RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. (Feb. 8, 2006) – Wanted: One amateur golfer with a lucky swing and a positive attitude to win the Toyota/Kraft Nabisco $1 Million Hole-in-One Contest.
The twelfth annual $1 Million Hole-in-One Contest gets under way next month on Saturday, March 18, with daily qualifying rounds set for March 18 through Sunday, March 26. This year, daily qualifying rounds will be held at Buckets (formerly College Golf Center) in Palm Desert and the Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort in Palm Springs. (Editor’s Note: Please see attached for daily qualifying times for both sites.)
According to Tamra Borson, marketing and advertising manager for the Kraft Nabisco Championship, no one has won the $1 million pay out in the past 11 years. Several finalists have come close and numerous contestants have shot a hole-in-one during qualifying rounds, but the $1 million prize remains elusive.
The annual fundraiser for United Way of the Desert will once again offer amateur golfers the chance to team up with an LPGA Tour professional and play for $1 million. This year, the amateur who shoots closest to the pin during the contest finals, set for Monday, March 27, during the Kraft Nabisco Championship Tournament Week, will win a new Toyota RAV4.
The daily qualifying rounds also offer contestants the chance to win golf equipment, airline tickets, gift certificates and other prizes. Prizes will be awarded to the amateurs closest to the pin (a 90-yard shot) each qualifying day. The top two qualifiers from each site each day will move on to the semi-finals on March 26 at 4 p.m. at Buckets.
The top 10 golfers closest to the pin in the semi-finals then advance to the finals competition on Monday, March 27, scheduled for 4 p.m. at the 18th hole of the Arnold Palmer Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. Each finalist will be paired with an LPGA Tour professional to compete as a team for the $1 million prize. The tournament’s annual Celebrity Hole-in-One Contest for Charity will tee off just prior to the amateur/pro contest. Both events are free to the public.
Borson said that the $1 Million Hole-in-One Contest is an important fundraiser for the United Way of the Desert with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of golf balls donated to the non-profit organization. Golf balls will be on sale at Buckets and Tahquitz Creek for $8 for five balls, $15 for 10 balls, $20 for 15 balls or $45 for 50 balls.
"The United Way of the Desert has been a major beneficiary of the Kraft Nabisco Championship since the early days of the tournament, and we are proud of that longstanding relationship," Borson said. "We look forward to offering golfers of all ages and playing ability the opportunity to ‘play for pay’ and win some great prizes or even the $1 million prize – while helping one of the most effective charities in the valley. We encourage golfers at any level to come out and give it their best shot."
Borson added that the United Way will also receive $100,000 if anyone makes a hole-in-one during the finals. The official rules for the contest will be available at both qualifying locations and on the Kraft Nabisco Championship Web site at www.KNCGOLF.com.
The finals competition for the $1 Million Hole-in-One Contest kicks off Tournament Week for the Kraft Nabisco Championship, set for March 27 – April 2. Advance tickets to the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship, which will be celebrating its 35th anniversary, are now available through the tournament Web site or by calling 760/324-4546.
Contact:
Donna Hahn
Hahn Communications
949/458-3983
donna@hahnmarketing.com
Larry Baumann
Kraft Foods Global Inc.
914/425-3890
larry.baumann@kraft.com
