Southport, NC – After a one-week hiatus from tournament play, the eGolf Tour returns to action this week in Southport, NC for the third annual Championship at St. James Plantation, to be contested on both the Reserve Club and Founders Club courses at St. James Plantation on April 11-14.

In just two years, the Championship at St. James Plantation has quickly become one of the tour’s marquee events. The serene coastal setting brings to mind the backdrop for a famed Pat Conroy novel, but the stout venues found inside the exclusive gates of the St. James Plantation property steal the show for the week, and provide a stern test for the 150-player field.

The host course for the event will be the Jack Nicklaus-designed Reserve Club at St. James. Upon opening, the club was named "Best New Course in North Carolina" by the 130-member North Carolina golf panel. In 2007, that same panel selected the top 100 golf courses, and The Reserve Club debuted at No. 39, the highest ranking of any first-time nominee.

The Reserve Club course features a plethora of demanding tee shots and approach shots, as the Nicklaus design highlights some of the area’s native ponds and forests to create a multitude of risk/reward shots. At 7,212 yards, it is one of the best tests of golf in North Carolina.

The secondary course for the event will be the P.B. Dye-designed Founders Club course, arguably the most awarded course in eastern North Carolina. One of a handful of Dye courses on the eGolf Tour schedule, the Founders Club course is known as one of the most scenic and arduous venues in the area. Measuring just over 7,000 yards, it is not long by modern standards, but it rewards precise shotmaking and the intelligent player as it weaves throughout one of the more stunning vistas on the tour's 2012 schedule.

“The golf courses at St. James are immaculate in their condition, and outstanding in their routing. That combination has made this event a wonderful success since its inception in 2010,” said eGolf Tour president David Siegel. “Testament to the demanding nature of both the Reserve and Founders Club courses can be found in the winning scores, which have been a major-championship-like 8-under over the last two years.”

The two standout venues have given way to promising champions in the event’s two-year history. In 2010, three-time Canadian Amateur champion and current Nationwide Tour member Richard Scott posted rounds of 71-69-70-70—280 (8-under) to claim his second career eGolf Tour title with a one-shot victory over current PGA TOUR member Brian Harman. The win was especially sweet for Scott, who was a teammate of Harman’s at the University of Georgia, where Scott was a key member of the school’s 2005 NCAA Championship team – one year prior to Harman’s enrollment.

In 2011, Jason Kokrak won the third of his four career eGolf Tour titles at St. James with a one-shot victory over 2009 NCAA Individual Champion Matt Hill following rounds of 65-72-72-71—280 (8-under). The win at St. James gave way to another Kokrak victory the next month at the famed Pine Needles Resort, and he would add yet another stellar finish with a runner-up effort at the River Hills Classic just one month later. From there, Kokrak’s year took a turn for the good as he parlayed two wins and five top-10 finishes on the Nationwide Tour into a season-ending fourth-place finish on the tour’s money list. That finish, courtesy of what amounted to a torrid three-month stretch, gave Kokrak his PGA TOUR card for 2012. The long-hitting rookie is currently No. 110 on the PGA TOUR money list with earnings of $217,528.

A stellar field has assembled for this year’s event, including 7 of the top 10 players from the tour’s current money list, and winners from four of the first five events: Chris Naegel (Oldfield Open), Kevin Foley (Pine Needles Classic), David May (Irish Creek Classic) and Seamus Power (River Run Classic).

The event will also take on an even more international feel than in years past, with representation from 18 countries and over 25 states. Countries currently represented include: United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Australia, Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, South Africa, Russia and Bermuda.

Part of what makes the Championship at St. James Plantation such a success is the support the tour receives from the St. James staff, as well as the residents who contribute their time and efforts to assist in volunteering.

“The staff at St. James is second to none, and the volunteer support from the community is some of the best we see all year,” said Siegel. “From the time you enter the gates, to the time you walk off of 18 green, you know you’re at one of the premier communities on the east coast. Their efforts make our jobs much easier once onsite. It’s a big reason for why we choose to return year after year.”

The 2012 Championship at St. James Plantation will begin on Wednesday morning at 8:00 AM, with players competing on both courses off of Nos. 1 and 10 tees. The field will be flipped for Thursday’s second round, and then cut to the low 33 percent and ties for the final two rounds on Friday and Saturday, contested solely at the Reserve Club. The tournament is open to the public and free of charge. For more information on the event, or the eGolf Tour, please visit www.egolfprofessionaltour.com..