Witczak Wins Local Qualifier And District Qualifier; RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship Takes Place October 24-28 in Mesquite, NV
Phoenix, Arizona – October 19, 2006 – JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, one of the premier golf resort destinations in Arizona, today announced that Jason Witczak, a golf instructor at the Wildfire Golf Club, Phoenix, AZ has qualified for the 2006 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship (WLDC). The 2006 RE/MAX WLDC will be held October 24-28 in Mesquite, NV.
The RE/MAX WLDC brings together an international field of golf’s biggest hitters, offering a $500,000 purse — the largest purse for a sanctioned event — with the Open Division Champion receiving $125,000. Witczak, a Wisconsin native who will be competing in the Open Division, qualified for the WLDC by winning both the local qualifier, backed by a 371 yard drive, and the district qualifier with a 342 yard launch.
"The golf management team at Wildfire Golf Club is thrilled to have one of our instructors compete in the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, the ultimate stage for long drivers," said John Wright, Director of Golf, Wildfire Golf Club.
Length and accuracy come in to play, as all competitors at the RE/MAX WLDC must land their drives within a specific boundary know as the "competition grid" which will be approximately 40 yards wide and will begin at 250 yards. If a competitors’ drive does not land within the 40 yard grid, it is considered out of bounds.
About Wildfire Golf Club
Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa is an upscale daily fee facility located in Northeast Phoenix. It touts two picturesque 18-hole courses, situated in the rugged Sonoran Desert, each with its own distinct personality. The Palmer Signature Course and The Faldo Championship Course surround the spectacular JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa, completed in November 2002, giving guests a wide array of activities to choose from after an invigorating day on the course.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers and golf courses. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and had approximately 143,000 employees at 2005 year-end. It is ranked as the lodging industry’s most admired company and one of the best places to work for by FORTUNE®. The company is also a 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Partner. In fiscal year 2005, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $11.6 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com.
Contact:
Ari Edelman
aedelman@mastrocomm.com
Michele Kruchkowski
mkruchkowski@mastrocomm.com
Mastro Communications
732-469-5700
