Tour Preview for November 12-13: Major Championship at Port Royal Golf Club

 First Major Championship at Port Royal Golf Club

IJGT Partnering with Bunkers in Baghdad to Donate for Troops 

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The top junior golfers in the nation will travel to Port Royal Golf Club at Hilton Head Island, S.C. for the International Junior Golf Tour's (IJGT) first Major Championship Event of the fall season. On November 12-13, 2011, the juniors will be playing the Planter’s Row Course in a shotgun start event that will be an enormous challenge for all the competitors.

Members competing in this Major Championship will receive double merit points towards the Tour Rankings, which increases opportunities to qualify for other Invitational Events and Junior Amateur Events. The top 15 finishers will also receive an invitation to the Tournament of Champions at Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, Fla. It will be an electrifying weekend as the juniors battle it out on a demanding course, looking to improve their spot in the rankings.

Recently, the IJGT partnered with Bunkers in Baghdad to collect new and used golf balls to send to U.S. troops abroad.  To date, Bunkers in Baghdad has sent over 2.4 million balls and 50,000 clubs to soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and 11 other countries as well as wounded warriors in all 50 states. Bridgestone Golf, the No.1 ball fitter in golf and official IJGT partner, will donate a dozen new golf balls for every 100 collected. Participants, families and spectators are encouraged to donate golf balls during the event.  As of this posting, IJGT has collected over 1200 golf balls on behalf of this cause.

Nestled along the Atlantic coastline, Port Royal Golf Club is named one of the "Top 75 U.S. Golf Resorts" by Golf Digest Magazine. Planter’s Row, the course in which the juniors will be playing this weekend, was built in 1984. It has played host to the Hilton Head Seniors International Golf Tournament, a former senior PGA Tournament Event. This course offers a different look from its sister courses, with water on 10 of the 18 holes. The narrow, tree-lined fairways lead up to small, undulating greens. Planter’s Row will be a great challenge for the entire field and a perfect venue for the IJGT's first Major Championship.

The IJGT is looking forward to having a talented field at Port Royal Golf Club. In the Boys 15-19 Division, the limelight will be on Poom Pattaropong of Bangkok, Thailand. Pattaropong has three top ten finishes this season on tour and is coming off a 12^thplace finish at Oyster Reef two weeks ago. He will be focused and determined to capture his first victory this season.

Christian Thornton of Chicago, Ill. is looking to continue his outstanding play this fall in the Boys U-14 Division. Thornton has claimed one victory at Hilton Head National, followed by three other top-ten finishes. With Port Royal being a Major Championship you can guarantee that Thornton will come prepared to compete for the title. IJGT will also be looking forward in viewing the performance of local-competitor Jack Foyle from Hilton Head Island, S.C. This will be Foyle's first event this season and he will be striving to make a name for himself on the tour. 

In the Girls Division, Luiza Altmann of Sao Paulo, Brazil will be looking to claim her first title of the season after having four top-ten finishes, including a second place finish at Hilton Head National. This season’s stand out will also be playing in the Girls Division, Ayaka Nakayama of Kanagawa, Japan. Nakayama has a total of four Championships already this fall and she will be coming off a victory from last weekend at Oyster Reef.

The first round of play will begin at 8:30 am on Saturday, November 12, and the second round on Sunday, November 13. The trophy presentations will follow the final round, recognizing the tournament champions.  Competitors will be split into three divisions making up the Boys 15-19, Boys U-14, and Girls Divisions. This Major Championship Event will be a shotgun start and will be nationally ranked by AJGA, Golfweek, and Junior Golf Scoreboard. 

To register for this event or any others, please visit www.IJGT.com  or call (800) 792-9143.

About the IJGT

The IJGT provides exceptional junior golfers with the opportunity to develop and showcase their competitive skills while setting high standards to preserve the traditions and integrity of the game.  As a tour that operates primarily throughout the academic year, the IJGT hosts approximately 60 tournaments annually. In addition, the IJGT hosts three international events.   Each event provides multi-day competition for junior golfers of all skill levels ages 9-19.

Players representing 45 states and 43 countries around the world regularly compete in events at venues such as TPC Sawgrass, Pinehurst, Bethpage State Park, and Harbour Town Golf Links. Official partners of the IJGT include Bridgestone Golf, Quagmire Golf, BMW of North America, The First Tee, Golf Digest/Golf World, and Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy.

IJGT Alumni include Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan from the PGA Tour as well as Paula Creamer, Song Hee Kim, and In-Kyung Kim from the LPGA Tour.

To obtain more information about the IJGT, please visit www.IJGT.com  or call (800) 792-9143.