The IMG Junior Golf Tour was developed to fill a key niche in junior golf, the IMG Junior Golf Tour provides an elite setting for junior golfers to compete and gain exposure to college golf, professional golf, national junior rankings and athletic excellence.
Held in Florida every December, and open to boys and girls ages 11-18, the the IMG Academy Junior World Florida Challengeis a qualification and invitation only event featuring an international field of over 200 players.News
New IMGA Junior World Match Play Championships Announced
Inaugural event to be held in Florida December 11-16, 2014
San Diego, Calif. (July 11, 2014) – Today IMG Academy announced it will assume title sponsorship of the Junior World Golf Championships hosted by the San Diego County Junior Golf Association (SDJGA), beginning with the 2015 event. The Championships have been contested since 1968 and have grown into the largest and most prestigious international junior golf tournament series in the world. IMG will also add a match play event to complement the Championships’ long-running stroke play tournament.
“The Junior World Golf Championships and the San Diego County Junior Golf Association have significantly contributed to the development of youth players for more than 40 years,” remarked Gary Pluchino, Vice President, IMG. “With the development of student-athletes also being our core mission at IMG Academy for the past 35 years, we recognized the tremendous opportunity for impact by joining our two organizations in this way.”
The Junior World Golf Championships are a series of 12 individual stroke play tournaments for boys and girls in six age groups (6-under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-17). The total field size exceeds 1200 golfers from more than 56 countries and 42 states. Past champions include: Tiger Woods; Phil Mickelson; Ernie Els; Nick Price; Amy Alcott; and Lorena Ochoa; as well as more than 20 IMG Academy alumni/trainees like David Toms, Mika Miyazato, Emiliano Grillo and Victoria Tanco.
“We are looking forward to this next step in our relationship with IMG Academy as they transition from a presenting to title sponsor of our Championships,” remarked Megan Mahoney, Executive Director of the SDJGA. “It’s exciting to also see this series continue to evolve with the addition of a match play event, creating more opportunities for youth development.” Callaway Golf has held the title sponsorship of the Championships from 2002-2014.
While the stroke play event will retain its roots in San Diego, Calif., the new IMG Academy Junior World Golf Match Play Championship will be played in December in Florida, home to the world-renowned IMG Academy. The IMG Junior Golf Tour-sanctioned event will feature 36 holes of stroke play before an initial field of 297 (Boys 11-12, 13-15, 16-18; Girls 11-14, 15-18) is whittled to a match play contingent who will battle for three days before determining a victor.
Participation in the new match play event is through invitation or qualification via designated events or through standings in the previous Junior World Golf Championship held every July. For match play event details and qualification information, visit: www.imgjuniorgolftour.com. For stroke play information, visit: www.juniorworldgolf.com. To learn more about IMG Academy, visit: www.imgacademy.com.
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion and media operating in more than 30 countries around the world. IMG’s businesses include College, Media, IMG Academy, Events and Federations, Golf, Tennis, Fashion, Models, Clients, Consulting, Licensing, Joint Ventures, and creative management agency Art + Commerce. In 2014, IMG was acquired by WME, the world’s leading entertainment and media agency. Together, the companies offer an unparalleled client roster; world-class partnerships with sponsors, brands and broadcasters; and marquee assets across entertainment, events and fashion.
About San Diego County Junior Golf Association
Respected for pioneering junior golf programs since 1952, the San Diego County Junior Golf Association in 2012 celebrated 60 years of commitment to enriching the lives of youth through the game of golf. With this opportunity to reflect on our long-standing success in positively influencing thousands of young people who have participated in Junior Golf, the Association is forging forward for decades to come.
Junior Golf has helped influence the lives of thousands of San Diegans and many generations of families who credit their early, but lasting Association experience with later success as business and civic leaders, parents, and individual citizens. It is the principles they learned then that continue to influence their lives today.
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Contact: Kim Berard, IMG, 941-752-2621, kim.berard@img.com
