Palm Beach to Host Optimist International Junior Golf Championships

The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships will return to PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens on July 20 through August 4, 2016. This is one of the largest and most prestigious junior golf tournaments in the world, which features boys and girls competing in a variety of age groups.  Over 750 golfers from more than 30 different nations will travel to Palm Beach County to participate.

The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships has taken place in Palm Beach County for 13 consecutive years.  Boys and girls from 10 to 13 will compete from July 20-25.  Boys and girls between the ages of 13-15 will compete from July 25-30 and boys and girls between the ages of 15-18 will compete from July 30-August 4.

No other junior golf tournament quite compares to that of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships, which focuses on fair competition and cultural understanding among youth. This unique tournament offers as broad a field and expanded age groups as any other in its class.

Since 1978, Optimist-sponsored golf tournaments have served as a springboard for many of golf’s greatest players. Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Michelle McGann and Nancy Lopez are just a few of today’s elite players who found their humble beginnings with the Optimists.

Optimists have been involved in the sport of junior golf for more than 30 years by holding local, regional and international tournaments. More than 5,000 golfers compete in official Optimist District qualifying tournaments. The best of these golfers, along with international golfers from around the globe, advance to the annual Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.

This is one of the largest tourism drivers for the summer.   The 2016 Optimist International Junior Golf Championships is expected to generate over $2 million of total economic impact for Palm Beach County in addition to nearly 4,000 hotel room nights.  There is no other junior golf tournament in the world that stimulates bed tax revenues and direct spending over a two-week stretch, such as the Optimist’s premier event.