CJGA Included on CN Future Links Order of Merit

Markham, ON (April 7, 2008) – Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) competitors will have an opportunity to improve their ranking on the Royal Canadian Golf Association’s (RCGA) CN Future Links Order of Merit as it was announced today that the CJGA will have six events ranked for junior boys and six events ranked for junior girls in 2008.

“Inclusion on the CN Future Links Order of Merit is a significant benefit of competing in these CJGA events,” said Earl Fritz, Executive Director of the CJGA.  “As our future golfing superstars pave their way, achieving additional national recognition will only help in giving them confidence in their own abilities as well as a tool to measure themselves against the rest of Canada.”

“We are pleased to recognize six CJGA events per. gender on the CN FL Junior Orders of Merit,” said Ian Giles, Chair of the CN Future Links Advisory Committee. “The events align nicely with golf’s Long Term Player Development (LTPD) framework and the Competitive Pathway for junior boys and girls in Canada."

With the exception of the Ping Canadian Junior Match Play Championship and Mizuno CJGA National Golf Championship, all ranked events will be filled on a first come, first serve basis.  Registration for all events is currently open.

Ranked Events For Boys and Girls

Nike Golf Junior Series / Stephen Ames Cup Qualifier
June 7 – 8
Le Challenger G.C.
St. Laurent, Que.

CJGA Big Chief Beef Jerky Alberta Junior Championship
July 28 – 29
River’s Edge G.C.
Okotoks, Alta.

Mizuno CJGA National Golf Championship
August 18 – 21
National Pines G.C.
Innisfil, Ont.

Euro Junior Golf Cup Qualifier / Lipton Brisk Canada Cup Team West Qualifier
May 31 – June 1
Tor Hill G.C.
Regina, Sask.

CJGA Mizuno Western Canadian Junior Championship
July 14 – 16
Golden Eagle G.C.
Pitt Meadows, B.C.

Nike Golf Junior Series / Stephen Ames Cup Qualifier
April 26 – 27
Morgan Creek G.C.
Pitt Meadows, B.C.

CJGA Junior Worlds Qualifier / East Aurora International Junior Masters Qualifier
May 3 – 4
Black Bear Ridge G.C.
Belleville, Ont.

Ping Canadian Junior Match Play Championship
July 7 – 10
St. Andrew’s Valley G.C.
Aurora, Ont.

ABOUT CN FUTURE LINKS
CN Future Links is Canada’s national junior golf program conducted by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA), the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association (CPGA) and Canada’s provincial golf associations. The program is designed to forge a link between Canada’s youth and golf to ensure the future of the game in Canada. Since its inception in 1996, more than 634,000 young Canadians have taken part in Future Links.  For more information about CN Future Links, please visit www.future-links.org.

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1,600 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, the RCGA’s mission is to grow participation in and passion for the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. The RCGA conducts programs and services to help shape the future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, Rules of Golf and amateur status, handicapping and course rating, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum and CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program, are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. In addition, the RCGA conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships showcase the best in Canadian golf.  For further information on what the RCGA is doing to support golf in your community please visit www.rcga.org.   

About the CPGA
Established in 1911, the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association is a non-profit association comprised of approximately 3,500 golf professionals across the country with a mandate to promote and advance the game of golf, serving the needs of both its membership and the golf public through professional and junior golf development programs and high-calibre competitive events. The National Office is located in Acton, Ontario with nine Zone Offices across the country. For more information, visit www.cpga.com  

ABOUT THE CJGA
Registered federally as a not-for-profit association, the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) is dedicated to providing Canada's junior golfers with the necessary skills and knowledge required to lay a foundation for a future in competitive golf. Through its six-stage competitive development program that focuses on tournaments, clinics, international competitions, and mentoring programs with PGA Tour professionals, the CJGA introduces the game to juniors as young as five and offers competitive multi-day events for the more advanced golfer.  The CJGA acts as a feeder system to provincial and national competitions, collegiate and university golf, as well as professional and recreational golf. For more information please visit www.cjga.com.

The Canadian Junior Golf Association is generously supported by its National Founding Partners, HSBC Bank Canada and LEXUS.

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For Additional Information:
Rick Betts
Director, Media Relations and Communications
Canadian Junior Golf Association
1.877.508.1069 Ext. 233
rick.betts@cjga.com

Dan Pino
Director, Media and Public Relations
Royal Canadian Golf Association
Office: 1-800-263-0009 ext. 406
Mobile: (416) 434-5525
Email: dpino@rcga.org