Howell will be host at tournament

The nation's top junior golfers will converge on Columbia County in July for a tournament headlined by a well-known name.

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The American Junior Golf Association will hold the Club Car Legacy at Champions Retreat Golf Club. PGA Tour golfer and Augusta native Charles Howell will be the host.

"It will have the feel of a (PGA) Tour event," said Brian Stock, the director of golf at Champions Retreat.

An appearance by Howell, who will have played seven times at The Masters, would contribute to the event's big-time feel, and Stock is hopeful the tournament's host will be available for an appearance.

Howell grew up in Augusta, attended Westminster and was a four-time Rolex Junior All-American before enrolling at Oklahoma State.

He's expected to play in the AT&T National in Maryland, which runs until July 6. The Junior-Am will be the next day.

"We're hoping we can get him early in the week," said Fred Palmer, the vice president of national accounts for Club Car.

The Evans golf car maker will sponsor the event. Proceeds will be spread among area nonprofit golf organizations, though Palmer said specific organizations had not yet been targeted.

The tournament will kick off with a Junior-Amateur, where sponsors will have an opportunity to buy their way into a group that includes at least one of the tournament's juniors. The AJGA follows a similar format for each of its tournaments, with the Junior-Am proceeds representing the bulk of the money raised.

The nonprofit tour first contacted Stock, who rounded up Club Car as his marquee sponsor.

Stock said he was inspired by his 1-year-old son to take on the tournament.

"I saw the light about what that would mean to him," Stock said. "Every great club has a junior program that's the lifeblood of the course."

Stock's course already plays host to the ASU Invitational, during which Augusta State competes with teams from across the state.

A field for the ASU event is 90 players. The AJGA event will likely field around 80, said Shae Stancil, the head golf professional at the club.