The Club at Olde Stone has been awarded the 2008 Junior Ryder Cup, the biennial team golf competition which pits some of the best young amateur players from the United States and Europe against one another.

The fourth edition of the Junior Ryder Cup will be Sept. 15 and 16 at the Alvaton course, before the 37th Ryder Cup is played later that week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.

Steve Newman, head PGA professional for the private club which opened two years ago, said the event is a feather in Olde Stone’s cap.

“So young in our history, to have an international event, it’s really unbelievable to have something like that,” Newman said Wednesday. “Not only (because of) the coverage you’re going to get in this country, but the coverage you’re going to get over in Europe.”

Also Wednesday, Olde Stone announced its inclusion on Golf Digest magazine’s list of the 10 “Best New Private” golf courses in the United States.

Olde Stone came in eighth in the rankings, based on a series of visits and critiques performed throughout the summer, Newman said.

The U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team includes six boys and six girls who are members of the graduating class of 2009, according to the PGA of America, which oversees the competition with Ryder Cup Ltd.

Players qualify for the event by winning the 2008 U.S. Junior or U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur championships, by placing in the top two at the PGA of America’s Junior PGA Championship, by placing in the top two of the Junior Ryder Cup point standings or by earning a captain’s selection.

The event moves back and forth between Europe and the United States. The 2006 Junior Ryder Cup was held at Celtic Manor Resort in Wales, the 2004 competition was at Westfield Group Country Club in Ohio.

Newman said Olde Stone’s selection gives the club a foot in the door with the PGA of America, which could decide to return to Alvaton with future events.

Newman said Olde Stone has feelers out about possibly hosting other major golf tournaments, although he declined to go into detail.

“What this Junior Ryder Cup does is it gives us a working relationship with the PGA of America,” he said. “Once you get that relationship and show your ability to run an event,” future opportunities could be created.

Admission to the Junior Ryder Cup – which includes foursome, mixed four-ball and singles competition – will be free, Newman said.

Meanwhile, Newman celebrated Olde Stone’s inclusion on the Golf Digest list, saying it could bolster marketing and membership recruitment on a national level.

“Right now, we’re known on a regional basis,” Newman said. “This ranking is probably the most prestigious ranking up to this point.”

The course, designed by Arthur Hills and Drew Rogers, is joined on Golf Digest’s nationwide list by layouts developed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Kite and Tom Weiskopf.

Newman said Olde Stone is seeking volunteers to assist the club during the 2008 Junior Ryder Cup. Job descriptions vary, with a few requiring physical activity.

— For more information on volunteering, call the clubhouse at 393-4654.