TaylorMade-adidas Golf Signs On As Presenting Sponsor of Inaugural Event
MANHATTAN, NY (Jan. 12, 2006) — Billionaire entrepreneur Donald J. Trump is looking for 100 golfers to participate in the Trump Million Dollar Invitational, a new, dramatic high stakes golf tournament that will hold its inaugural event in May 2006 and be broadcast worldwide from the Trump International Golf Club at Raffles Resort Canouan Island, The Grenadines.
At a press conference Tuesday at Trump Tower in Manhattan, Trump issued a challenge to golfers around the world: "I am going to personally give one million dollars to the one golfer who can prove they have the skill and nerve it takes to survive under the most extreme pressure on one of the world’s most demanding courses. Because I’m not going to just give $1 Million awayâ?¦they’re going to have to take it."
The 2006 Trump Million Dollar Invitational at Raffles Resort Canouan Island will be held May 21-26, 2006. Participation is open to all professional or amateur golfers 18 years of age or older who are not currently members of the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour, Nationwide Tour or European Tour. Entries will be accepted from Jan. 10-March 31, 2006 at www.trumpmilliondollar.com. As an invitation-only event, a maximum of 100 players will be invited to compete in the 54-hole stroke play tournament; entry fee is $15,000 per player. All entry fees collected will be awarded, creating a $1.5 million dollar prize pool. Players are responsible for all travel, lodging, meals and other expenses associated with their participation in the event.
TaylorMade-adidas Golf will be presenting sponsor of the 2006 Trump Million Dollar Invitational; in addition, TaylorMade is the official golf equipment sponsor, adidas is the official apparel/footwear sponsor and Maxfli is the official ball sponsor. "We believe this is going to be a very unique and exciting golf event," said Mark King, TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s CEO. "It is a great fit with our family of brands because it shares our passion for golf, relies on great performances and embraces the spirit of competition. We are proud to partner with the Trump organization to bring this event to life."
Andy Batkin, CEO of Innovative Media Solutions (IMS), noted, "There are no stronger world class brands than Trump, TaylorMade-adidas and Raffles Resorts. Anyone competing in this event is in for the golf experience of a lifetime on one of the world’s great golf courses in the paradise that is Canouan Island." The Trump Million Dollar Invitational is a production of Manhattan Beach, CA-based IMS and Winnercomm, Inc., America’s largest independent sports production company.
Named "Best of the Best" in 2005 by Robb Report, the Trump International Golf Club at Raffles Resort is one of the Caribbean’s few world-class golf courses. Designed by the legendary Jim Fazio, the 18-hole, par 72 course demands accuracy and finesse. The course covers 140 acres along the sea front, flat coastal plain and carved hillsides above the bay and resort.
Raffles Resort Canouan Island is located on Canouan Island in the heart of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean. Opened in November 2004, the resort is part of a 1,200-acre private estate featuring secluded white sand beaches and surrounded by one of the world’s largest coral reefs. The resort was designed by renowned Italian architect Luigi Vietti and is owned by Canouan Resorts Development (CRD). Its signature RafflesAmrita Spa was named 2005 "Best of the Best Spa" by Robb Report, the international authority on the luxury lifestyle.
The Event
The Trump Million Dollar Invitational is a three-day, 54-hole stroke play competition without the benefit of handicap. The players with the ten lowest scores will advance to the Grand Prize Matches on May 26, 2006. Ties in the 54-hole tournament will be broken by a playoff at the Trump International Golf Club and will continue until there are ten players left that will move on to the Grand Prize Match.
The ten Grand Prize Match finalists will compete in a nine-hole playoff where one player will be eliminated on each hole until there are only two players left, who will then play the final hole for the $1 Million Grand Prize. Ties on each hole will be broken by participation in a skills competition by all players who are tied for the highest score on each hole until one player is eliminated. Skills shall be putting, chipping, sand shots and driving accuracy and will be chosen at the discretion of the tournament director and fully disclosed prior to the commencement of the Grand Prize Matches.
Additional prize monies will be awarded as follows:
2nd Place: $150,000
3rd Place: $90,000
4th Place: $65,000
5th Place: $45,000
6th Place: $40,000
7th Place: $35,000
8th Place: $30,000
9th Place: $25,000
10th Place: $20,000
The Trump Million Dollar Invitational will be televised by ESPN in July, 2006 and distributed worldwide. Further details can be found on the event’s web site, www.trumpmilliondollar.com. For sponsorship inquiries, contact Phil Bough at 310-426-2503 or pbough@winnercomm.com.
Contact:
Lynda Haschke
Winnercomm
972.740.3529
lhaschke@winnercomm.com
Karen Moraghan
Hunter PR (Trump Golf)
908.876.5100
kmoraghan@hunter-pr.com
Jennifer McGuire
Laura Davidson PR (Canouan Island)
212.696.0660
jmcguire@ldpr.com
