The 40th annual Trusted Choice Big “I” Junior Classic,
conducted by the Independent Agents & Brokers of America, will be
held at the Dogwood Course of The Country Club of North Carolina in
Pinehurst Aug. 3-7. The Big “I” welcomes 168 elite junior golfers
ages 13-18 from 42 states to compete in the nation’s largest junior
stroke-play golf tournament.
The tournament returns to the Pinehurst area for the third time in its
long history. It was last held here in 1992, when Tiger Woods won the
Classic at the age of 16. Other past participants include Phil Mickelson,
Bob Tway, Justin Leonard, Charles Howell, David Duval, Craig Stadler,
Fuzzy Zoeller, Cristie Kerr, Candie Kung and Grace Park. This year’s
tournament is being presented by The Tiger Woods Foundation which supports
community-based programs that promote the welfare of America’s children.
The
72-hole event will kick off Sunday, Aug. 3, with player registration
and practice rounds, followed by a pig-pickin’ at the Fair Barn. Tournament
rounds will take place Aug. 4-7, with the awards ceremony to take place
after the final round. A long drive competition will be held Wednesday,
Aug. 6, following initial qualifying during Sunday’s practice rounds.
Among
this year’s top players in the Boys Division is local favorite Jack
Fields of Southern Pines, N.C., who won his high school state championship
in May and finished second at the Scott Robertson Memorial. Also in
the Boys Division is Smylie Kaufman, of Birmingham, Ala., winner of
the United States Golf Association/American Junior Golf Association
Presidents Youth Leadership Award for his organization of Kids vs. Cancer,
an effort to raise funds for cancer research.
“The
Big ‘I’ has such a long tradition and I would love to add my name
to the long list of outstanding past winners like Tiger Woods, Justin
Leonard, and Bob Tway,” said Fields.
This
year’s Girls Division includes defending champion Madeliene Sheils
of Boise, Idaho and Kristen Schelling of Mesa, Ariz, who owns four top-ten
finishes in AJGA tournaments, including a second place finish in the
Midwest Junior Championship in June.
The Big “I”, formerly the Insurance Golf Classic, began in 1969
as a community service project devised by a group of independent insurance
agents. Its goal is to provide young golfers the opportunity to channel
their energies into a positive experience, while competing in a sportsmanlike
atmosphere. Each year more than 2,000 independent agents volunteer their
time and resources to organize and administer the Classic.
For
more information please contact Laura Dark at 252-412-1398 or via email
keith@bigIjuniorclassic.com.