Pinehurst, NC – The 62nd Donald Ross Junior Championship will be taking place this winter at the prestigious Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst NC. The tournament, which will begin on December 26, 2009 and end on December 29, 2009, offers boys under the age of 17 the chance to play one of the greatest and most historic courses of all time.

Originally purchased by William J. Tufts in 1895, the resort has gone on to become one of the most enduringly popular golf courses in the area, and Pinehurst NC Golf has been played by golf greats like Jack Nicklaus and Payne Stewart. Home to countless tournaments, Pinehurst will once again host the U.S. Open Championship in 2014—marking the third time the course has been home to the U.S. open in the past 15 years alone.

Located in the charming Sandhills of North Carolina, Pinehurst was originally intended to be a place where the average American could come to relax, recuperate, and simply get away from the many stressors that went hand-in-hand with living in America during the Industrial Revolution. The land Tufts purchased was nothing like the pristine landscape that exists today, but was actually a barren tract of land that had been stripped of most of its native pine trees by timber companies.

It wasn’t until three years after the resort opened that Pinehurst NC Golf became a part of the Pinehurst lifestyle. When guests of the resort began playing the game in the cattle fields the surrounded what was then a health retreat, Tufts recognized the merit of their idea. Soon after, the legendary Donald Ross became a part of Pinehurst’s history, creating some of the most highly regarded Donald Ross Golf Courses in the Southeast.

This year’s Donald Ross Junior Championship will be broken up into three divisions: 11 and Under, 12 to14, and 15 to 17. The younger groups will spend two days playing Pinehurst No. 1, while the group made up of the older boys will enjoy 36 holes of stroke play, followed by one round on both Pinehurst No. 2 and Pinehurst No. 4. Players will be required to walk, and will not be allowed to use caddies during Championship Rounds; they will be expected to wear collared shirts at all times during the Championship, and will be disqualified for engaging in “unbecoming” conduct. Applications are due no later than November 20, 2009.

Only boys who participate in the 62nd Donald Ross Championship will be eligible for participation in the Father/Son competition on December 29th. This tournament will take place on Tom Fazio-designed Course No. 4.