NEW ORLEANS – Many of the nation's top junior golfers will be in New Orleans December 29 and 30 to compete in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Tommy Moore Memorial Junior Golf Championship. Historic Lakewood Golf Club will be home for the annual event.

The tournament, one of the nation's most rapidly growing junior golf events, is produced by the Kelly Gibson Junior Golf Tour in partnership with the Allstate Sugar Bowl and Cox Louisiana.

Proceeds from this championship will go into a scholarship fund for members of the Kelly Gibson Junior Golf Tour. Each year, the Kelly Gibson Junior Golf Tour awards thousands of dollars in college scholarships to its eligible participants. Scholarships are awarded based on community service, academic excellence and financial need, not golfing ability.

So far, 108 players from 10 states are on board for the event.

"Our tournament is exploding beyond our wildest dreams," Kelly Gibson said. "We were expecting 60 players, but we have more than 100 of the best junior players in the nation. Our goal is to be the nations' top junior golf event. And, thanks to our corporate partners, the Allstate Sugar Bowl and Cox Louisiana, we believe our dream can become a reality. At the end of the day, the winners will be the young men and women who will receive scholarships through our foundation."

The Allstate Sugar Bowl is in its inaugural year as a partner with the Tommy Moore Memorial Junior Golf Championship. Michigan and Virginia Tech will meet in the 78th edition of the storied bowl game, which will be played Jan. 3 at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The game will be broadcast nationally by ESPN.

"The Sugar Bowl Committee is looking forward to working with Lakewood Golf Club and the Kelly Gibson Foundation to welcome a strong group of young golfers to New Orleans this December," said Judge Lance Africk, president of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Committee. "It is a great honor for us to pay tribute to Tommy Moore, one of the finest golfers from New Orleans to ever play the game. Our goal is for the Allstate Sugar Bowl Tommy Moore Memorial Junior Golf Championship to develop into one of the best junior tournaments in the country."

The tournament is named for Kelly Gibson's longtime friend, Tommy Moore, one of the finest golfers to emerge from the New Orleans area. In 1980, Moore was ranked as the top junior golfer in the world by Golf Digest. He went on to earn his PGA tour card and win on the Nike Tour. Sadly, Moore died in 1988 after waging a courageous battle against a rare blood disease. He was only 35.

"This tournament will pay tribute to the many contributions that Tommy Moore made to the game of golf. Not only did he influence my career and life, but those of many others who knew him," Gibson said. "He was a true gentleman of the game," Gibson said.

THE TOMMY MOORE MEMORIAL JUNIOR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

In partnership with the Allstate Sugar Bowl, The Kelly Gibson Foundation produces the Tommy Moore Memorial Junior Golf Championship. The tournament, set for Dec. 29 and 30 at the historic Lakewood Golf Club in New Orleans, features some of the nation's best junior golfers.

About the Allstate Sugar Bowl:

The Allstate Sugar Bowl will host the 78th Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic featuring Michigan and Virginia Tech on Jan. 3, 2012, followed by the 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship on Jan.

9 featuring LSU and Alabama. In addition to football, the Allstate Sugar Bowl is involved with various

community initiatives through hosting and sponsorships of sporting events, awards and clinics.

Through more than 25 annual events, the organization supports and honors over 13,000 student-athletes each year. For more information, visit www.allstatesugarbowl.com.

About The Kelly Gibson Foundation:

The Kelly Gibson Foundation was founded as Feed the Relief, Inc. by Kelly and Elizabeth Gibson in September of 2005 with the idea of providing necessary support for front line first responders to Hurricane Katrina. In the days and weeks following the nation's worst natural disaster.

Feed the Relief provided support to the Coast Guard, EMS personnel, police and fire departments, community centers, hospitals, and residents as they returned to their homes. In 2010, Feed the Relief, a

501(c)3 corporation, changed its name to The Kelly Gibson Foundation, while expanding its mission to enrich the lives of children through athletics. For more information, visit www.thekellygibsonfoundation.org

About Lakewood Golf Club:

Lakewood is one of Louisiana's storied golf courses. The course celebrates its golden anniversary in

2011. The club has hosted 26 PGA Tour New Orleans Opens. Noted past champions of the New Orleans Open include Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Lee Trevino, Billy Casper, Gary Player, Ben Crenshaw, and Hubert Green. A recent multimillion dollar renovation by the current owners, the New Orleans Firefighters Pension Fund, has preserved one of golf's true treasures for many years to come. For more information, visit www.lakewoodgolf.com