PINEHURST, N.C. (July 26, 2007) – Bob Burlison used to be a golfer, a pretty good one at that. "Now I’m a driver," jokes the father of Joey, Jack and Jay Burlison of Salinas, Calif., three of the young golfers entered in the eighth annual U.S. Kids Golf World Championship here Aug. 2-4. Parents of the other 1,172 players in the world’s largest golf tournament for kids 12-and-under can relate.
Burlison, an attorney in Monterey, says he and his wife, Joan, will drive their three sons to 45 to 50 golf tournaments this summer. Fortunately, their 17-year-old daughter, Sydney, is now old enough to drive herself to some events, taking a little strain off mom, dad and the family’s Ford Explorer and Chevy Suburban.
"For a golf family, it’s just part of the deal," says Burlison, who will stay home next week to help Sydney get ready for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship while Joan brings the boys to Pinehurst. "We probably give up some meals together, but we probably spend more time together in the car than most families. It’s not the traditional family life, but it works for us."
It’s also working for a number of golfing families. Of the 44 players who have
qualified from North Carolina for the championship, 14 are brothers or sisters of other
players in the field. The sibling acts include twins Jessica and Sarah Spicer of Bahama in
the girls 9 division. "Golf is the thing we do to stay together," says Mike Spicer. "It’s just a
good, clean way of life and a great learning experience for the girls."
Having more than one player in the same tournament does put a strain on families when it comes to deciding caddie assignments. For the Burlisons, Joan is going to caddie for seven-year-old Joey, who is playing in his first World Championship; Bob’s brother-in-law Charlie will come with Joan from Salinas to be on the bag for Jack in the boys 10 division; and family friend Josh Beall is coming from Williamsburg to caddie for Jay, who won last year’s boys 11 championship.
Sarah Spicer has drawn her father as a caddie while grandfather Joe McLaughlin of Charlotte will carry Jessica’s bag for the three-day tournament. And Maria? "She’ll play the role of the nervous mom," Mike Spicer says.
Tournament officials are estimating 1,175 players – 836 boys and 339 girls – for the championship. Players from 45 states and 32 countries have qualified for the event. The tournament, which is returning to the North Carolina Sandhills 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. 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.
** More information regarding the 2007 U.S. Kids Golf World Championship, results
and images from the 2006 Championship are available at www.uskidsgolfmedia.com.
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 (678) 366-3232
bbryant@bryantmarcomm.com
