The Payne Stewart Family Foundation will co-sponsor the Bass Pro Shops/Payne Stewart Junior Championship to be held Aug. 6-9, the American Junior Golf Association announced. The event will be held at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, Mo.
“We are very excited about paying tribute to my husband by co-sponsoring this AJGA event in his hometown of Springfield,” said Tracey Stewart. “My husband’s goal in his professional career was not just to win, but also to be a positive role model. For Payne, that translated into caring for others. The AJGA instills the same values in its members that Payne did with everyone he was associated with.”
Payne Stewart was an 11-time winner on the PGA Tour, including three major championships (1989 PGA Championship, 1991 U.S. Open and the 1999 U.S. Open). He grew up in Springfield, Mo., and Bass Pro Shops, the co-sponsor of the event, was one of his first sponsors when we joined the TOUR. He was well known for his sportsmanship, integrity and generosity.
“The AJGA is honored to pay tribute to such a wonderful ambassador to the game of golf,” says Etzen, AJGA executive vice president of corporate partnerships. “This tournament will not only provide a playing opportunity to our members, but also teach them about the life of Payne Stewart and what he stood for.”
The 99-player, 54-hole event will feature the nation’s top junior boys and girls, ages 12-18. The first round will be held Tuesday, Aug. 7, with the second and final rounds being played Wednesday, Aug. 8 and Thursday, Aug. 9, respectively.
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, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of more than 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and 30 foreign countries.
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 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. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.
For more information, please contact Tonya Oskarson (toskarson@ajga.org) in the AJGA Sponsorship Department at 678-425-1743 or visit the AJGA Web site at ajga.org.
