7up Becomes Presenting Sponsor For Military Event
ROANOKE, TEXAS (April 14, 2008) – The 2008 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, the premier event in power golf, will again feature an armed forces component that determines the longest golfer for the military services, Long Drivers of America (LDA) has announced.
Six finalists will compete Oct. 23 in the 2008 Military Long Drive Championship Presented by 7UP in Mesquite, Nev.
The competition is open to all active duty service members, Reserve, National Guard, retirees and family members 18 years and older.
7UP, from the Cadbury Schweppes family of America’s favorite beverages, will be the presenting sponsor for the military long drive event, organized and administered by the Army’s Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command.
The military finalists will vie for a $10,000 first prize and an exemption to the 2009 RE/MAX world finals.
U.S. Coast Guard Airman Ryan Hixson won the inaugural Military Long Drive Championship in Mesquite in 2007. Hixson’s winning drive of 367 yards earned him an exemption to the 2008 RE/MAX world finals. Army SGT Bryan King finished runner-up.
The military event will again take center stage on Thursday night of RE/MAX championship week in Mesquite. Included in Thursday evening’s agenda will be a flyover by U.S. Air Force jets and a drop-in performance by the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights parachute team.
Qualifying rounds for the 2008 Military Long Drive Championship will take place at 27 military bases. Local winners will advance to four second-stage qualifying sites, where winners will earn a spot in the finals. This year’s local military schedule includes events in Alaska, Hawaii, Germany, Korea and the continental United States.
The following installations will host first-round competitions between July 11 and Aug. 31: Fort Dix, N.J.; Fort Lee, Va.; Fort Meade, Md.; Carlisle Barracks, Pa.; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort Benning, Fort Gordon and Fort McPherson, Ga.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Campbell and Fort Knox, Ky.; Fort Jackson, S.C.; Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Fort Carson, Colo.; Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Fort Lewis, Wash.; Fort Riley, Kan.; Fort Bliss, Fort Hood and Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; Fort Sill, Okla.; Heidelberg, Stuttgart and Wiesbaden, Germany; and Camp Casey and Yongsan, Korea.
More information on rules and regulations for the competition is available at www.armymwrgolf.com or www.longdrivers.com
Contact:
Kristen Kea (703) 428-6119 or
Russ Pate (214) 349-3603