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Latest News and Press Releases
IMG launch Leadbetter Junior Golf Tour
June 7
IMG Academies today announced the creation of the IMG Leadbetter Junior Golf Tour - an elite avenue for junior golfers to compete at some of the nation's top courses, while gaining invaluable exposure to college-and professional-style golf.
Debuting August 13-15, 2010, at the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., the Tour will feature 20 stops in its first season, and is expected to offer nearly double that number in upcoming seasons. The Tour will be independently operated by IMG Academies -- home to seven sport academies, including the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy led by legendary coach David Leadbetter.
"We designed this Tour to help the growing demand within the junior golf community for high-level events staged on challenging, top-rated courses across the country," said Sam Zussman, Managing Director of IMG Academies. "Consistent with the mission of IMG Academies, we will measure this Tour's success by the opportunities it creates for personal growth and overall development, as well as by the level of access to collegiate and professional golf it provides our junior members."
Each Tour event will span three days (Friday-Sunday), with the majority of tournaments featuring stroke play competition. Jumpstarted by juniors enrolled at the prestigious IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy, the member roster is attracting the nation's top talent, including two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year, 15-year-old Victoria Tanco: "This is an exciting opportunity for me to compete on top courses with some of the best junior golfers on the circuit. It's one more step in helping me toward my dream of joining the LPGA Tour and becoming the best player in the world someday."
The Tour, which will stage tournaments across the country with a focus on the Southeast and Southwest regions, will receive recognition in the form of Performance Based Entry (PBE) status for all of its events from the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). This gives the Tour's junior competitors the additional opportunity to earn their way into prestigious AJGA events throughout the season. The Tour will adopt the AJGA Code of Conduct and Rules Card System, as well as introduce its own Tour Ranking System.
David Leadbetter will work with the Tour's juniors via clinics and seminars to aid them in their quest to achieve athletic excellence. Leadbetter, one of the world's top golf instructors, has been instrumental in the growth and development of the game's most successful players on the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, European PGA Tour, and Champions Tour.
Mark Steinberg, IMG Golf's Global Managing Director, views the Tour as the "missing cog within IMG's prolific golf event business." Continued Steinberg, "We have been strengthening our golf business for more than 40 years - The IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy continues to attract top talent, and graduate the next generation of movers and shakers within the golf industry. The IMG Leadbetter Junior Golf Tour will now provide a platform for these and other talented youth to compete and continue their personal growth."
Under Armour, the official apparel provider of IMG Academies, will provide apparel to all participating juniors as part of a larger membership package. The offering will also include a number of golf media subscriptions and a complimentary evaluation with the National Collegiate Scouting Association. Additional key sponsor announcements are expected in the coming months.
To apply for Tour membership and register for events, please visit: www.IMGLeadbetterJGT.com or www.IMGAcademies.com
April 2, 2010
Nintendo Wii, IMG Academies and David Leadbetter have combined to develop ‘My Personal Golf Trainer’, the latest breakthrough in golf training.
With My Personal Golf Trainer you will learn David Leadbetter’s key techniques that golf pros and elite players work on every day, and will correctly identify golf swing flaws also providing training drills that will correct swing path and clubface rotation. This is real golf training, with a world class expert available 24/7 in your own home.
Learn more at: www.mypersonalgolftrainer.com
Grand Start for Camilo Villegas
March 7, 2010
Congratulations to Camilo Villegas and his instructor, Worldwide Director of Instruction, Kevin Smeltz on Camilo's 2010 Honda Classic Championship!
With a dramatic flourish and a triumphant gesture, Camilo Villegas of Colombia brought his storybook week to a climactic finish Sunday, winning the Honda Classic by five strokes over Anthony Kim with a birdie on the 72nd hole that brought the huge, partisan gallery to its feet.
