The Connecticut Section PGA Golf Foundation presented 17 deserving organizations with over $68,000 in
grants. In the 13 year history of the Foundation, over$726,000 has been granted to benefiting programs that carry out and align with the mission of the Connecticut Section PGA Golf Foundation; To grow the game of golf and fund programs benefitting youth, diversity initiatives and physically challenged golfers.

Grant recipients for 2012 included, Channel 3 Kids Camp; Torrington Rotary Junior Golf TOUR; Willow Brook Women’s Golf School; TPC River Highlands’ Growth of the Game Initiatives; The First Tee of Connecticut; Junior Connecticut PGA Championship; Play Golf America Day; Mount Saini Rehabilitation Hospital (Golfers in Motion); Cas Coscina Memorial Junior TOUR. Tallwood C.C. Junior Golf Academy, Women’s Golf Academy, and McDermott Junior Golf TOUR; Charlie Ormsby Junior Golf Clinic; Special
Olympics of Connecticut; Special Olympics of Massachusetts; Jack Kelly Junior Tournament of Champions.

The 41st Julius Boros Challenge Cup will take place May 3 at New Haven Country Club. This is the first big tournament to kick off the state golf season.
It pits the Connecticut Amateurs against the Connecticut Section PGA pros. Here are the matchups for the Cup. Admission is free to the event.

Membership and tournament registration is now open for the North East Junior Golf Tour. The tournament committee is putting the finishing touches on a three-tournament fall finish. All tournaments are open to boys and girls ages 12-19 looking to compete in 36-hole events for national recognition.

The tour is a regional junior golf tour playing nationally ranked 36-hole golf tournaments. NEJGT junior golfers compete in four divisions (two boys and two girls). Juniors compete for both “Player of the Year” points and national ranking points through the Junior Golf Scoreboard and other ranking associations.

The season opener will be held at Blue Fox Run GC in Avon June 25-26. Other state courses hosting tournaments are Wintonbury Hills GC in Bloomfield (July 31-Aug. 1) and Lyman Orchards GC (Aug. 6-7).
Information, the complete schedule and tournament registration can be found on the NEJGT website at www.nejgtour.com.

Most of your basic ticket sales for golf tournaments like the Travelers Championship don't pick up until a month before the tournament.

But ticket sales this past week for the Travelers was easily more than double than the same week from last year, according to Scott Dolch, Marketing & Media Manager for the Travelers. Could it be the great weather we have experienced compared to last winter and spring?

Possibly. But I think it has more to do with your reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson, who has already committed to play in the Travelers June 21-24 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.

Watson's first PGA Tour win was the 2010 Travelers. He has now won three times since and is the fourth-ranked player in the world.

But Travelers champions don't get booked on the David Letterman show. Masters champions do. And now, with the official start of the golf season normally coming at Augusta, fans are now very much interested in a man named Bubba.

More player announcements will be coming in the next two weeks.