RALEIGH, N.C. (June 1, 2006) – Davidson golf coach Tim Straub will defend his title in the 42nd annual RBC Centura North Carolina Open June 6-8 at historic Raleigh Country Club (RCC).
The 2006 RBC Centura North Carolina Open, one of the majors for the Carolinas PGA section, will feature a full field of 150 players on the last golf course designed by legendary architect Donald Ross.
Some other top players in the tournament include recent N.C. Senior Amateur winner Paul Simson of Raleigh, Larry George of River Landing in Wallace and Pinehurst Resort pro Kelly Mitchum, who has played in 13 PGA Tour events in the last three years.
RBC Centura, which serves personal and commercial customers through more than 270 banking centers in five Southeastern states will be the title sponsor of the tournament for the first time. As part of the sponsorship, RBC Centura is providing eight youth from First Tee of Wake County private one-on-one golf lessons and a bag of new golf balls. First Tee is committed to teaching young people life skills and good values through affordable and accessible golf programming. Kids involved in First Tee typically have not previously had access to the sport.
"As a bank with a long history and a bright future in North Carolina, we are pleased to be the title sponsor of the 42nd annual North Carolina Open," said Scott Custer, RBC Centura CEO. "As part of the sponsorship, we have partnered with First Tee of Wake County to give a group of young people the opportunity to play with the best professional golfers in the state. RBC Centura is dedicated to supporting education and children, as well as athletics, and working with First Tee and the Carolinas PGA for this tournament was a perfect fit."
The tournament’s pro-am is scheduled for June 5 at 8:30 a.m.
Raleigh Country Club, routed by Ross in 1948, is the top-ranked golf course in Wake County and 29th overall in the state of North Carolina.
"Course owner John McConnell and the entire staff at Raleigh Country Club are very proud to host the best amateur and professional golfers for the 42nd RBC Centura North Carolina Open," said Brian Kittler, RCC director of golf. "With small, fast greens, newly added length and the completion of our bunker restoration project, the golf course will challenge all players in every aspect of their game. I would like to thank RBC Centura for its help in making this a premier event for our section. We are proud to have a partnership with RBC Centura and appreciate the bank’s support."
Straub won last year’s North Carolina Open at River Landing in Wallace.
"The North Carolina Open has such a long history of great players in the Carolinas section, it’s great that folks like RBC Centura are starting to recognize what a good tournament it is," Straub said.
Schedule of Events
Media Day: Thursday, June 1
10 a.m. – Breakfast
10:30 a.m. – Informal press conference
11 a.m. – Media golf
Pro Am: Monday, June 5
8:30 a.m. – Shotgun start
First Tee Clinic: Monday, June 5
4 p.m. – Presentation by RBC Centura
4:15 p.m. – Clinic on the practice facility for eight First Tee youth
5 p.m. – First Tee kids play ninth hole with NC Open pros
Tournament: Tuesday, June 6 – First round of RBC Centura NC Open
7:30 a.m. – Tee times begin
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Players reception in Trophy room sponsored by RBC Centura
Beginning at 11:30 a.m. – Complimentary sundae bar and gift bags available for all players
Wednesday, June 7 – Second round of RBC Centura NC Open
7:30 a.m. – Tee times begin
5:30 – 7:30 p.m. – RBC Centura Member’s Reception in the Clubhouse
Thursday, June 8 – Final round of RBC Centura NC Open
8 a.m. – Tee times begin
Tournament Information
Media wishing to attend the RBC Centura North Carolina Open or with any questions, please contact David Droschak. For directions to the course, visit www.raleighcc.com.
About RBC Centura
RBC Centura offers a wide range of financial services and advice, including a complete line of banking, investment, loan, mortgage, life insurance, and other services, to individuals, businesses and public institutions throughout the Southeast. RBC Centura’s multifaceted customer access network includes more than 270 full-service banking centers, an extensive ATM network, and telephone and Internet banking. In addition, RBC Centura offers builder finance products through its RBC Builder Finance division. According to the Federal Reserve, RBC Centura is the 50th largest U.S. commercial bank as of June 2005. RBC Centura Banks Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) (NYSE, TSX: RY). Additional information about RBC Centura may be found at www.rbccentura.com.
About Raleigh Country Club
Founded in 1948, the Raleigh Country Club (RCC) is the second oldest private country club in Raleigh, N.C. The RCC is a private facility for members and their guests that offers the finest private golfing facilities and provides a full-service and family friendly club experience with outstanding service and amenities including: practice facilities; men’s and women’s locker rooms; a fully-stocked golf shop; boardroom; dining facilities including the Donald Ross Member Lounge and Fairway Grill; trophy room; a swim center including a pool grill, children’s pool, diving bay, practice lanes, men’s and women’s bath house, and ample deck space with a gazebo for social activities. RCC’s golf course recently was ranked among the top 30 layouts in the state of North Carolina and is the only ranked course in Wake County.
Contact:
David Droschak
Hughes-Droschak Communications
919-630-6656
ddroschak@earthlink.net
Verna Graff-Gessaman
RBC Centura
252-454-2927
Verna.Gessaman@rbc.com
