PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. --The 2006 Junior Ryder Cup will take place Sept. 18-19, at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. The matches mark the third formal connection between The PGA of America and Ryder Cup Ltd., which biennially stage the Ryder Cup.

The United States Junior Ryder Cup Team will consist of six boys and six girls who are American citizens and are Class of 2007 high school students or younger.

The invitation criterion consists of the following: First, the U.S. Champion of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, July 17-22, 2006, at Rancho Santa Fe Country Club in San Diego, will be awarded an automatic berth on the U.S. Team. The second exemption is awarded to the winner of the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Championship on July 17-22, 2006, at Carmel Country Club in Charlotte, N.C. Next, the top two boys’ and girls’ finishers from The PGA of America’s flagship junior event, the Westfield Junior PGA Championship, Aug. 10-13, 2006 at Westfield Group Country Club in Westfield Center, Ohio, will be eligible. Next, the leading two boys and girls in the Junior Ryder Cup final point standings that are determined following the Westfield Junior PGA Championship (the final major of the summer) will earn automatic Junior Ryder Cup berths. The final boy and girl selected to complete the 12-member team will be chosen by U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Captain Jack Connelly and announced at the Westfield Junior PGA Championship, much the same as Tom Lehman will do at Medina (Ill.) Country Club for the professional U.S. Ryder Cup team.

The U.S. Junior Ryder Cup points system was revised in the fall of 2005, to mirror image the Ryder Cup points system, so that in Junior Ryder Cup years, a premier tier event victory will be worth 675 points. In addition, points for positions 2-15 have been increased. Points are also awarded at top-tier event Championships, along with PGA Section Championships and USGA Section Championships. Only the Top-15 finishers in premier Championships, the Top-10 finishers in the top-event Championships, and the overall winner from The PGA and USGA Section Championships are eligible to earn points.

A table outlining the 2006 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team points system follows:

Rank 2006 Premier
Championships 2006 Top Event
Championships 2006 PGA and USGA Section
Championships
1ST 675 375 150
2ND 360 180
3RD 320 160
4TH 280 140
5TH 240 120
6TH 200 100
7TH 160 80
8TH 120 60
9TH 80 40
10TH 40 20
11TH – 15TH 20

A table outlining the 2006 Boys and Girls Premier events follows:
Polo Golf Junior Classic Nov. 19-25, 2005 Sea Island G.C. Sea Island, Ga.
Thunderbird International Junior May 26-29, 2006 Grayhawk G.C. Scottsdale, Ariz.
FootJoy Boys Invitational June 12-16, 2006 Forest Oaks C.C. Greensboro, N.C.
Rolex Girls Junior Championship June 13-16, 2006 Glenwild Golf & Spa Park City, Utah
Rolex Tournament of Champions July 5-9, 2006 Hiwan G.C. Evergreen, Colo.
U.S. Junior Amateur Championship July 17-22, 2006 Rancho Santa Fe G.C. San Diego
U.S. Girls Junior Championship July 17-22, 2006 Carmel C.C. Charlotte, N.C.
Betsy Rawls Girls Championship July 24-27, 2006 White Manor C.C. Malvern, Pa.
HP Boys Junior Championship July 24-28, 2006 Bay Hill Club & Lodge Orlando, Fla.
Westfield Junior PGA Championship Aug. 10-13, 2006 Westfield Group C.C. Westfield Center, Ohio
A table outlining the 2006 Boys and Girls Top Events follows:
Nike Golf Junior Championship Sept. 2-4, 2005 Langdon Farms G.C., Aurora, Ore.
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Oct. 7-10, 2005 RTJGT - Magnolia Grove, Mobile, Ala.
Orange Bowl International Junior Dec. 27-30, 2005 Biltmore G.C., Coral Gables, Fla.
Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Dec. 28-30, 2005 Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix
MCI Junior Heritage Feb. 4-5, 2006 Ocean Course & Harbour Town G.L., Hilton Head, S.C.
Kathy Whitworth Girls Invitational March 13-14, 2006 Mira Vista G.C., Ft. Worth, Texas
Heather Farr Classic April 13-16, 2006 Longbow G.C., Mesa, Ariz.
Scott Robertson Memorial May 19-21, 2006 Roanoke C.C., Roanoke, Va.
PGA Junior Series at Kearney Hill May 30-June 1, 2006 Kearney Hill G.L., Lexington, Ky.
Bubba Conlee National Jr. - Boys June 6-8, 2006 Cherokee Valley G.C., Memphis, Tenn.
PGA Jr. Series at Clemson University June 7-8, 2006 Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
PGA Junior Series at Duke University June 13-15, 2006 Duke University G.C., Durham, N.C.
PGA Junior Series at Cannon Ridge June 19-21, 2006 Cannon Ridge G.C., Fredericksburg, Va.
PGA Junior Series at Shaker Hills June 26-27, 2006 Shaker Hills G.C., Harvard, Mass.
PGA Junior Series at Santa Ana July 6-7, 2006 Santa Ana G.C., Santa Ana, N.M.
Women’s Western Jr. Championship July 10-14, 2006 Sugar Mill C.C., New Smyrna Bch, Fla.
PGA Junior Series at USAFA July 11-13, 2006 Eisenhower G.C., Colorado Springs, Colo.
Junior World Championships July 11-14, 2006 Torrey Pines-North & South, San Diego
PGA Junior Series at Elmcrest July 17-18, 2006 Elmcrest C.C., Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Western Junior Championship July 17-21, 2006 Cantigny Golf, Chicago
PGA Junior Series at The Hawthorns July 24-26, 2006 The Hawthorns G. & C.C., Fishers, Ind.
PGA Junior Series at Westbrook July 31- Aug. 2, 2006 Westbrook C.C., Mansfield, Ohio

The U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team is tentatively scheduled to meet in Atlanta, on Sept. 14, 2006; fly to London together; and receive transportation to Wales, in order to get acclimated and play in practice rounds at Celtic Manor Resort, Sept. 15–17, 2006. Opening Ceremonies will kick off the event on Sept. 17, 2006, followed by a Boy-Boy and Girl-Girl Best Ball event on Sept. 18, 2006. A Boy-Girl Best Ball event will then take place on Sept. 19, 2006, followed by the closing ceremonies. A Junior Am event with European executives and hosts will be held on Sept. 20, 2006. The boys and girls on the team will either travel back home on Sept. 21, 2006 or they may elect to travel with their parent or guardian chaperones to Dublin, Ireland, for the opening ceremonies of the 36th Ryder Cup at The K Club in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland, Sept. 22-24, 2006. Complimentary Ryder Cup tickets and discounted room packages will be offered by the European Ryder Cup Committee to the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team and their parent or guardian chaperones.

For further information about the Junior Ryder Cup, visit www.PGA.com/juniors or call The PGA of America Headquarters at (561) 624-8400.

Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2006, The PGA of America was founded in 1916, and is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf, while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing the game and the business of golf.