in Europe, Canada, the Middle and Far East, South America, Mexico and Australia. Through the Personal Teeâ?¢ Golf Learning Program and its Local Tours, Regional Championships and the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship, U.S. Kids Golf also provides opportunities for instruction and competition. For more information, call 1-888-3 US KIDS or visit the company’s web site at www.uskidsgolf.com.
Contact:
Bill Bryant
Bryant Marketing Communications
2910 Gleneagles Pointe
Alpharetta, Georgia 30005
678-366-3232
bbryant@bryantmarcomm.com
www.bryantmarcomm.com
