NAPLES, FL – Tournament Officials for The ACE Group Classic announced today that title sponsor, The ACE Group of Companies, has extended its commitment to the annual Champions Tour Event through 2009 with an option through 2012. In 2007, The ACE Group Classic will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The Tournament is scheduled for February 19 – 25 and will be held at Quail West, a Ginn Club community.
"ACE is very pleased to announce the extension to our title sponsorship of this outstanding Champions Tour event. Since we first became associated with this tournament in 1999, it has grown in popularity and stature with both the Champions Tour membership and the public. For all of us at ACE, the Classic has become an annual highlight to see some of the best professional golfers in the world practice their trade," said Evan Greenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of ACE Limited.
The ACE Group of Companies has been the title sponsor of the Tournament since 1999. Loren Roberts became the first player in Champions Tour history to win the opening three events of a season by winning the 2006 The ACE Group Classic in February. Roberts will look to defend his title at the new Tournament Host Facility, Quail West.
"We are excited about furthering Ginn Clubs & Resorts involvement in professional golf and partnering with Octagon on the Champions Tour is a natural fit," said Bobby Ginn, president and CEO of The Ginn Company. "Ginn Clubs & Resorts prides itself in creating and developing luxury golf communities and we are happy to have the Champions Tour play on one of our courses."
"The Champions Tour is delighted to announce this extension with The ACE Group," said Champions Tour president Rick George. "ACE’s involvement has led to a great deal of growth for our Naples event and done a very good job in using the platform to enhance both the tournament and their business. We thank Evan Greenberg and the entire ACE team for their commitment and support of the Champions Tour. The tournament has always been a player favorite and we look forward to the move to Quail West and working with Ginn Clubs & Resorts. We think Quail West will be very well received and elevate what is already a premier stop on our Tour."
The Tournament Course will be a hybrid of the 36 holes at Quail West, designed by Arthur Hills. The Tournament front nine will be the back nine of the Preserve Course, with the Tournament back nine consisting of the front nine of the Lakes course. Specific yardage for the par 72 layout will be determined by Champions Tour Officials, but it will measure over 7,000 yards. The contract between the Tournament and Quail West is a three-year deal, mirroring the title sponsorship extension by The ACE Group. Quail West becomes the seventh host facility for the Tournament since its inception in 1988.
"This is a great day for professional golf in Naples and Southwest Florida," said Tournament Director Jason Camp. "The ACE Group continues to be a great partner and fully supports the Champions Tour, Naples and the benefiting charities. Moving to Quail West should ensure additional community growth and will only help us make one of the best events on the Champions Tour even better."
About The ACE Group of Companies
The ACE Group of Companies is a global leader in insurance and reinsurance serving a diverse group of clients. Headed by ACE Limited, a component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index, the ACE Group conducts its business on a worldwide basis with operating subsidiaries in more than 50 countries. Additional information can be found at: www.acelimited.com.
About Quail West
Quail West, one of Southwest Florida’s premier private communities, is recognized in many parts of the world for its opulent country club lifestyle. Recently acquired by The Ginn Company, Quail West has a remarkably low residential density, with only 622 homesites nestled among 1,180 acres of rolling fairways, nature preserves, picturesque lakes and 36 holes of championship Arthur Hills-designed golf. This year Ginn Clubs & Resorts will bring a new level of service and excellence to this esteemed community. In addition, plans are in progress for the addition of a Beach Club, modernization of the Clubhouse, spa and entrances.
About Champions Tour
The Champions Tour is a tax-exempt membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. The Champions Tour now has 29 official events offering a minimum of $52.65 million in prize money in 2006 and its highest average purse ever of $1.82 million. The Champions Tour’s primary purpose is to provide significant competitive and earnings opportunities for players age 50 and older; to protect the integrity of the game; and to help grow the reach of the game in the U.S. and around the world. In addition to providing competitive opportunities for its membership, Champions Tour events also generate significant sums of money for charity. On October 30th, 2005 the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour and their tournaments announced they had reached the $1 billion milestone in charitable donations dating back to the first recorded donation in 1938. The commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Rick George is president of the Champions Tour. TOUR headquarters is in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Our web site address is PGATOUR.com
About Octagon’s Golf Division
Octagon’s Golf Division manages two Champions Tour events, The ACE Group Classic and the SAS Championship presented by Forbes; two LPGA Tour events, the Sybase Classic presented by Lincoln Mercury and the John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic presented by SemGroup; and one Nationwide Tour event, The Rex Hospital Open. Octagon’s Golf Division also represents nearly 40 golfing professionals including Davis Love III, Chris Smith, Natalie Gulbis, Christina Kim, Meg Mallon, Beth Daniel, Tom Kite, Gary Koch, and brothers, Bobby and Lanny Wadkins.
About Octagon
Octagon is the global sports and event marketing company of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), the world’s largest advertising and marketing communications group. It offers worldwide expertise across all eight major sports and event marketing disciplines: athletes & personalities, event management, consulting, property representation, TV rights and production, licensing and merchandising, talent procurement and marketing solutions. Octagon employs over 1,500 people on all major continents. For more information, visit: www.octagon.com.
Contact:
Jason Camp
Tournament Director, Octagon
239.593.3900 ext. 225
jason.camp@octagon.com
Michelle Berish, Marketing and Communications Manager, Octagon
919.531.0233
michelle.berish@octagon.com
Julie Day, Director of Golf PR & Events
The Ginn Company
321.939.4736
jday@ginncompany.com
Jeff Adams
Director of Public Relations, Champions Tour
904.273.3397
jadams@pgatourhq.com
