Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge
Encyclopedia
The Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge, or NB3 Challenge, is a charitable golf
event taking place at Atunyote Golf Club at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Oneida
, New York
on August 26, 2008. This year's tournament featured a skins game
format, featuring PGA Tour
players Notah Begay III
, Stewart Cink
, Vijay Singh
, Camilo Villegas
and Mike Weir
. All proceeds benefitted the Notah Begay III Foundation for the creation and delivery of sustainable athletic programming for Native American
youth.
The NB3 Challenge served as the Foundation’s first national event and will be played annually, with the 2009 NB3 Challenge already slated for August 2009.
Mission Indians of California and Oneida Indian Nation
of New York) and will support Begay's mission of bringing Native American people together to benefit Indian youth. The NB3 Challenge further demonstrates how tribes are coming together to help improve the country's economy, create jobs and educate the nation’s first people. Additionally, the tournament allows tribes who have experienced economic prosperity with an opportunity to give back to their communities where help is needed most – among Native children growing up on reservations.
The Foundation's soccer program allows approximately 150 Native American youth from the San Felipe Pueblo to participate on one of 16 different teams for a 10 game season within their community. The current golf program focuses on teaching Native American youth the game of golf in addition to teaching the principles of honesty and integrity that are part of the game.
While the programs have been a success in getting kids active, the goal for the Foundation is to introduce and establish the programs within tribal communities across the country, and in turn, encourage the tribes to run the programs and maintain the facilities themselves. With the funds raised through the NB3 Challenge, Begay hopes to provide reservations across the country with the resources necessary to establish and sustain these important programs benefiting Native American youth.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
event taking place at Atunyote Golf Club at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Oneida
Oneida, New York
Oneida is a city in Madison County located west of Oneida Castle and east of Canastota, New York, United States. The population was 10,987 at the 2000 census. The city, like both Oneida County and the nearby silver and china maker, takes its name from the Oneida tribe...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on August 26, 2008. This year's tournament featured a skins game
Skins Game
A skins game is a type of scoring for various sports, most notably golf but also for curling and bowling.-LG Skins Game:There was an annual skins game for male professional golfers which takes place in November or December each year after the end of the official PGA Tour season. It is recognized by...
format, featuring PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
players Notah Begay III
Notah Begay III
Notah Ryan Begay III is an American professional golfer. He is the only full-blooded American Indian golfer on the PGA Tour. He is currently an analyst with the Golf Channel.-Amateur career:...
, Stewart Cink
Stewart Cink
Stewart Ernest Cink is an American professional golfer who won the 2009 Open Championship. He has spent over 40 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings from 2004 to 2009.-Early years and education:...
, Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
, Camilo Villegas
Camilo Villegas
Camilo Villegas is a Colombian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the European Tour.-Early years:Villegas was born in Medellín, Colombia, and took up golf as a child...
and Mike Weir
Mike Weir
Michael Richard Weir, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He spent over 110 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 2001 and 2005. He is best known for winning the Masters in 2003....
. All proceeds benefitted the Notah Begay III Foundation for the creation and delivery of sustainable athletic programming for Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
youth.
The NB3 Challenge served as the Foundation’s first national event and will be played annually, with the 2009 NB3 Challenge already slated for August 2009.
Notah Begay III Foundation
In 2005, Notah Begay III, a four-time PGA Tour winner and the only full-blooded Native American PGA Tour player, established the Notah Begay III Foundation. It is a federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization designed to provide sustainable health and wellness programs for Native American youth. Recognizing the lack of sustainable programming for youth within Tribal communities, Begay established the Foundation to deliver youth sports activities in tribal communities in the form of golf and soccer programs.A First for Indian Country
This golf tournament is a first of its kind, entirely funded and operated by Indian Nations (title sponsors include San Manuel Band of SerranoSerrano
-People:* Serrano , a Native American tribe of Southern California** The Serrano language spoken by the Serrano people*Serrano , people with the surname Serrano-Places:*Serrano Intermediate School, in Lake Forest, CA...
Mission Indians of California and Oneida Indian Nation
Oneida Indian Nation
The Oneida Indian Nation is the Oneida tribe that resides in New York and currently owns a number of businesses and tribal land in Verona, NY, Oneida, NY, and Canastota, NY.- Businesses :...
of New York) and will support Begay's mission of bringing Native American people together to benefit Indian youth. The NB3 Challenge further demonstrates how tribes are coming together to help improve the country's economy, create jobs and educate the nation’s first people. Additionally, the tournament allows tribes who have experienced economic prosperity with an opportunity to give back to their communities where help is needed most – among Native children growing up on reservations.
Youth Programs Benefit from the Challenge
Today, Native American youth on reservations are faced with increased rates of obesity, diabetes, drug abuse and overall poor health as a result of the lack of health and wellness programs and funding available in many of their communities. Notah established his Foundation to serve as a catalyst for bringing about change for youth in Indian Country through the creation of soccer and golf programs.The Foundation's soccer program allows approximately 150 Native American youth from the San Felipe Pueblo to participate on one of 16 different teams for a 10 game season within their community. The current golf program focuses on teaching Native American youth the game of golf in addition to teaching the principles of honesty and integrity that are part of the game.
While the programs have been a success in getting kids active, the goal for the Foundation is to introduce and establish the programs within tribal communities across the country, and in turn, encourage the tribes to run the programs and maintain the facilities themselves. With the funds raised through the NB3 Challenge, Begay hopes to provide reservations across the country with the resources necessary to establish and sustain these important programs benefiting Native American youth.
Winners
- 2010 Christie Kerr and Hunter MahanHunter MahanHunter Myles Mahan is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.-Amateur career:Mahan was born in Orange, California. He had a successful amateur career, winning the 1999 5A Texas State High School Golf Championship while attending McKinney High School and the 1999 U.S. Junior...
- 2009 Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
- 2008 Camilo VillegasCamilo VillegasCamilo Villegas is a Colombian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the European Tour.-Early years:Villegas was born in Medellín, Colombia, and took up golf as a child...