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Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge Honored for Improving Tournament GolF

International Network of Golf recognizes Foundation’s flagship fundraising event as nation’s best


Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. – (Feb. 02, 2011) – The Notah Begay III Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by four-time PGA TOUR winner Notah Begay III, accepted the International Network of Golf (ING) Industry Honors in the Tournament Service category at a recent press conference held in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., during the PGA Merchandise Show. The award honored the Foundation’s largest and most-recognized fundraising event, the Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge.

 

“I am humbled that the NB3 Challenge impressed the members of ING and earned one of the group’s select ING Industry Honors,” said Begay. “I’m incredibly proud of the NB3 Challenge and the work of our Foundation. None of this would be possible without the vision and continuing support of our great partners, the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians and the Oneida Indian Nation, who play a vital role in our success and share this honor with us. Opportunities like this award create awareness of our great annual event and our mission to enable Native American youth to be healthier and more successful as young adults. I’m very appreciative of ING for recognizing our work, and hope this encourages people to check us out and find a way to help the cause.”

 

The 2010 Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge featured an expanded field and a new tournament format than the two previous years, pairing 12 top names from the worlds of men’s and women’s golf into mixed pairs for a best ball competition. Hunter Mahan and Cristie Kerr outplayed the field on the Atunyote Golf Club course at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y., defeating the team of Rickie Fowler and Annika Sorenstam by two strokes. The rest of the world-class field included: Lorena Ochoa, Vijay Singh, Suzann Pettersen, Anthony Kim, Morgan Pressel, Camilo Villegas, Anna Rawson and Begay. The tournament raised $1.25 million for the Notah Begay III Foundation.

 

The Tournament Service category of the ING Industry Honors celebrates outstanding contributions to a local or national event that improves tournament golf for all. Among the most prestigious honors in the golf industry, ING Industry Honors profile exceptional achievement in the golf business. This year marked the 18th edition of the Honors, which are an extension of the group’s mission to enhance and promote communication and education in golf. A combination of experts in each category and voting among all members of ING, which is open to anyone in the golf industry, related industries and media, determines the honorees in each category.

 

The Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge began in 2008 when Begay, the PGA TOUR’s only full-blooded Native American golfer and a long-time advocate in the battle for improved public health in Native American communities, partnered with the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians and the Oneida Indian Nation and created the event to raise money and further the mission of the Notah Begay III Foundation. Since its inception, the Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge has raised more than $2.5 million for the Foundation. The proceeds have allowed the Foundation and its partners to make a difference in the lives of Native American youth through sustainable athletics programs promoting physical fitness, wellness and leadership development. These programs help the Foundation raise awareness for improved health and wellness of Native American youth on Indian reservations nationwide, especially with regard to the fight against childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The tangible results of these efforts include golf and soccer clubs for Native American youth and the construction of a first-of-its-kind soccer facility and community park on the land of the San Felipe Pueblo.


 


For more information about the NB3 Foundation Challenge, visit: www.nb3challenge.com.

 

 

 

 

About Notah Begay III Foundation

In 2005, Notah Begay III established the Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Notah established the Foundation to address the profound health and wellness issues impacting Native American youth and to empower those youth and help them realize their potential as tomorrow’s leaders. The mission of the Foundation is to reduce the incidences of obesity and diabetes and advance the lives of Native American youth through sports and wellness programming. To this end, the mission the Foundation supports is the development of sustainable, evidence-based and innovative soccer and golf programs designed by Native Americans for Native American youth that promote physical fitness, wellness and leadership development.

 For more information on Notah Begay III and the Foundation, visit: www.nb3foundation.com.

Media Contact:
Brian Israel, Weber Shandwick
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