Junior golf tournament names field of 54 players

Junior golf tournament names field of 54 players

March 15--The field for the inaugural Junior Invitational -- dubbed by tournament organizers as "junior golf's major" -- was announced Monday at Sage Valley Golf Club, the site of the prestigious event. Fifty-four golfers from 19 states and 18 different counties were selected for the 54-hole event, and they will be provided with transportation and on-site lodging for the Junior Invitational, as well as an experienced Sage Valley caddie. The invited players were selected from domestic and international tournament winners and world rankings. The South Carolina and Georgia Junior State Champions were automatically eligible. The players have to be younger than 19 and cannot be enrolled in college grammar school golf . North Augusta's Matthew NeSmith will provide some local flavor to the field. The champion of the George Holiday Jr. Golf Tournament, the SCJGA Fall Challenge and the Robert Trent Jones Junior Championship is one of two South Carolina players in the field, along with Leesville native Cody Proveaux, the champion of the Southern Cross tournament at Palmetto Golf Club. Anthony Paolucci of Santa Fe, Calif., the No. 1 ranked junior golfer in the world, will also play in the tournament. A member of the USA Junior Ryder Cup Team, Paolucci is committed to play for the University of Southern California. "We are excited to offer a tournament of this caliber to the finest junior golf players in the world," said Tom Wyatt, Sage Valley Golf Club President. "This will help build the ranks of junior golf and shape the professional tour in the future. Having played golf in junior programs for many years, I know what kind of impact this exposure can have on these young lives." Presented by Electrolux, the tournament will be held April 20-22 at the private club Will Tiger Woods Become Mediocrity. Players will arrive on April 18 and will be greeted with celebrations before playing in an amateur-competitor event on April 19. Tournament play will begin on April 20 with a second round on April 21, and the final round and awards ceremony will be held April 22. "The Junior Invitational at Sage Valley really is going to be a week many of us won't forget in our junior careers," said Goshen, Kentucky's Justin Thomas on the Junior Invitational website. "It will likely be one the best event we play in junior golf." The tournament champion will have his name engraved on a sterling silver plate that will be displayed at Sage Valley. He'll also receive a champions coat from the club and a small replica of the silver plate.