juniorspin
Thompson named official Ambassador for PGA
Junior League Golf
Contact your
local pro about
the PGA Junior
League in your
area. Sign-ups are
going on NOW
across the Gulf
States Section.
Events last through
the summer and
end with team
championship
tournaments.
See page 14 for
facilities near you.
12
[PALM
BEACH
GARDENS, Fla.] – LPGA star
Lexi Thompson was named
an Official Ambassador for
PGA Junior League Golf at
the 63rd PGA Merchandise
Show Outdoor Demo Day
today. The announcement was
made in conjunction with the
kickoff to the PGA of America’s
Centennial celebration and
was televised live on the Golf
Channel’s Morning Drive from
Orange County National Golf
Center in Orlando.
Thompson
joins
Rory
McIlroy, Michelle Wie and
Rickie Fowler as ambassadors for
the youth golf program, owned
and managed by PGA REACH,
the charitable foundation of the
PGA of America, that allows
boys and girls ages 13 and under
to learn and play the game in a
fun, recreational setting.
The
announcement
concluded with Thompson
hosting a clinic for more than
40 boys and girls from Orlandoarea PGA Junior League Golf
teams. The PGA Show Outdoor
Demo Day is the world’s
largest professional golf testing
event. It takes place the day
before the opening of the PGA
Merchandise Show, an industryonly event held Jan. 27-29, at
the Orange County Convention
Center.
PGA Junior League Golf has
experienced exponential growth
over the last three years, with a
nearly 100 percent increase in
participation each year. Last year,
30,000 boys and girls played on
2,500 teams nationwide; 17,500
played on 1,425 teams in 2014;
and 9,000 played on 740 teams
in 2013.
“I’m honored to join
Rickie, Rory and Michelle as
a PGA Junior League Golf
Ambassador,” said Thompson.
“I was so lucky to grow up
playing golf surrounded by
great mentors. Now, I want to
help grow the game for the next
generation of golfers, helping
provide them with all the
opportunities I had.”
In 2007, at only 12 years
old, Thompson became the
youngest female player to qualify
for the U.S. Women’s Open. In
2014, Thompson earned her
first major at the Kraft Nabisco
Championship.
Thompson
hails from a golf family with
two brothers also playing
competitively: Nick, who plays
on the PGA Tour, and Curtis, a
COBRA PUMA GOLF staffer
playing the Web.com tour. She
has also made a name for herself
in the fitness world with features
in Shape Magazine and Self
Magazine, among others.
“We’re thrilled to have
Lexi join a prestigious group
of Official Ambassadors for
PGA Junior League Golf,” said
PGA President Derek Sprague.
“Lexi is undoubtedly a role
model and inspiration to our
future generations of golfers,
and having her on board is a
great way to kick off another
participation record-breaking
year in 2016.”
Through PGA Junior League
Golf, kids learn the game under
the direction and instruction of
PGA/LPGA Professionals who
serve as Team Captains. Much
like other league sports, kids
wear numbered jerseys and play
on teams with their friends.
The primary focus of PGA
Junior League Golf is on the
recreational and developmental
nature of regular season matches,
held during the summer, for
golfers of all abilities. Teams play
9-hole matches in a popular twoperson scramble format, where
Team Captains can substitute
players every three holes so that
all golfers can participate.
Following
the
regular
season, 10-player all-star teams
comprised of a combination
of players in each league are
assembled, who move through
sub-regional
and
regional
championships. Eight regional
champions advance to the
PGA Junior League Golf
Championship—won by Team
California last year at Disney’s
Palm Course at Walt Disney
World Resort in Lake Buena
Vista, Florida.