The youngsters get their night in the spotlight a day after Christmas when the Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA) will award North Carolina Junior Players of the Year and North Carolina All-State honors to those who have established themselves as the state's best junior golfers.

The Junior Player of the Year awards recognize one boy and one girl who had the most outstanding year in junior golf events at local, state and national levels.

Also, honors will be bestowed on 30 youngsters as all-state teams will include 10 boys and girls on the first team, 10 boys and girls on the second team and 10 boys and girls honorable mention recipients.

The following criteria must be met to be eligible: Girls must have played a minimum of seven TYGA rankings events from Dec. 1, 2007, through Nov. 30, 2008.

Boys must have played a minimum of 10 TYGA rankings events from Dec 1, 2007, through Nov. 30, 2008.

Players must be 18 years of age or younger as of Nov. 30, 2008, and must not have graduated from high school.

The awards will be determined by a combination of each player's scoring differential and the total points earned in the rankings events.

These outstanding juniors will be honored at the N.C. Junior Golf Night Awards Banquet Friday, Dec. 26, at Little River Resort in Carthage.

For more details, contact Jason Cox at 673-1000.

Patriot Day: The fundraising totals for Patriot Golf Day have just come out, and the Carolinas PGA Section can once again be proud of the contributions made by 362 facilities in North and South Carolina, which totaled $148,851.00 -- 11.5 percent of the total raised nationwide for 2008.

Overall, 60 percent of the Carolinas Section's facilities participated in the Labor Day weekend event which this year raised $1.7 million for the families of soldiers who have been injured or killed in the line of military duty.

Topping the list of Carolinas PGA facilities was Old North State Club in New London, where PGA director of golf Tom Ducey and 36 members raised over $41,000 for the families of our military heroes. Ducey said the enthusiastic response was due to the efforts of amateur golf and eight-year club member, Johnny Hall, a co-owner/president of two local lumber companies.

"I'm not looking for any praise," Hall said. "This is a tremendous fundraiser that all of us should embrace. People came together to make this a success and we look forward to next year's Patriot Golf Day."

Last year, 239 Carolinas PGA Section facilities participated in Patriot Golf Day raising nearly $55,000. The tremendous outpouring of support from 362 participating facilities this year had a lot to do with the commitment made by the officers and board of directors of the Section.

"We're so honored that we had the opportunity to give back to our country's most deserving citizens," said Kelly Childs, President of the Carolinas PGA Section and director of golf at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley in Cashiers.

"In our mind, there is no greater sacrifice that can be made than the one our service men and women make for their family and country each day. Our 2,000 member professionals can certainly be proud of what we've accomplished as a Section and as an Association."

To that end, Childs' facility was second on the list this year with $10,280 donated. Burroughs & Chapin golf facilities in the Myrtle Beach area collectively raised nearly $15,000. Nearly 100 percent of the proceeds raised go directly to the Folds of Honor foundation.

In late 2007, Major Dan Rooney, an F-16 pilot, PGA Professional and USGA member from Broken Arrow, Okla., developed the Folds of Honor Foundation to serve as a legacy foundation designed to provide scholarships for dependents and spouses of service members that have been killed or disabled as a result of their military service. While other fundraising is carried out by the Folds of Honor Foundation, Patriot Golf Day remains its primary fundraiser.

Donations to this year's Patriot Golf Day included $130,000 from Captain Paul Azinger and the 12 members of the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup Team.

Arnie's Best: A golf course designed by Arnold Palmer Design Company -- Beijing Cascades -- has been selected as the "Best New Course in China 2007-2008" by Golf Magazine China.

"It's very nice to be recognized as doing the best work in China right now. We intend to maintain that reputation with our work there in the future," Palmer said.

The design of the 18 holes at Beijing Cascades Country Golf Club began in May 2005 and the 7,272-yard, par-72 golf course opened in 2007.

Arnold Palmer Design reached the Chinese capital three decades after Palmer reintroduced golf to that country. Palmer's Chung Shan Hot Spring design in southern China in the 1980s was the first new golf course in the country in more than half a century and touched off China's still-on-going golf boom.

A private golf club for members only, Beijing Cascades features deluxe villas designed by DFS Architects of Canada and a top-notch clubhouse which includes a swimming pool, restaurant, cafeteria, pro shop, business center, meeting rooms and guest rooms.