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The International Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament was an international and prestigious junior golf tournament that was held from 1946 to 1968, excluding 1967. The tournament initially had a small field but slowly grew in popularity and competitiveness. Due to a lack of financing, the tournament was discontinued following the 1968 tournament.


History


Founding

In 1946, the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce – with encouragement from
Herb Graffis Herbert Butler Graffis (May 31, 1893 – February 13, 1989) was an American golf writer and administrator. In recognition of his efforts to promote the sport, he was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977. Life and career Graffis was ...
, publisher of Golfing and Golfdom magazines – agreed to develop a golf program providing supervised competition for boys on a local, state and national level. Initially modest in significance, only 27 boys from seven states participated in the first International Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament held in Spokane, Washington, which was won by Al Mengert. For the second annual tournament, however, full-time personnel worked with local and state sports chairmen to organize and promote the tournament in an effort to raise it to national prominence. Over subsequent tournaments, the International Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament (known as the National Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament prior to 1953) grew in status and was rivaled only by the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship and the
Western Junior The Western Junior is the oldest national junior golf tournament in the United States. It was founded in 1914 and is organized by the Western Golf Association. It is played at a different course each year, primarily in the midwest. From 1914 to 1 ...
Championship in importance. Jack Nicklaus, the 1957 International Jaycee winner, remarked that "No other tournament in junior golf forces the best from the young golfers and maintains the interest and enthusiasm as does the Jaycee International. The toughest of the world's junior golf tournaments." By 1958, approximately 35,000 boys competed for 220 spots at the 13th International Jaycee.


Evolving format

The format of the International Jaycee evolved over time. From 1946-1951, 36-hole medal play determined the “
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” for those players moving on to compete for the title under
match play Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 h ...
competition. Beginning in 1952, match play was eliminated and 72-hole medal play was instituted. A Class B Championship was established for players who did not make the 36-hole cut of the lowest 100 scores. States competed for team titles and a Junior Chamber International match was staged between the top entries of each of the countries entered. Participants qualified for the International Jaycee first though local and then state Jaycee competitions. The top four (some years five) players from each state competition were eligible to play at the International Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament with expenses paid by grants and sponsors. The golfing talents of the International Jaycee competitors were among the best in the world with many players eventually turning professional. Among winners of the tournament, four players were elected to the
World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...
:
Gene Littler Gene Alec Littler (July 21, 1930 – February 15, 2019) was an American professional golfer and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Known for a solid temperament and nicknamed "Gene the Machine" for his smooth, rhythmical swing, he once said ...
, Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd and
Ben Crenshaw Ben Daniel Crenshaw (born January 11, 1952) is a retired American professional golfer who has won 19 events on the PGA Tour, including two major championships: the Masters Tournament in 1984 and 1995. He is nicknamed '' Gentle Ben''. Profession ...
.


Financial struggles

Despite the continued popularity of the tournament among players, financial backing of the International Jaycee became problematic. Unable to secure a sponsor in 1967, the tournament was not held (although local and state events continued). The tournament was conducted in 1968 but lack of sponsorship caused the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce to not hold the tournament for 1969. In years following, the International Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament was not renewed.


Winners


References

{{Reflist Junior golf tournaments Amateur golf tournaments in the United States Junior Chamber International