THE FIRST TEE PARTICIPANTS BECOME MEDIA AS PART OF
PGA TOUR’S JUNIOR COURSE REPORTER PROGRAM

Young Golfers Selected to “Cover” PGA TOUR Tournaments in Their Chapter Areas

St. Augustine, Fla. (February 11, 2010) – Participants from The First Tee Chapters will be selected to cover PGA TOUR and Champions Tour events during the 2010 season.  Three participants of The First Tee from each tournament location will be selected and given the opportunity to blog from the tournament for www.PGATOUR.com.  The First Tee Junior Course Reporters will be reporting next from the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Feb. 15 through 21.

Chosen participants will receive official media credentials for the tournaments and report via blog.  They will enjoy unique, inside-the-ropes experiences including meeting and interviewing players, sponsors, caddies and other celebrity guests, touring the host site’s clubhouse and locker rooms, sitting in on player press conferences and media interviews, and visiting GOLF CHANNEL and SHOTlink trucks on site.

“Partnering with the PGA TOUR on The Junior Course Reporter Program gives The First Tee participants a special opportunity, allowing them to be part of an exclusive aspect of the game – the reporting side,” said Kelly Martin, Executive Director of The First Tee.  “The program is another avenue for The First Tee, with support from the PGA TOUR, to educate young people about career development and give them chances to reach beyond what they’ve already experienced.”

As part of the PGA TOUR’s partnership with The First Tee, the PGA TOUR Junior Course Reporter Program supports the PGA TOUR’s charitable mission, “Together, anything’s possible.”  Junior Course Reporters are selected based on pre-established criteria including an essay contest, a recognition program based on participants’ understanding and demonstration of The First Tee’s Nine Core Values, community service work and an interest in journalism and golf.

 Junior Course Reporters will be selected for upcoming tournaments including the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, THE PLAYERS Championship, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, The Barclays, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
 
About The First Tee
 The First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org) is an initiative of the World Golf Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in St. Augustine, FL at World Golf Village, home of the World Golf Hall of Fame.  Its mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.  Since its inception in 1997, The First Tee has introduced the game of golf and its values to more than 3.5 million participants in 50 states, 3,400 elementary schools and four international locations - Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Singapore.  Former President George H. W. Bush serves as honorary chairman.  The First Tee Founding Partners are LPGA, the Masters Tournament, PGA of America, PGA TOUR and the USGA.

About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour.

The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.

In 2010, the three Tours collectively have tournaments in 34 states and in 12 countries outside of the U.S. PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 600 million households in 231 countries and 30 languages.

Virtually all tournaments are organized as nonprofit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2009, tournaments on the three Tours generated nearly $109 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR’s all-time total of charitable contributions to nearly $1.5 billion.   

The PGA TOUR’s website is www.PGATOUR.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the company is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

Media Contacts:

Marc Raiken
PGA TOUR
904-543-5112
marcraiken@pgatourhq.com