Nationwide Tour Offers Exemption to 2010 Junior Players Champion
Junior PLAYERS Champion to earn exemption into Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open Presented by Planters

BRASELTON, Ga. – The 2010 Junior PLAYERS Champion will receive an exemption into the inaugural Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open Presented by Planters, the American Junior Golf Association announced Thursday. A Nationwide Tour event, the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open Presented by Planters will be played on the Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass, Oct. 18-24.

The fourth annual Junior PLAYERS Championship is slated for September 2-5, and will once again be played to the course specifications of The PLAYERS Championship.  With the addition of the exemption for the victor, The 2010 Junior PLAYERS Championship trophy will be more highly coveted than ever.

“This is very exciting news for our boys’ membership and an absolute thrill for the one who earns the chance to play in a Nationwide Tour event at TPC Sawgrass,” said AJGA Executive Director Stephen Hamblin.

The Nationwide Tour, which will conduct 30 events in 2010, will make its first stop in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., for the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by Planters. The event, being held on the Dye’s Valley course at TPC Sawgrass, will showcase the future stars of the PGA TOUR, including one current AJGA member.

“We are extremely proud to offer the AJGA and the Junior PLAYERS this sought after exemption,” said Bill Hughes, General Manager of TPC Sawgrass. “We look forward to the winner of the Junior PLAYERS Championship representing the AJGA and the world of competitive junior golf with honor, pride and competitive spirit.”

The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and 30 countries. To ensure scholarship opportunities for all junior golfers who have the skill, the AJGA created the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program to provide financial assistance to young players in need.

Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA’s second Premier Partner.

AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 400 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.    

For more information, please contact Ashley O’Dell (aodell@ajga.org) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1787.