Hot Springs Country Club in Hot Springs, Arkansas, will host the Junior PGA Championships in 2023. Boys and girls junior golfers will compete, at the same time. The 47th edition of the event will feature 312 players—156 boys, 156 girls—in a stroke play competition.
Nestled in the Ouachita foothills and surrounded by neighboring lakes and national parks, Hot Springs Country Club was established in 1898, making it home to Arkansas’s first golf course and one of America’s oldest country clubs west of the Mississippi River. The Club features two 18-hole courses: Arlington and Park.
In the early 1900s, the Club became a destination for Major League Baseball players in town for spring training, with many participating in club events. Babe Ruth, J.E. Brailey and New York Yankees pitcher Carl Mays took part in the annual President’s Day tournament. Between 1955 and 1963, the club held the PGA Tour’s Arlington Open, and later the Hot Springs Open: Hall of Famers Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Cary Middlecoff were in the field through the years.
The Junior PGA Championships have been springboards for many of the PGA and LPGA Tours’ most accomplished players. Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have competed on the Boys side, while the list of past Girls Junior PGA winners includes Major Champions Inbee Park, Yuka Saso and Lexi Thompson.
“Bringing the Junior PGA Championships to an iconic venue in American golf history allows us to provide a group of young golfers with another memorable experience,” said PGA of America President Jim Richerson. “These juniors will be joining the many greats who have competed at Hot Springs Country Club, adding their own history to this fabled site.”
“Hot Springs Country Club is thrilled to be hosting the Junior PGA Championships,” said Hot Springs Country Club General Manager Barry Howard, who is a member of the PGA of America Board of Directors. “Showcasing our two championship-caliber golf courses to these junior golfers has our members and staff excited and ready for the summer of 2023.”
Note to Our Readers: This story was sourced from the PGA website at pga.com
