Junior golfers from across the province will gather in Carstairs on July 12 to participate in the McLellan Ross Sun Junior Tour.
For several years, the tournament in Carstairs has attracted the best junior golfers in Alberta and this year should be no different.
Sixteen years ago, through the dedicated work of executive director Dunc Mills, along with the cooperation of the Alberta Golf Association, the tournament was formed.
Mills has an extensive background in golf as he has served on the board of the Alberta Golf Association for many years, and he has been a director of Alberta Golf since 1990.
One of the reasons for the McLennan Ross Sun Junior Tour is to provide junior golfers in Alberta the opportunity to develop their skills in an environment of competiveness through a series of coordinated tournaments throughout Alberta which emphasize fun and participation.
Although the tournaments are challenging for the elite level junior golfer, they provide the younger golfers their first experience of playing in a well-organized event.
Besides catering to the junior golfers, these tournaments also give back to the development of junior golf in Alberta by assisting host courses in the funding of their junior developing programs.
As many colleges and universities are now offering golf scholarships, McLennan Ross Sun Junior Tour funds scholarships in the tour's name to the Alberta Golf Scholarship Foundation to assist worthy young Alberta golfers in their post-secondary endeavours.
Several graduates of the tour living in Central Alberta have gone on to university or college and have participated in national collegiate tournaments.
Besides the Carstairs tournament, two other events have been scheduled within this immediate area.
On Aug. 8 the golfers will turn into Innisfail to participate in yet another popular tournament on the tour. Meanwhile, on Aug. 9, Olds will be hosting a one-day tournament.
After all the events have been played, the top boys and girls at the various events will travel to Ponoka to participate in the tour championship being held Aug. 29 at the Wolf Creek Golf Course.
