The U.S. Virgin Islands will host top junior golfers from around the world for the final event of the Teens On The Green World Championship Series this fall. Participating teens and adults will tee off in separate contests at the Robert Trent Jones, Sr.-designed Carambola Golf Course on St. Croix, November 26-30. The USVI Department of Tourism is the title sponsor of the event.
“We are very excited to host the finale of the Teens On The Green World Championship Series. It is a great opportunity to showcase our premiere golf courses,” said Commissioner of Tourism Pamela C. Richards.
Teens On The Green (TOG) provides top minority junior players ages 10-17 (up to a senior in high school) with quality lessons and playing time at upscale resorts and golf courses. Participating junior players are among the best in the world. The players come from the Caribbean, the U.S., Latin America, Japan, Korea, Europe, Africa, Australia and other parts of the world. Each program member has a handicap of 12 or lower and a C+ or better academic average. As an added incentive to excel, TOG members can earn a scholarship to college (for many, the college of their choice) upon successful completion of the program.
The Teens On The Green World Championship series provides a new opportunity for young golfers. The series is the first “ranked” televised junior golf event and series in the history of the sport. Official ranking points are essential for juniors to attract the attention of college golf coaches. The seven-tournament series is ranked by the “Junior Golf Scoreboard,” NMJGSF “Golf Week,” and Titleist and sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union. The event will be televised on the Golf Channel, the “Tropical Beat” program on BET on Jazz, on a Hispanic network in the U.S. and around the world. The U.S. Virgin Islands broadcast also will be seen throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
Twenty-five of the top junior golfers will win a trip to St. Croix to participate in the final tournament at Carambola Golf Course. The adult tournament will be held on November 26 and 27, preceding the televised junior tournament. (Excerpts of the adult tournament also will be televised.) When not watching the junior tournament, adults will have the opportunity to enjoy many activities that the islands offer, such as deep sea fishing, diving, hiking, sight seeing, shopping, beach lounging or more golf on St. Croix or St. Thomas. With the junior competition beginning on Thanksgiving Day (November 28) and continuing through November 30, both adults and juniors will have the opportunity to feast on Caribbean Thanksgiving cuisine.
For more information about Teens On The Green, call (305) 273-8925 or go to www.teensonthegreen.com. For additional information about the United States Virgin Islands, call 800-372-USVI (8784), visit www.usvitourism.vi or contact the nearest USVI Department of Tourism regional office in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington, D.C. or Toronto.
——-