Deutsche Bank Championship Also Joins The PGA Tour’s FedExCup Series In 2007, Becoming The Second Of Four Exclusive PGA Tour Playoff Events
NORTON, MASS., July 31, 2006 — Deutsche Bank announced today it has extended its title sponsorship of the Deutsche Bank Championship at the Tournament Players Club of Boston through 2010.
This announcement further cements the Deutsche Bank Championship’s profile as one of New England’s Labor Day weekend sporting traditions. The Deutsche Bank Championship – set for Aug. 29-Sept. 4, 2006 — promises to maintain a full-strength field as it has been designated as the second of four PGA TOUR Playoff events within the inaugural 2007 FedExCup series. The FedExCup series is a season-long points race which will award $10 million to its champion – the largest individual bonus in professional sports.
"New England has a wonderful tradition of hosting some of the most significant events in golf as well as some of the most exciting moments in sports history," said Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas. "We have made Labor Day our place in the calendar and we are proud that the Deutsche Bank Championship will have the opportunity to build on this tradition by bringing the fans of New England a new sporting tradition, the PGA TOUR playoffs."
The $5.5 million 2006 Deutsche Bank Championship, in its fourth year, showcases a 156-player field vying for a winner’s check of $990,000. Players who are currently scheduled to attend are 11-time major champion Tiger Woods, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, and past Deutsche Bank Championship winners – Olin Browne (2005) and Adam Scott (2003) — as well as New England natives and fan favorites Billy Andrade, Brad Faxon, Brett Quigley, James Driscoll and Tim Petrovic.
The Deutsche Bank Championship’s true mission is to establish itself as an event that gives back to the communities in which the Bank has a presence. The Deutsche Bank Championship has generated upwards of $1.5 million annually in charitable contributions. The proceeds have benefited a variety of national and local charities, including the Tiger Woods Foundation and Learning Center, Boston Cares, Agassiz Village, Healthworks Foundation, Artists for Humanity, Bottom Line, Girls-Row Boston, St. Mary’s Women and Children’s Center, Young Entrepreneurs Alliance, First Tee of Massachsetts, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston and Providence, the Hockomock and Norton/Atteboro YMCA centers and Mass Mentoring Partnership.
"While tournament competition only lasts four days, the Deutsche Bank Championship strives to make a positive impact on the people of New England year-round," Deutsche Bank Championship executive director Eric Baldwin said. "Off the course, we believe we can best become an asset to the community by supporting local charities that shape the lives of residents and their children. On the course, this tournament cannot run efficiently without our local volunteers."
The inaugural tournament in 2003 generated over $46.4 million in total spending impact for the Greater Boston and Providence area, according to the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Beginning in 2007, the FedExCup champion will be determined by points accumulated through the 33-week Regular Season and, following a points reset based on final Regular Season standings, performance in the Deutsche Bank Championship and the three other tournaments that comprise the PGA TOUR Playoff series.
The Playoff series culminates with THE TOUR Championship, limited to the top 30 players in the FedExCup points race, at season’s end. The FedExCup will award $35 million overall in bonus money.
"It’s an exciting time for golf," Woods said. "It’s certainly going to be more exciting for everyone, not just as competitors who will be bucking heads against the best more often, but also for the fans."
"The FedExCup and new playoff system on the PGA TOUR truly usher in an exciting new era in golf, and establish a new measurement of success on the PGA TOUR," TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "Moreover, the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup will bring the same pressure and compelling drama to the PGA TOUR that other sports have had for many years."
Championship week for the Deutsche Bank Championship begins with practice rounds Tuesday, Aug. 29, and Wednesday, Aug. 30, and a pro-am competition on Thursday, Aug. 31. The four-day Championship begins Friday, Sept. 1, and continues through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4, the only official Monday finish on the PGA TOUR. The first two rounds of the Championship will be covered on USA Network and the final two rounds will be televised on ABC-TV.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting the official Championship website at www.dbchampionship.com or by calling (877) TIX-4DBC or 877-849-4322. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis for each day and are limited to 10 individual tickets per person. Limited daily tickets are still available.
Fans purchasing advance tickets will earn the right of being on the Deutsche Bank Championship Past Patron’s list, which entitles fans the first priority in purchasing tickets for the 2007 event. By virtue of being on the Past Patron’s list, you are guaranteeing yourself the opportunity to purchase tickets in future years before they go on sale to the public.
The 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship is Aug. 27-Sept.3. Early-round coverage will be aired by The Golf Channel before NBC begins its PGA TOUR Playoff coverage at the TPC of Boston.
About Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank
www.db.com
About the Tiger Woods Foundation
Established in 1996 by Tiger Woods and his father Earl, the Tiger Woods Foundation empowers young people to reach their highest potential by initiating and supporting community-based programs that promote the health, education and welfare of all of America’s children. In addition to offering youth-driven programs through the Tiger Woods Learning Center and Start Something program, the Foundation hosts fundraising events during the year, including the Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide, Tiger Jam presented by AT&T and the TWLC Block Party. Information on the Foundation can be found at www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org.
About IMG and IMG Media
IMG is the world’s premier Sports, Entertainment and Media Company. IMG is a diversified global business with two major business segments: IMG Sports & Entertainment, and IMG Media. IMG employs over 2,300 people in 30 countries. Forstmann Little & Co. purchased IMG in 2004.
IMG Sports & Entertainment includes: consulting services; event ownership and management; fashion events and models representation; licensing; golf course design; client representation in golf, tennis, broadcasting, European football, rugby, cricket, motorsports, coaching, Olympic sports and action sports. In addition, IMG Academies are the world’s largest and most advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport training and educational facility, delivering world-class sports training experiences to over 12,000 junior, collegiate, adult and professional athletes each year.
IMG Media, which includes our content production subsidiaries TWI and Darlow Smithson Productions, is recognized as a global leader in the delivery of traditional and new media content and services, with Internet, broadband and mobile expertise, transforming how audiences access and interact with content. IMG Media produces and distributes over 9,000 hours of sports, documentary, docu-drama, entertainment, and popular factual content annually, over multiple platforms across 200 countries, including award-winning television and radio programming. It also represents the broadcast rights to many of the world’s premier sporting events and has the world’s biggest sports archive with more than 200,000 hours of footage.
More information about IMG is available at www.imgworld.com and www.darlowsmithson.com.
About The Tournament Players Club of Boston
The Tournament Players Club of Boston is an addition to the PGA TOUR’s prestigious Tournament Players Club Network. Featuring a signature Arnold Palmer-designed course, the TPC of Boston offers a quality golf experience for all levels of play. The course offers five sets of tees, measuring 7,178 yards from the championship tees, and features a 10-acre practice facility and elegant 34,000 square-foot clubhouse. Located in the Great Woods of Norton, MA, the TPC of Boston opened in June 2002 as the 22nd Tournament Players Club, which is owned by PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties. The Network includes more than 30 facilities, including licensed courses and international facilities.
Contact:
Steve Brener/Brian Robin/Damian Secore
Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc., 818-344-6195, ext. 103/110/114
Emily Taylor, Tiger Woods Foundation, 714-816-1806
