The Inaugural Tournament - A Success

In front of several thousand fans at the Atunyote Golf Club at the Turning Stone Resort, an economic enterprise of the Oneida Indian Nation, Camilo Villegas  won the inaugural Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge, taking home $220,000 in the Skins Game format. Vijay Singh, fresh off his win at The Barclays, came in second winning $180,000.

The Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge (NB3 Challenge) is the first national event to raise money for the Notah Begay III Foundation.  The inaugural tournament on August 26, 2008 featured Notah Begay III and four of the PGA TOUR’s top players, Stewart Cink, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas and Mike Weir in a skins game format. The Founding Sponsors for the event are The Oneida Nation of New York and the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians.

In 2005, Notah Begay III, a four-time PGA TOUR winner and the only full-blooded Native American in golf, established the Notah Begay III Foundation -- 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, Notah established the Foundation to deliver youth sports activities in tribal communities in the form of golf and soccer programs.

In an effort to be a continuous catalyst for positive change within Indian Country and fund these crucial programs for Native American youth, Notah created the Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge (NB3 Challenge) to benefit Indian youth. The purpose of the tournament is to raise money for the Foundation for the creation and delivery of these sustainable athletic programs for Native American youth.