ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Aug. 11, 2017–Emily Hawkins of Lexington, North Carolina and Blake Tomlinson of Salt Lake City won the girls and boys divisions, respectively, at the 49th annual Trusted Choice® Big "I" National Championship in Madison, Mississippi.
The tournament featured 158 players from 35 states with girls and boys under the age of 19 and was played at the Annandale Golf Club. The girls division was played at 6,183 yards and a course rating of 76.6/136, while the boys played the course at 7,074 yards and a 70.0/113 course rating.
Each summer more than 2,000 junior boys and girls nationally vie to earn a place in the final tournament. Approximately 70 state and local qualifying events determine the final roster.
“For 49 years, the Trusted Choice® Big ‘I’ National Championship has provided teenage golfers a wonderful opportunity to compete at a national level in a supportive atmosphere that cultivates sportsmanship,” says Steve Cocke, Big “I” chief financial officer. “We are proud of the Trusted Choice® Big ‘I’ National Championship tournament’s long-standing success and congratulate Emily Hawkins, Blake Tomlinson, the finalists and the thousands of junior golfers across the United States who participated in the local and state tournaments this year.”
Hawkins finished three-under-par 70-71—141 to win the tournament, claiming the girls’ division title and the Mayerstein Trophy. Tomlinson’s four-under-par 69-71—140 resulted in his claim to the boys’ division title and the Robert Trent Jones Trophy.
The Trusted Choice® Big "I" National Championship has proven to be a critical test for many of today’s golf professionals. PGA and LPGA fields include numerous past champions and participants, including: Billy Andrade, David Duval, Charles Howell III, Cristie Kerr, Candie Kung, Justin Leonard, Phil Mickelson, Grace Park, Craig Stadler, Bob Tway, Cheyenne Woods, Tiger Woods and Fuzzy Zoeller.
The annual tournament is sponsored and supported by Trusted Choice®. The tournament began in 1969 and every year, more than 150 (90 local) agents help organize and administer the qualifying tournaments that lead to the national championship. Independent agents donate valuable time, effort, and in many cases, personal resources to conduct successful local events.
Trusted Choice® educates consumers about the benefits of using independent agents and brokers for their insurance needs: choice of companies, customized policies and advocacy support. Trusted Choice® is the consumer marketing identity for more than 26,000 independent insurance agencies and brokerage firm locations and 70 leading insurance companies. For more information, go to www.TrustedChoice.com.
Founded in 1896, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”), is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of approximately a quarter of a million independent insurance agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life and health—as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.
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