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About
the Trusted Choice Big "I" Junior Classic
The Trusted Choice Big "I" Junior Classic is sponsored by the Professional Independent
Insurance Agents of Illinois (PIIAI). Youths through age 18 who
will not reach their 19th birthday before August 8, are eligible. Boys and girls participate
in separate divisions. Local tournaments are held throughout the
state during June and qualifiers from these tournaments advance
to the Big "I" Junior Classic State Tournament. An entry fee is charged to state
qualifiers. The golfers who qualify from the state tournament advance
to the National Big "I" Junior Classic. PIIAI pays this registration fee.
The Trusted Choice Big "I" Junior Classic is the second oldest national junior golfing
tournament, ranked only behind the USGA Junior Championship. Since
the Big "I" Junior Classic was created in the late 1960s, junior golf - as well as
the golfing scene overall - has boomed. The Big "I" Junior Classic has become one
of the premier events on the Junior Golf Circuit and is consistently
ranked as one of the top tournaments by the juniors themselves.
The Big "I" Junior Classic is designed to foster good sportsmanship and healthy competition
among junior golfers. These tournaments are sponsored by the Independent
Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA), its affiliated
state and local associations and a select group of property/casualty
insurance companies.
In the local tournaments,
the youngsters play 18 holes. On an average, 10 percent of the local
players advance to the state tournament.
Boys and girls reaching
the state level play 36-holes (two-day play) to determine the qualifiers
who will advance to the National Championship. This year three boys
and one girl will represent Illinois.
Players qualifying for
the National Tournament have played at sites such as Yale Golf Course
in Connecticut, Pinehurst Number 7 in North Carolina, Tournament
Players Course (TPC) at the Woodlands near Houston, Silverado Country
Club in California, and Oak Tree Country Club, Edmond, Oklahoma,
and the White Columns Golf Club in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Also during the week,
golfers participate in the National Junior Long Drive Championship.
The players hit three qualifying drives during the semi-finals to
participate in this event.
At the National Tournament local resident
and country club members have volunteered to be host parents for
the Big "I" Junior Classic players. This dedication is one of the unique features
of the tournament and it provides additional support for the junior
players. |
The Big "I" Junior Classic has watched
many PGA and LPGA golf pros come up through the ranks, but none
so popular as the famed Tiger Woods, who won the IIAJC National
title twice (1990 and 1992). Other notable national winners
are Justin Leonard, Bill Andrade, and Robert Tway.
Big "I" Junior Classic
State Tournament
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