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

Sponsored by:
Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois

July 16 - 17, 2008
at Lick Creek Golf Course in
Pekin, Illinois