For Villegas, 28, the final birdie was rife with symbolism. It put a fitting close to a week that began with his journey home to Colombia -- to help kick off the Nationwide Tour Pacific Rubiales Bogota Open, his country's first officially sponsored PGA Tour event -- and ended with his third and most convincing victory on the PGA Tour.
And it came by a record score of 13-under-par 267 at the PGA National Resort and Spa home to one of our David Leadbetter Golf Academies.
Poulter Wins Match Play Championship
February 21, 2010
David Leadbetter Golf Academy are proud to congratulate Ian Poulter on his Accenture Match Play Championship and his #5 World Ranking!
Poulter captured the biggest victory of his career Sunday by leading the final 28 holes and beating Paul Casey, 4 and 2, in the all-England final at the Match Play Championship.
Along winning his first World Golf Championship, the 34-year-old Poulter won for the first time on American soil.
"It's been a long time coming," Poulter said, after closing out Casey with a par on the 34th hole. "I knew I was in great form. I felt comfortable all day on the golf course."
Poulter won for the ninth time on the European Tour and moved to a career-best No. 5 in the world ranking. He earned $1.4 million, the biggest prize of his career.
Known mostly for what's in his closet, Poulter quickly is gaining a strong reputation for his prowess in match play. He improved his overall record in the Match Play Championship to 18-7, and was so dominant on the weekend that he trailed for only one hole over the final 50 holes of the tournament.
Tanco wins Annika Invitational Crown
February 15, 2010
If Victoria Tanco had any concerns about keeping her momentum one day after a sizzling 66 at the Annika Invitational, she needed only a few holes to alleviate them.
Two birdies in Monday's first three holes allowed the Argentine to settle into a groove, eventually pulling away on the back nine to become the tournament's second champion with a three-shot victory over Israel's Laetitia Beck.
Tanco carded an even-par 72 Monday at Reunion Resort's Independence course. Though the AJGA's two-time reigning player of the year broke par just once in three rounds, Sunday's 66 was enough to propel her to her seventh win in less than 2½ seasons on the elite junior circuit.
"I was feeling confident because [Sunday] was such a great round," said Tanco, a David Leadbetter Academy student in Bradenton. "I was telling myself to live with pars and birdies, do the best I can to win the tournament."
Beck, a fellow Leadbetter Academy pupil, hung tough through the front nine as both reached the turn at even-par for the day. But three bogeys to start the back nine left Beck with too much ground to make up down the stretch.
"I just told myself to keep making pars," said Tanco, who finished at 5-under 211.
Beck's birdie at the par-5 14th was matched by Tanco, and the Israeli golfer couldn't hit her approach shots into birdie range down the stretch. Beck's runner-up finish followed a victory at last week's Verizon Junior Heritage at Hilton Head, S.C.
Defending champion Simin Feng of Orlando tied for seventh, 11 shots behind Tanco.
David Leadbetter to appear at Golf Live, May 14 - 16th
February 11, 2010
David Leadbetter is to appear at an exciting new golf concept, Golf Live. Taking place at Stoke Park Golf Club, Berkshire on 14th - 16th May 2010 David will be hosting a number of clinics throughout each day.
Colin Motgomerie, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Retief Goosen will also feature at the event which will be hosted by, amongst others, Di Stewart. More details of the event, including ticket sales, can be found at www.golfliveevent.com
Scotlands Squad Boosted by IMG Academies Support
January 19, 2010
Five of Scotland’s leading amateur golfers will spend a week at the world famous IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida preparing for the new season as part of a new partnership between the Scottish Golf Union and IMG Academies.
The in-kind sponsorship agreement has been brokered by IMG as part of their commitment to help develop Scottish golfing talent, enabling the SGU to increase the support to its elite level players during the winter training programme.
Ross Kellett, Steven McEwan, Philip McLean, James White and David Law will fly out to the resort this weekend ahead of February’s Jones Cup Invitational to work with national coach Ian Rae and Scottish Institute of Sport golf psychologist Doctor Richard Cox, using accommodation and facilities provided by IMG Academies.
