New Year Will Also Feature Prominent Rookie Class and Strongest Lineup of Majors’ Venues Ever
(Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) – After several months of positive title sponsor developments, the Champions Tour will soon announce a 2007 schedule that will feature what is arguably its strongest lineup of corporate sponsors ever. The Tour currently has 28 tournaments in place for 2007, with 24 of them committed through at least 2008 and some extended as far out as 2010 and 2011.
"We’ve had many very productive conversations with our title sponsors the last few months and the results will be in full evidence when we announce the 2007 Champions Tour schedule," said Champions Tour president Rick George. "Many of our sponsors have entered into long-range commitments. We think this speaks to the value and return they are getting from their investment in the Champions Tour.
"Much of the credit for the success with title sponsors lies in the commitment of the players and the excitement they bring to each and every tournament," George said. "Whether it’s interacting with the fans, title sponsors, pro-am guests or being out in the community promoting the Champions Tour, our players provide value and benefit to all of our constituents.
"The strong lineup of tournaments is going to be enhanced by the five terrific venues that will host next year’s major championships and the highly recognizable PGA TOUR stars who turn 50 and become eligible to make their Champions Tour debut next year," George added. "We’re also very happy to be adding NBC network coverage to two events next year. All in all, we’ve got a lot to look forward to in 2007."
"The Champions Tours players really understand business, so they understand the importance of interaction and building relationships," said Mark Zesbaugh, CEO of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. "The players and our customers have many things in common and engage in productive and entertaining conversations during pro-ams and other events throughout the tournament week. Whether the subject is business, the economy or just reminiscing about careers, our guests not only experience great golf and get good tips, they share meaningful dialogue."
"From our standpoint, the Champions Tour is the best business-to-business entertainment investment out there," said Chris Sullivan, Chairman of Outback Steakhouse, Inc.
Recap of Announcements
The following is a recap of tournament-related announcements made by the Champions Tour and the respective tournament organization this year:
January
â?¢ Senior Players Championship moves to Baltimore Country Club/East Course with new title sponsorship, Constellation Energy, a new October date and a new network in NBC.
February
â?¢ Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am in Tampa extends through 2010 and moves to network television with NBC.
â?¢ Administaff extends its sponsorship of the Administaff Small Business Classic in Houston through 2008.
May
â?¢ The ACE Group extends its sponsorship of The ACE Group Classic in Naples, FL through 2009 and moves to Quail West Golf Club.
June
â?¢ Ginn Sports Entertainment joins Champions Tour with $2.5 million Ginn Championship at Hammock Beach (Tom Watson design) in Palm Coast, FL. Agreement is through 2011.
â?¢ Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America extends sponsorship through 2009 and announces move to Boca Raton, FL and the Old Course at Broken Sound Club, returning the February Florida swing to three events and increasing the number of Champions Tour events in Florida to five.
July
â?¢ JELD-WEN extends its sponsorship of the JELD-WEN Tradition through 2010, announces moves to the Crosswater Club at Sunriver (OR) Resort and network television with NBC.
â?¢ Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn extends sponsorship through 2007.
August
â?¢ Principal Financial Group joins Champions Tour with Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, IA, the company’s hometown. Title sponsorship is through 2008.
Major Championship Venues
Next year’s five major championships will feature the most impressive lineup of Champions Tour majors’ sites ever:
â?¢ Senior PGA Championship
Kiawah Island Golf Resort/Ocean Course (Pete Dye), Kiawah Island, SC, May 24-27
â?¢ U.S. Senior Open
Whistling Straits/Straits Course (Pete Dye), Kohler, WI, July 5-8
â?¢ Senior British Open
Muirfield (Tom Morris, Sr./David Plenderleith; Harry Colt), Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, July 26-29
â?¢ JELD-WEN Tradition
Crosswater Club at Sunriver Resort (Bob Cupp/John Fought), Sunriver, OR, August 16-19
â?¢ Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship
Baltimore Country Club/East Course (A.W. Tillinghast), Timonium, MD, Oct. 4-7
All four American courses are ranked 57th or better in Golfweek magazine’s 2005 list of "America’s Best" in either the "Classic" or "Modern" category. Muirfield is consistently rated as one of the top-10 golf courses in the world.
Class of 2007
Not only will the Champions Tour enjoy a strong schedule next year, it will welcome one of the deepest rookie classes in its history.
Several players who have won multiple major championships and played crucial roles on past Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams are members of the Class of ’07. Collectively, they have won 19 major championships, 72 PGA TOUR titles, 198 international events and played on 35 Ryder Cup and seven Presidents Cup teams. They also occupied the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking 203 weeks and four are members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The Class includes the following, with the date they turn 50 in 2007:
â?¢ Mark O’Meara (Jan. 13th)
â?¢ Nick Price (Jan. 28th) *
â?¢ Seve Ballesteros (April 9th) *
â?¢ Nick Faldo (July 18th) *
â?¢ Bernhard Langer (August 27th) *
â?¢ Jeff Sluman (Sept. 11th)
â?¢ John Cook (Oct. 2nd) * World Golf Hall of Fame member
Contact:
Jeff Adams
Director of Public Relations
Champions Tour
Tel: 904-273-3397
