Press Release

May 20, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: BRAD WHITE, PGA
bradwhite@feedtherelief.org

Kelly Gibson Offers An Opportunity For Area's Youth With Junior Golf Tour

By Doug Tatum, The Times-Picayune
May 20, 2010, 5:03AM

Kelly Gibson’s golf career received a boost in 1978 when he was awarded a scholarship by the New Orleans Golf Association that he used while attending and playing golf for Lamar University.

Now the New Orleans native and PGA Tour veteran wants to return the favor to the area’s youth by establishing the Kelly Gibson Junior Golf Tour, presented by Cox Louisiana.

The tour, open to players age 9-22, will start June 7 with an event at Pinewood Country Club and end July 26 with the Tour Championship at TPC Louisiana.

In between, there are five other tournaments, plus the limited field BC Cup Invitational. The deadline to register is Tuesday and the cost is $125, which covers the entry fee into all the full-field events and a one-hour lesson from PGA professional Rob Noel.

“We’re trying to bring all the resources we can to make this a better environment for kids to learn how to play competitive golf, ” Gibson said. “Maybe go beyond the New Orleans area and have some success at the collegiate level.”

The junior tour is an expansion of the work performed by the nonprofit Gibson formed in the days immediately after Hurricane Katrina, Feed the Relief, Inc.

“It’s pretty simple, ” Gibson said. “Our foundation started out doing a considerable amount of work after Katrina (providing support for first responders) and then the natural progression would be for me to get back to children’s athletics and having golf as my background. ... I feel we can provide a tremendous service to the kids.”

Brad White, a PGA professional with an extensive background in junior golf, will serve as the tournament director. He said the tour hopes to attract 100 to 150 participants its first year.

“I guess as golf pros we all have certain areas that are special to us, and this is one that means a lot to me, ” White said. “I’m excited. ... I’m pumped up.”

The junior tour will have a banquet July 28 at which college scholarships will be awarded. The scholarships are “not about your handicap or how many tournaments you play in, ” White said, but based on grade-point average and community service.

“I’m excited because it’s bringing me back to some of my fondest memories, ” Gibson said. “It’s hard to say if we’re going to develop the next great golfer out of New Orleans but we’re hoping to give them a better chance, a better opportunity, a better experience.”

The tournament schedule:
June 7, Pinewood Country Club;
June 10, Willowdale Country Club;
June 22, Tchefuncta Country Club;
June 24, Beau Chene Country Club;
June 28, Timberlane Country Club;
July 8, Lakewood Golf Club;
July 19, BC Cup Invitational;
July 26, Tour Championship, TPC Louisiana.

For more information on the junior tour, visit feedtherelief.org or email bradwhite@feedtherelief.org.

About Feed the Relief:
Feed the Relief, Inc. was founded by Kelly and Elizabeth Gibson in September of 2005 with the idea of providing necessary support for the front line first responders to Hurricane Katrina. In the days and weeks following the disaster of Katrina, Feed the Relief provided support to the Coast Guard, EMS personnel, police and fire departments, community centers, hospitals, and residents as they returned to their homes. Starting this year, Feed the Relief, a 501(c)3 corporation, has expanded its scope to enrich the lives of children through athletics. For more information, please visit www.feedtherelief.org.

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