Welcoming the new partnership, SGU Chief Executive Hamish Grey said:
“Having use of the facilities at IMG Academies in Bradenton is a great boost for the squad, allowing us to prepare for some big events coming up, including the Jones Cup and the Spanish and Portuguese Amateur Championships”.
“The facilities are world class, with some of the best players in the world also using the resort as their base and we are grateful to IMG and IMG Academies for their fantastic support.”
David Whelan, Director of the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy, said: “With the SGU’s rich tradition and long history of success, it is truly a great honour for the Academy to host the SGU players and coaches. Having some of the best training facilities in the world, we are confident that the SGU will benefit from their time at the Academy.”
Scotland highest ranked amateur Ross Kellett (Colville Park) will be writing a blog from the training camp which can be found on the SGU website from Monday 25 January.
IMG Leadbetter Student looking Strong
December 11 2009
Emiliano Grillo is making a serious case for a top ranking in the junior golf standings. Only he’s not stating his case against fellow juniors. He’s doing it against the pros.
After firing a blemish-free 5-under 67 Friday, Grillo, currently ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek/Titleist Junior Rankings, is alone atop the leaderboard at the Tour of Americas’ Open de Argentina with a two-day score of 7-under 137. That’s right. The junior amateur is alone in the lead, ahead of 126 pros including current Masters champion Angel Cabrera.
Not bad for a 17-year-old.
This is the second week in a row Grillo has competed in a Tour of Americas event in his native Argentina. Last week, the Buenos Aires native finished 11th in the Argentina Masters with a score of 3-over 287. This week he’s outdone even himself.
He didn’t make a bogey during his second-round 67 and has made 10 birdies in two days. In his last six rounds he’s shot over par once (a second-round 74 in the Argentina Masters), has played the par-5s in 11 under without a single bogey and hasn’t suffered any major meltdowns (he’s made two double bogeys).
It can be argued that the Tour of Americas doesn’t feature an elite enough field to read too much into these performances. But looking at the players he’s competed against, there are plenty of elite golfers who Grillo has faced and beaten.
Last week Grillo finished ahead of PGA Tour-winner Andres Romero and two-time senior major champion Eduardo Romero. This week it’s Cabrera trailing him.
Did I mention he’s only 17?
With these back-to-back performances in professional tournaments, Grillo is making a case for his talent. Afterall, he’s on top of the leaderboard at a professional golf tournament, and no other junior can say that.
Breaking America with Rachel Connor
November 18 2009
Golf.co.uk
Fresh from booking a prized spot on next season's Duramed Futures Tour, Golf.co.uk's rising star Rachel Connor gets back to work at the David Leadbetter IMG Academy.
Hello to everyone at golf.co.uk.
Can I just say a big 'Thank You' to everyone for the messages that I have received following Tour School - they mean a lot!
After a busy week at Tour School the last week has been filled with the practicalities of arranging my affairs for life on tour in America in 2010. I will be continuing my training at the David Leadbetter IMG Academy in 2010 and Bradenton will be my base for the distant future this is a prospect that I am relishing.
Following a weekend of apartment hunting, furniture sourcing and general traipsing around department stores, I was more than ready to get back to the Academy today. A typical day at the Academy starts at 8.00am with a combination of long and short game work, mental conditioning, swing analysis and usually IPI.
The IMG Performance Institute (IPI) is really something special, my sessions include speed/agility conditioning and in-season weight training that is relative to golf. Sessions are taken by Coach TA or Trevor Anderson you can view one of our sessions here:
Coach TA is an inspirational guy the type of person that wants you to push yourself to the limit - with a smile on your face!
There are ten golf courses that are affiliated to IMG in this area and on a daily basis we are timetabled to play at one of these courses. My favourite course and one to visit, if you are ever in this area, is Sarabay Country Club.
