Punta Espada Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, selected as host venue
(West Palm Beach, FL and Cap Cana, Dominican Republic)- The PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour and Cap Cana today announced that the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Punta Espada Golf Club in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic will be the site of a new Champions Tour event next spring. The agreement was signed today by Cap Cana’s Board of Directors President, Dr. Ricardo Hazoury and Champions Tour Senior Vice President Mike Stevens in the presence of Jack Nicklaus at Nicklaus Design headquarters in North Palm Beach, FL.
The Cap Cana tournament will be played March 31-April 6, 2008.
The 54-hole stroke-play tournament will feature a 78-player field and official prize money of $2 million, with the winner collecting $300,000. GOLF CHANNEL will broadcast all three rounds in the United States and coverage of the event will be distributed internationally.
"The Cap Cana will be a prestigious addition to our 2008 schedule," said Champions Tour President Rick George. "The pristine setting combined with the Jack Nicklaus design of the Punta Espada Golf Club and resources and amenities of the Cap Cana Resort will immediately establish The Cap Cana as a premier event on the Champions Tour."
Punta Espada Golf Club, the first of three Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses slated to open in Cap Cana, is operated by Troon Golf and opened for play in November 2006. The par-72 course incorporates the surrounding natural beauty of Cap Cana, stretching along a coastline where golfers on each hole look out into the blue expanse of the Caribbean Sea.
"We are very proud to be selected for the PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour in 2008," said Dr. Ricardo Hazoury, President of Cap Cana’s Board of Directors. "The design of our course at Punta Espada incorporates the natural characteristics of this unique environment of Cap Cana and has been well conceived for this level of play. As a golf destination, we are committed to a successful event. We will continue as a country to position ourselves in the world as a special place to enjoy the sport of golf and to celebrate this kind of professional tournament,"
"We are excited to be a new addition to the Champions Tour in 2008," said Sam Logan, Manager of Operations from Troon Golf assigned to the Punta Espada Golf Club. "Cap Cana has become well-known for excellent conditions and spectacular views, which make it an ideal location for touring professionals and spectators alike. It is a compliment to Cap Cana, Nicklaus Design and Troon Golf that just a few months after opening, Punta Espada debuted at No. 77 in Golf Digest’s ranking of the 100 Best Courses Outside the U.S."
The complete 2008 Champions Tour schedule will be announced on June 25 at the annual Champions Tour National Media Conference following the Bank of America Championship in Boston, MA.
About Cap Cana
Cap Cana is the most important tourism and real-estate project of the Caribbean. With a master plan investment projected at $1.5 billion, the first stage of the project will be developed in a span of 12-15 years and comprises an area of 35 million square meters (8,680 acres) of a total of over 120 million square meters (30,000 acres); 5.5 kilometers (3.5 miles) of virgin beaches and privy to a privileged climate. In its initial phase, the project will have more than four 5-star hotels, five golf courses, three of them being Jack Nicklaus Signature Courses, one of the most complete and modern marinas in the Caribbean and a total of 5,000 residential units and 500 hotel rooms. For more information, visit our web page www.capcana.com
About the 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 will feature a minimum of 29 official Charles Schwab Cup events offering $54.1 million in prize money in 2007 and its highest average purse ever of $1.86 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. 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 Nicklaus Design
The name Nicklaus has long been associated with greatness in golf and that legacy continues with the golf course design firm founded by Jack Nicklaus and owned by the Nicklaus family. Nicklaus Design, a team of the world’s most accomplished golf course design associates, agronomists, industry consultants, and experts in golf course construction and marketing, is recognized as the world leader in golf course design. They have been involved with 314 courses open for play in 30 countries and 38 states. Of those, Jack Nicklaus has designed, co-designed or re-designed 257 courses around the world. At least 57 Nicklaus Design courses have been ranked in various national or international Top-100 lists, and at least 83 Nicklaus Design courses have hosted a combined total of close to 600 professional tournaments worldwide or significant USGA national championships. For three years in a row, Jack Nicklaus has been named by Golf Inc. magazine as the "Most Powerful Person in Golf" for his global impact on the game, primarily through his design business. Nicklaus Design has courses under construction or under development in 38 different countries, including 24 countries in which the firm is involved for the first time. For more information on Jack Nicklaus or Nicklaus Design, visit www.nicklaus.com.
About Troon Golf
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Troon Golf is the world’s largest golf management company, overseeing operations at more than 185 courses located in 31 states and 23 countries. Additionally, 38 Troon Golf facilities enjoy a Top 100 ranking by national or international publications. Troon Golf properties include Sandpines Golf Links, Florence, Ore.; The Westin Turnberry Resort, Ayrshire, Scotland; Classic Club, Palm Desert, Calif.; Troon North Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Haig Point, Daufuskie Island, S.C.; Monte Rei Golf & Country Club, Algarve, Portugal; Palmilla Golf Club, Los Cabos, Mexico; Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE; and The Grove, London, England.
Contact:
Saraida De Marchena Kaluche
Public Relation Director
Cap Cana
T. 809.472.2525
s.demarchena@capcana.com
Melanie Brandman
The Brandman Agency
T: 212.683.2442
melanie@brandmanpr.com
Michael McPhillips
Director, Communications
Champions Tour
T: 904.273.3470
michaelmcphillips@pgatourhq.com
