BRADENTON, FL -- (Marketwire) -- 06/07/10 -- IMG Academies today announced the creation of the IMG Leadbetter Junior Golf Tour -- an elite avenue for junior golfers to compete at some of the nation's top courses, while gaining invaluable exposure to college- and professional-style golf.

Debuting August 13-15, 2010, at the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., the Tour will feature 20 stops in its first season, and is expected to offer nearly double that number in upcoming seasons. The Tour will be independently operated by IMG Academies -- home to seven sport academies, including the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy led by legendary coach David Leadbetter.

"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. "Consistent with the mission of IMG Academies, we will measure this Tour's success by the opportunities it creates for personal growth and overall development, as well as by the level of access to collegiate and professional golf it provides our junior members."

Each Tour event will span three days (Friday-Sunday), with the majority of tournaments featuring stroke play competition. Jumpstarted by juniors enrolled at the prestigious IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy, the member roster is attracting the nation's top talent, including two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year, 15-year-old Victoria Tanco: "This is an exciting opportunity for me to compete on top courses with some of the best junior golfers on the circuit. 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, which will stage tournaments across the country with a focus on the Southeast and Southwest regions, will receive recognition in the form of Performance Based Entry (PBE) status for all of its events from the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). This gives the Tour's junior competitors the additional opportunity to earn their way into prestigious AJGA events throughout the season. The Tour will adopt the AJGA Code of Conduct and Rules Card System, as well as introduce its own Tour Ranking System.

David Leadbetter will work with the Tour's juniors via clinics and seminars to aid them in their quest to achieve athletic excellence. Leadbetter, one of the world's top golf instructors, has been instrumental in the growth and development of the game's most successful players on the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, European PGA Tour, and Champions Tour.

Mark Steinberg, IMG Golf's Global Managing Director, views the Tour as the "missing cog within IMG's prolific golf event business." Continued Steinberg, "We have been strengthening our golf business for more than 40 years - The IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy continues to attract top talent, and graduate the next generation of movers and shakers within the golf industry. The IMG Leadbetter Junior Golf Tour will now provide a platform for these and other talented youth to compete and continue their personal growth."

Under Armour, the official apparel provider of IMG Academies, will provide apparel to all participating juniors as part of a larger membership package. The offering will also include a number of golf media subscriptions and a complimentary evaluation with the National Collegiate Scouting Association. Additional key sponsor announcements are expected in the coming months.

To apply for Tour membership and register for events, please visit: www.IMGLeadbetterJGT.com or www.IMGAcademies.com

2010/2011 IMG Leadbetter Junior Golf Tour Schedule

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August 13-15     Waldorf Astoria Golf Club - Orlando, FL
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August 27-29     The Boulders Resort - Carefree, AZ
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September 24-26  Boca Raton Resort & Club - Boca Raton, FL
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October 1-3      Hilton Santa Fe Golf Resort & Spa at Buffalo Thunder -
                 Santa Fe, NM
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October 8-10     Naples Grande Beach Resort - Naples, FL
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October 15-17    Payne Stewart Golf Club - Branson, MO
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November 12-14   Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort - Tucson, AZ
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December 3-5     La Quinta Resort & Club - La Quinta, CA
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December 10-12   Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort - Phoenix, AZ
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December 31-     Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort - Tucson, AZ
 January 2
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January 7-9      Waldorf Astoria Golf Club - Orlando, FL
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January 28-30    Boca Raton Resort & Club - Boca Raton, FL
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February 4-6     Announcement at a later date
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February 18-20   Announcement at a later date
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March 11-13      Announcement at a later date
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March 24-28      Payne Stewart Golf Club - Branson, MO
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April 8-10       Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort - Phoenix, AZ
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April 29-May 1   Hilton Santa Fe Golf Resort & Spa at Buffalo Thunder -
                 Santa Fe, NM
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May 6-8          The Boulders Resort - Carefree, AZ
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May 20-22        Naples Grande Beach Resort - Naples, FL
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*Schedule subject to change and additions

About IMG Performance
IMG Performance is the driving force behind some of the world's most prestigious athletic-based academies, tournaments and combines. A division of IMG Worldwide, IMG Performance owns and operates the seven-sport, Bradenton, Fla.-based IMG Academies and IMG Performance Institute, the 20-plus international David Leadbetter Golf Academies, and the partly owned Boca Raton, Fla.-based Chris Evert Tennis Academy, as well as multiple national and international youth athletic events. IMG Performance, which helped created the revolutionary Combine 360, serves as the exclusive partner in all worldwide Combines operated by Under Armour, as well as providing consulting services to national and international federations, professional organizations and intercollegiate sports teams and universities. For more information on the Bradenton-based IMG Performance, please see www.imgacademies.com.

About IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy
Led by coaching guru David Leadbetter, whose teaching theories and methods have revolutionized the game, the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy is the world's top junior golf academy. Combining expert instruction from experienced coaches with video analysis and advanced course management lessons, IMG Leadbetter has produced more than 130 AJGA Rolex Junior All-Americans, 9 AJGA Rolex Junior Players of the Year winners, two U.S. Amateur champions, two U.S. Girls' Junior champions and countless collegiate and professional golfers.