Bobby Jones once said of Sarabay "It is one of the finest I have ever seen. It is what I call a true championship layout." So that is recommendation indeed. A typical day at the Academy will finish at 5pm.
So, I'm pleased to be back at the Academy. Our group of post-graduates now totals 13 and seems to growing each day. We are from a mixture of cultures and diverse backgrounds, male and female, and we have different interests outside golf. But we all arrived in Bradenton with one common goal - to be the best that we can be.
Michelle Wie Wins First LPGA event
November 13 2009
Leadbetter student Michelle Wie won the first LPGA event of her career on Sunday, fulfilling the promise of a decade with a three-under-par 69 to win the Lorena Ochoa Invitational by two strokes over Paula Creamer in Guadalajara, Mexico.
20-year-old Wie finished the victory in style, hitting a greenside bunker shot to 6 inches on the 18th hole before tapping in for a birdie. She raised her arms, and after pulling the ball out of the hole, she looked to the sky and let out a sigh of relief.
"For sure, it's definitely off my back," Wie said. "I think that hopefully, life will be a lot better, but I still have a lot of work to do."
Wie finished at 13-under 275 after starting the day tied for the lead with Cristie Kerr at 10 under. Kerr shot a 72 and finished three back, tied with Morgan Pressel (67) and Jiyai Shin (71).
Zero Friction Tees: The Offical Tee Partner of DLGA
David Leadbetter Golf Academy are proud to announce Zero Friction Performance Tees as the offical tee partner of DLGA in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Zero Friction Performance Tees with their patented three prong design are not only rated the longest tee in independent laboratory tests but with a swing speed of 100mph, five yards of accuracy are also gained on its competitors. Further deatails can be found on zero friction tees here.
Maiden Victory for DLGA UK student Michael Hoey
Andrew Nicholson Senior Director of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy at The Wynyard Club has recently scored a major success is assisting Michael Hoey to his first European Tour title at the Estoril Open de Portugal.
Nicholson has been coaching Hoey for six years, said: “What Michael has achieved is fantastic. We didn’t expect the win to happen so quickly even though Michael has had a string of Top 15 finishes already this year. But we certainly won’t be sitting back and thinking we’ve done all the hard work now, so it’s definitely not time to relax.”
Hoey first played on Tour in 2002, the season he also qualified to play at the Masters at Augusta after turning Pro as Irish and British Amateur Champion. He played on the Challenge Tour, before winning a place back on the main Tour in 2006, and regained his card at European Tour School in 2008.
DLGA Korea continued to proposer in 2008 under the Direction of Academy Director Robin Symes. Robin, based at Woo Jeong Hills continues to work with some of the promising players from Korea and with a second academy opening in Busan in 2008, under the direction of David-Louys Moroney the future of DLGA Korea appears to be very encouraging.
NA Yeon Choi has had a great start in her first season on the LPGA Tour. Currently 11th on the Order of Merit, and 28th in the world, she finished 2nd in the Evian Masters at Sunningdale. She has been working with Robin for over 2 years and makes frequent visits to the academy despite being predominantly based in America.
Mi Jung Hur has been a long time student of DLGA working initially with Stuart Clayton and now Robin. She turned professional this year and played a full season on the Futures Tour in America. Finishing 4th in the overall rankings she now gains her place on the LPGA tour for 2009. She will also travel with DLGA Korea to Australia for 2 months winter training in preparation for the season.
Hee Young Park has completed a very successful first season on the LPGA with an order of merit position is 35th and world ranking 58th.
Ha Neul Kim who has been with DLGA for 18 months made her breakthrough in Korea this year winning 3 times and is ranked 2nd on the KLPGA order of merit. She has improved her world ranking to 104th and will have the opportunity to play the US Open, Evian Masters and SBS open in 2009
Jang Ha Na is another long term student with a successful year. Ha Na is only aged 15 and for the 2nd time qualified for the US Open She won the Korea Amateur Champion and reached the semi finals of the US Amateur.
