PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Carey J. Witten of San Diego, Calif., a senior this fall in the Professional Golf Management Program at Mississippi State University, heads the list of 11 recipients of the 2008 Paul Runyan Collegiate Golf Management Scholarship. Witten earned a $2,500 scholarship, which is presented to a college junior in The PGA of America's Golf Management Program (PGA/PGM) currently offered at 18 colleges or universities.

The scholarship was inspired by the legacy of the late Paul Runyan, one of the game's premier instructors who passed away in 2002. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and a two-time winner of the PGA Championship and Senior PGA Championship, Runyan was chosen one of GOLF Magazine's Top 50 Teachers.

Witten, 42, who originally studied landscape architecture before pursuing a golf career, has a cumulative 3.89 grade-point average as a Professional Golf Management major. He is joined by 10 other Paul Runyan Scholarship recipients who each earned a $1,500 scholarship:

--Michael Abraham, Bel Air, Md., Coastal Carolina University
--Mark Bacheldor, Aurora, Colo., University of Colorado
--Thomas Corey Ford, Gastonia, N.C., North Carolina State University
--Carly Froehlich, Norfolk, Neb., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
--Bradley Goetsch, Grand Haven, Mich., Ferris State University
--Michael Harger, Proctor, Vt., Clemson University
--Andrew Jokerst, Grand Junction, Colo., New Mexico State University
--E. Keith Jones, Buffalo, Wyo., University of Nevada-Las Vegas
--Justin Lake, Boise, Idaho, Arizona State University
--Jeremy McLean, Essex Junction, Vt., Penn State University

"The PGA of America is proud to award the Paul Runyan Collegiate Golf Management Scholarship to this year's outstanding and most deserving list of recipients," said PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb. "In the spirit of Paul Runyan, who matched his superlative playing skills with an even greater legacy as an instructor, this scholarship exemplifies how one can improve oneself through education and using one's skills to give back to the game. The Paul Runyan legacy serves as a model for all PGA Professionals and those who aspire to attain PGA membership."

Applicants for the Paul Runyan Collegiate Golf Management Scholarship must be currently enrolled in a sanctioned PGA/PGM program and be completing their junior year at that university or college.

Applicants must have completed Level 2 of the Professional Golf Management Program, carry a grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 grading scale, have successfully completed the Playing Ability Test (PAT), demonstrate community involvement as it relates to growing the participation in the game of golf, and present a paper (500-word minimum) discussing "Why Do You Want to Become a PGA Professional?"

Since its beginning, the Paul Runyan Collegiate Golf Management Scholarships has awarded $90,000.

Currently, 2,556 students are enrolled in The PGA's Professional Golf Management Program (PGA/PGM) at 18 colleges or universities nationwide. The program has 2,047 graduates who have become PGA Professionals.

Since 1916, The PGA of America's mission has been two-fold: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.

By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the $76 billion golf industry.

By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere.

The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.