Golfers from a dozen countries compete every October at the Long Drive finals in Mesquite, Nev. The 2003 finals were played Oct. 14-18 at The Palms Golf Club. Clayton Burger of Houston, a senior project engineer for a major oil company, won the Open Division with a drive of 402 yards, 5 inches. It was the second-longest drive in the history of the finals, exceeded only by four-time champion Jason Zuback, who blasted a drive 412 yards in 1997. Burger collected $80,000 from the record purse of $350,000.

Other 2003 champions included Nancy Abiecunas of Loveland, Colo., in the Women's Division (332 yards, 16 inches); Eric Jones of Orinda, Calif., in the Senior Division (381 yards, 33 inches) and Fred Hooter of Auburn, Ala., in the Super Senior Division (345 yards, 11 inches).

The finals air annually during the Christmas season on ESPN and ESPN2.
Only within the past 10 years, with the creation and evolution of the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, has long drive become a unified global event whose winners deserve the titles "world champions."

The growth of the sport of long drive can be traced to a confluence of events, including:

1. The creation of Long Drivers of America (LDA). Composed of long drive specialists committed to the growth of the sport, LDA was formed in 1994 by Texan Art Sellinger and Californian Randy Souza, two long drive competitors themselves. Sellinger was a two-time U.S. national long drive champion. In 2000, Sellinger purchased sole ownership of LDA and moved the company's headquarters to Southlake, Texas.
2. LDA has more than 700 dues-paying competitive members - associate and junior memberships are available as well - and its membership roster continues to grow as the sport gains increased exposure both in North America and abroad.
3. RE/MAX corporate sponsorship. RE/MAX, whose network encompasses more than 88,000 agents in more than 4,800 offices on six continents, has elevated the sport of Long Drive through its participation and support.
   Before RE/MAX became involved in such a major way, the U.S. National Long Drive Championship was a low-key affair with a total purse of $50,000. Now it's a worldwide competition with a $350,000 purse and an avid following around the globe.
4. Television coverage by ESPN and ESPN2. Tape-delayed broadcasts each December of the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship have become a holiday staple for TV sports audiences. The broadcast also airs in numerous countries around the world.
5. The emergence of a superstar, Canadian Jason Zuback. Zuback, a pharmacist-turned-golfer from Calgary, Alberta, won four consecutive RE/MAX World Long Drive Championships from 1996-99. That feat garnered exposure for long drive and made Zuback a household name. Zuback will be inducted into the LDA Hall of Fame this October

• The 1996 creation of a senior division for hitters 45 and up.
  
• The 2000 introduction of a women's division.
  
• The launch of junior divisions for boys and girls in 2002, and an expansion in 2003 to add additional junior divisions (14-and-under and 15-to-17).

One dramatic change in long driving during the RE/MAX era has been the longer distances posted by champions. Just as PGA Tour players drive the ball appreciably longer on average than they did a decade ago, long drivers have also kicked their games up a notch.

Whereas drives of 325 yards in the 1980s and early 1990s gave hitters a chance at making money, today's power hitters typically need to post at least 350 or 360 yards to advance in the qualifying rounds. At the RE/MAX world finals in Mesquite, long drive champions are more apt to finish closer to the 400-yard mark than the 300-yard mark.