The 2008 Junior Ryder Cup will take place Sept. 15-16, at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky. and will present an expanded Ryder Cup format change to foursomes, mixed four-ball and singles competition. The matches mark the fourth 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 members of the high school graduating class of 2009, or younger.

The invitation criterion consists of the following: First, the U.S. Champion of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, July 21-26, 2008, at Shoal Creek Country Club in Shoal Creek, Ala., 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 21-26, 2008, at Hartford Golf Club in Hartford, Conn. Next, the top two boys' and girls' finishers from The PGA of America's flagship junior event, the Junior PGA Championship, Aug. 13-16, 2008 at TPC River's Bend in Cincinnati, (Maineville), Ohio, will be eligible. Next, the leading two boys and girls in the Junior Ryder Cup final point standings that are determined following the 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 Ken Lindsay and announced at the Junior PGA Championship.

The U.S. Junior Ryder Cup points system was revised in the fall of 2005 so that in Junior Ryder Cup years, a premier tier event victory will be worth 675 points. 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.

The U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team will arrive in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 12, 2008; and receive transportation up to Bowling Green, Ky., and play in practice rounds at The Club at Olde Stone, Sept. 13--14, 2008. Opening Ceremonies will kick off the event on Sept. 14, 2008, followed by Foursomes in the morning of Sept. 15 and then Boy-Girl Best Ball on Monday afternoon, singles matches will complete play on Sept. 16, 2008, followed by the closing ceremonies on Tuesday afternoon.

Participants in the 2008 Junior Ryder Cup will receive the opportunity to play a nine-hole friendship match the day prior (Wednesday) to the start of the Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club. The matches will feature a four-ball pairing of a European and USA player competing against another European/USA player duo for the six matches, which will continue to build international friendships. The boys and girls on the team will then either travel back home on Sept. 18, 2008 or they may elect to stay and go with their parent or guardian chaperones for the opening ceremonies of the 37th Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 18-21, 2008. Complimentary Ryder Cup tickets will be offered to the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team and their parent or guardian chaperones.

The Club at Olde Stone

The Club at Olde Stone was opened for play in 2005 and built to host future large-scale events. Part of the club's founding elements was to give back to the youth of America. Arthur Hills was the architect of this major championship layout. The Club at Olde Stone has already made its mark in the national junior golf competition world with its designation as the 2006 AJGA event of the year, host of the U.S. Amateur Championship qualifier, the Kentucky Senior Open and the future site of the Kentucky State Open. One of the many amenities that the Club offers is the sub-air system on the greens, much the same as Augusta.

The PGA of America

The PGA of America is the world's largest working sports organization, comprised of 28,000 men and women golf Professionals who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf, while serving millions of people throughout its 41 PGA Sections nationwide. Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has enhanced its leadership position in a $62 billion-a-year industry by growing the game of golf through its premier spectator events, world-class education and training programs, significant philanthropic outreach initiatives and award-winning golf promotions. Today's PGA Golf Professional is the public's link to the game, serving an essential role in the operation of golf facilities throughout the country.