While there’s plenty of excitement for the U.S. Open – to be held June 15-18 at Erin Hills, northwest of Milwaukee – that’s not the area’s only major golf event news. Brown Deer Golf Course was recently named one of eight PGA Junior League Golf Regional competition sites by the PGA of America and will host the Midwest Regional Sept. 9-10.

At the event, eight elite teams of junior golfers ages 13 and under will compete for the opportunity to advance to the 2017 PGA Junior League Golf Championship, Nov. 16-19, at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The other seven regional host facilities are located in New Orleans, Louisiana; Kiawah Island, South Carolina; Westminster, Colorado; Atkinson, New Hampshire; San Francisco, California; Mohnton, Pennsylvania; and Carmel, Indiana.

"While the focus of PGA Junior League Golf remains on introducing both boys and girls to the game of golf in the encouraging atmosphere of the regular season, the postseason is the natural next-step that provides a fun and competitive outlet for participants," said PGA President Paul Levy in a statement. "We’re thrilled to have eight world-class facilities on board in 2017, to offer these exciting young players the feeling of participating in a major golf event."

Brown Deer Golf Course, where the PGA professional is Andrew Barrett, is known for being the location of the Greater Milwaukee Open (now called the U.S. Bank Championship), where Tiger Woods made his pro debut in 1996. Previously, it hosted the U.S. Mid-Amateur along with Milwaukee Country Club, and currently hosts the PHC Classic on the LPGA Symetra Tour.

PGA Junior League Golf offers boys and girls — ages 13 and under of all abilities — a fun, social, and inclusive opportunity to learn and play golf in a recreational team setting with their friends. Much like other recreational youth sports, players wear numbered jerseys, utilizing a popular scramble format for competition. PGA and LPGA Professionals serve exclusively as Captains, providing expert coaching and instruction.

Following the regular season, 10-player all-star teams are formed from a combination of players in each league. Teams move through a series of sub-regional competitions to advance to one of the eight regional competitions. The eight regional champions advance to the Championship, to be held for the second-consecutive year at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

PGA Junior League Golf featured a record-setting 36,000 participants across 2,900 teams nationwide last year, led by more than 2,000 PGA and LPGA Professionals. This growth represents a 300 percent increase from the 9,000 boys and girls who participated on 740 teams nationwide just three years prior.

For more information on PGA Junior League Golf, visit PGAJLG.com.