Three GCSAA members have been selected to learn first-hand what it takes to prepare for a major golf championship. As winners of the Toro Championship Tournament Training Program, two will attend the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and one will attend the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club and assist the maintenance staff.

Kevin Breuker, assistant superintendent at Traverse City (Mich.) Golf and Country Club, and Shane Griffith, student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison will join Mark Woodward, CGCS, and his crew at Torrey Pines.

Ryan DeMay, assistant golf course superintendent at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club, Powell, Ohio, will join Steven Cook, CGCS, MG, and his staff at Oakland Hills.

The winners were selected based on past work experience and an essay about their future career goals. "The Toro Championship Tournament Training Program brings the experience and knowledge of major tournament preparation to GCSAA members," said Bob VandenBoom, senior golf marketing manager at Toro. "The experience is designed to expose superintendents at the beginning of their careers to a variety of cultural practices and management techniques that make major tournaments a success."

The program was started in partnership with the GCSAA in 1999 to provide an opportunity for assistant superintendents and students to learn what happens at the highest level of golf course management.