US KIDS GOLF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP AT FIVE EAST LOTHIAN LINKS

NEWS RELEASE

Young golfers from around the world will be competing for honours in the 2013 U.S. Kids Golf European Championship – ensuring Scotland is playing host this summer to both the world’s current and future golfing greats. 

Huge numbers of competitors are expected to travel to Scotland for the four-day tournament, which is held across five historic East Lothian links courses and all of them just a short drive away from Muirfield, venue for The Open Championship 2013. 

Organised by the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation, it is hoped that this year’s U.S. Kids Golf European Championship - Europe’s premier junior tournament – will be the biggest yet.

The competition will see players as young as six years old challenging for the European Champion titles in various age groups, with many of them hotly tipped to be the golfing stars of the future.

The European Championships takes place from May 28-30 on Gullane No. 2, Gullane No. 3, Craigielaw Golf Club, Luffness New Golf Club and Longniddry Golf Club. 
The courses are modified for each age group in order to provide the same level challenge, meaning holes are progressively shorter as the age groups get younger.  It ultimately allows the players to reach the greens in the same number of strokes as the top pros on the PGA tour.

The top finishers in each category will compete in the Van Horn Cup over Gullane No 1 on May 31 – a showpiece event, modelled on the Ryder Cup, where the best European players are matched up against the top golfers from the rest of the world.  

 The top five finishers in each age and gender group also automatically receive an invitation to the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships at Pinehurst Golf Club, North Carolina, in August.