IMG academies creates Leadbetter Junior Tour

BRADENTON, Fla. – IMG Academies announced Monday the creation of the Leadbetter Junior Golf Tour. The tour will debut Aug. 13-15 at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, Fla., and will feature 20 stops in its first season. Each Tour event will span three days (Friday-Sunday), and most will be stroke play competition. The tour will be independently operated by IMG Academies.

“We designed this tour to help the growing demand within the junior golf community for high-level events staged on challenging, top-rated courses across the country,” said Sam Zussman, managing director of IMG Academies.

“This is an exciting opportunity for me to compete on top courses with some of the best junior golfers on the circuit,” said Victoria Tanco, 15, a two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year. “It’s one more step in helping me toward my dream of joining the LPGA Tour and becoming the best player in the world someday.”

The tour will stage tournaments across the country but will focus on the southeast and southwest regions. It will receive recognition in the form of Performance Based Entry (PBE) status for all of its events from the American Junior Golf Association. This gives the tour’s junior competitors the opportunity to earn their way into AJGA events throughout the season. The Leadbetter tour will also enforce the AJGA Code of Conduct and Rules Card System, but will introduce its own ranking system.