ROANOKE, Va. – The middle of May means one thing on the greens and fairways at Roanoke Country Club--the return of the annual Scott Robertson Memorial Golf Tournament. The event, hailed as one of the premiere junior golf tournaments in the nation is preparing for its 40th year.
Roanoke Country Club will be the place to be starting Friday as more than 100 boys and girls junior golfers will bring their talents to the Star City. Over the years, many big name golfers on the PGA and LPGA Tours have played in the prestigious event--the likes of Lanto Griffin and Nelly Korda just to name a few.
“Anybody that’s walked the fairways at Roanoke Country Club during the Scott Robertson, they’re our kids,” said tournament administrator Debbie Ferguson. “We look at the LPGA and PGA and see our kids there every week. They’re always at the top of the leader board and we’re so proud and we just feel so humbled ot have hosted them at some point in time in their junior careers.”
“Normally we’ll have 26 or 28 states represented and 12-15 countries represented and it’s mind-blowing to think they’re coming to Roanoke, Virginia to play in a major junior tournament,” said tournament co-director Tim Bibee. “But, I ask them every year why they come here and they say it’s because it’s the ‘fun tournament.’”
Applications were accepted starting back in January. Ferguson says their were over 500 applicants for just 165 spots.
The boys 15-18 group will be the largest field with 90 representatives. The girls 15-18 age group will have 39 players with the younger boys group touting 24 and the younger girls consisting of a field of 12.
Wednesday will be the final qualifier for the tournament at Roanoke Country Club. Three more spots are up for grabs for the boys 15-18 age group and one final spot to be handed out for a deserving girl in the 15-18 age group.
The tournament is in honor of Scott Robertson, the son of Tom and Joyce Robertson. A promising young golfer, at the young age of 14-years-old, Scott contracted infectious mononucleosis and passed away in the summer of 1982.
“A couple years later in 1984, family friends put together this tournament. It started on a smaller scale and has continued to grow into one of the premiere tournaments on a national scale,” Bibee said.
All the action will begin Friday morning and wrap up Sunday afternoon. To read more about the prestigious Scott Robertson Memorial Golf Tournament, click here.