Daly pulls out of Dec. 4 event at the TPC at The Canyons in Las Vegas with a broken right hand. Tim Herron also withdraws, for personal reasons, and will be replaced by Bo Van Pelt
LAS VEGAS – Long-hitting fan favorite John Daly will not make his scheduled appearance at the 2005 Bard Capital Challenge Sunday at TPC at The Canyons in Las Vegas after sustaining a fractured right hand at the Duff Challenge last Saturday at Casablanca Resort in Mesquite, Nev. Daly’s replacement for this inaugural event is yet to be determined.
Daly, winner of the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 British Open, owns five PGA TOUR titles. He was involved in playoffs twice this year, only to place runner-up to Vijay Singh in Houston and Tiger Woods in San Francisco. He earned $1.7 million this year. He ranks 68th on the all-time PGA TOUR career earnings list.
"Unfortunately, due to an injury, I am forced to withdraw from this year’s inaugural Bard Capital Challenge," Daly said in a statement. "I wish Richard Bard and the entire tournament staff the best of luck with this year’s event and I look forward to participating in next year’s tournament."
Additionally, Tim Herron elected to pull out of the event and will be replaced by Bo Van Pelt. Herron’s wife, Ann, is due to give birth to twins. Already lined up to play in the Bard Capital Challenge is last week’s Skins Game champion, Fred Funk, Mark Calcavecchia, Nick Price, Rory Sabbatini, Zach Johnson and Scott Verplank. This unique event will be taped for telecast Dec. 15 on The Golf Channel and re-airs on Christmas Day.
An officially-sanctioned event on the PGA TOUR Challenge Season, the Bard Capital Challenge offers amateurs from throughout the country the opportunity to experience what it is like to be a pro for a day and compete with top TOUR stars. The finals of the Bard Capital Challenge features a championship purse of $750,000, with $600,000 going to the professionals and $150,000 donated to the American Cancer Society.
The Bard Capital Challenge is a very unique pro/amateur event. Amateurs will compete in the national tournament in Las Vegas, with the eight winning two-player teams partnering with eight PGA TOUR stars in the finals, Sunday, Dec. 4.
To sign up for the Bard Capital Challenge, visit www.bardcapitalchallenge.com or call 1-866-977-3224.
"We are thrilled to have these PGA TOUR stars competing in our inaugural Bard Capital Challenge," said Richard Bard, Denver-based entrepreneur and founder of Bard Capital. "Their talent and personalities lend perfectly to our commitment to create a wonderful experience for our participating amateurs, viewers of this unique PGA TOUR Challenge Season event, and our charitable partner, the American Cancer Society."
To be eligible, amateurs must have an official USGA handicap index. All events and entry instructions are listed on the tournament section page of the Web site (www.bardcapitalchallenge.com). The National Finals will be an exclusive two-player team, 54-hole competition (low net/best ball). Following the three rounds of competition, the eight lowest scoring amateur teams will each be partnered with a PGA TOUR professional on national television as they compete in an 18-hole main event for $750,000: a $600,000 professional purse, $150,000 in donations to local American Cancer Society chapters of amateur winners, plus amateur prizes. Scoring in the main event will be better ball net of the amateur team, plus the PGA TOUR pro score per hole. PGA TOUR player eligibility for the Bard Capital Challenge is based on: The top two players available on the 2005 money list through the NEC Invitational; the top available finisher from the 2005 PLAYERS Championship; one member of the 2005 Presidents Cup team (U.S. or International), and four sponsor exemptions.
About Bard Capital Partners LLC, Richard Bard, and the Bard Center
Bard Capital Partners LLC is a private equity investment group with headquarters in Golden, Colo., and New York City. Bard Capital’s strategy is to invest in businesses that will benefit from the operating experience and active involvement of Mr. Bard and the Bard Capital team. The present portfolio includes two global manufacturing companies as well as sports properties The Bard Capital Challenge, The Duff Challenge and The Chairman’s Cup.
Mr. Bard has formed, founded or acquired and then operated numerous investor-led businesses bringing them to successful conclusions, including FoxMeyer Corporation, Coast-to-Coast Hardware (CoastAmerica Corporation), ComputerLand Corporation, and Optical Security Group, Inc. Since 1989, through Bard & Co. and IdeaSpring, LLC, Bard has managed a diversified portfolio of corporate and real estate investments, including banking, manufacturing, security products and services, gaming, web-enabled new ventures, office buildings, residential homebuilding, affordable housing, and RV parks. Bard served as chairman of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He is one of Denver’s best-known entrepreneurs, is a highly-respected voice in the business and financial communities, and has ties to business leaders both in the U.S. and abroad.
The Richard H. and Pamela S. Bard Center for Entrepreneurship Development at the University of Colorado at Denver was established in 1996 to be a vehicle to help foster and promote economic opportunity in Denver and the surrounding community. In addition to the 400+ students annually enrolled in the program, the Center houses up to 12 emerging companies at its in-house incubator, offers start-up capital venture funds to qualified new businesses, and annually awards the best student business plans in a highly-publicized ceremony in Denver. With the support of a continuing endowment from the Bard Family Foundation, the Center is totally self-supporting and operates in an off-campus facility including the third floor of the historic Masonic Building in downtown Denver.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from the disease. With more than two million volunteers nationwide and 90 years experience, the American Cancer Society is one of the oldest and largest voluntary health agencies in the world. Offices in 3,400 communities across the country uniquely position the American Cancer Society to meet the needs of all cancer patients and their loved ones – when they need help and where they need help. Only the American Cancer Society fights all cancers on all fronts: research, education, advocacy, and patient services. And only the American Cancer Society has the organizational breadth, the grassroots volunteer capacity, and the wealth of public health experience necessary to dramatically improve the lives of millions of Americans facing cancer. For more information about the American Cancer Society 24 hours a day, seven days a week call 1-800-ACS-2345
or visit www.cancer.org.
About the PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is a tax-exempt membership organization of professional golfers. Its primary purpose is to provide significant competitive earnings opportunities for past, current and future members of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour; to protect the integrity of the game; and to help grow the reach of the game in the U.S. and around the world. More than 100 events will be contested on the three Tours in 2005, for nearly $320 million in prize money. PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour events have donated more than $950 million to charity since 1938 and will surpass $1 billion this year. The PGA TOUR’s Web site address is www.pgatour.com.
Contact:
Toby Zwikel/Damian Secore
Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.
(818) 344-6195 ext. 104 /114
