Australian Adam Scott to defend title
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (January 10, 2006) — The Nissan Open presented by Countrywide will increase its purse by $300,000 to a record $5.1 million for the 2006 event, to be played Feb. 13-19 at Riviera Country Club. The winner will earn a record $918,000.
From its initial $10,000 purse in 1926, the tournament has grown its payout throughout its 80- year history. The $1 million mark was reached in 1989 and grew to $2.1 million in 1998, $3.1 million in 2000 and $4.5 million in 2003.
Australian Adam Scott will return to defend his title. In addition to his 2005 Nissan Open title, won in a sudden-death playoff over Chad Campbell, Scott owns PGA TOUR victories at the 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship, and in 2004 at THE PLAYERS Championship and Booz Allen Classic. He also owns five international victories, including last year at the Singapore Open. His best finishes in major championship events came in 2002 at the Masters (T-9) and 2004 at the PGA Championship (T-9). He finished 3rd at the 2003 WGC-Accenture Match Play. He was the youngest player on either team at the 2003 Presidents Cup and starred at last year’s event.
The 80th playing of the Nissan Open and its ancillary activities runs from Saturday, Feb. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 19. The week’s activities begin with Countrywide’s Collegiate/Celebrity Am Golf Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Riviera Country Club. Practice rounds will be held on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 13 and 14, with the pro-am scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 15 and the 2006 edition of the PGA TOUR’s Nissan Open presented by Countrywide Thursday, Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 19.
The beautiful Riviera Country Club will again be the host site of the tournament. This historic venue has been the official home of the tournament since 1929 when the fourth tournament was first played at the Riviera Country Club. This is the 44th time Riviera has played host to the tournament, including every year but two since 1973. The 1983 tournament was played at Rancho Park Golf Course due to the PGA Championship at Riviera that year and the 1998 tournament was held at Valencia Country Club due to the U.S. Senior Open at Riviera.
Tickets for the tournament are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for juniors and can be purchased by calling 1-800-752-6736 or by visiting local Roger Dunn’s Golf Shops or online at www.lajcc.org/nissan.
The tournament’s title sponsor, Nissan North America, Inc. is celebrating its 18th year in that capacity. In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer as well as corporate financing, sales, marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan in North America, along with a complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles, can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.Infiniti.com or contact Nissan’s corporate media line at (310) 771-5631.
Countrywide Financial Corporation is in its fourth year as the presenting sponsor of the tournament. Founded in 1969, Countrywide is America’s #1 home loan lender as ranked for 2004 by Inside Mortgage Finance (Jan. 28, 2005), Copyright 2005 – and is a member of the S&P 500 and Fortune 500. Countrywide, through its subsidiaries, provides mortgage banking and diversified financial services in domestic and international markets. Mortgage banking businesses include loan production and servicing principally through Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., which originates, purchases, securitizes, sells, and services residential loans. The company is headquartered in Calabasas, California and has a workforce of more than 54,000 individuals and over 800 offices worldwide. For more information about the company, visit Countrywide’s Web site at www.countrywide.com.
The Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce has managed the tournament for the past 80 years, making it the oldest civic-sponsored event on the PGA TOUR. The programs and projects of the LAJCC focus on at-risk youth sports that emphasize education, life skills, family growth and leadership development.
Membership information can be obtained by calling (213) 482-1311 or online at www.lajcc.org.
Contact:
Toby Zwikel, Brian Robin
Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.
818-344-6195, ext. 104, 110