First-of-its-kind competition beginning in 2009 offers TOUR players chance at $1 million and celebrates some of golf’s most beautiful and memorable holes
ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 25 – Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) and the PGA TOUR today announced the creation of the Kodak Challenge, a first-of-its-kind competition for PGA TOUR players that celebrates beautiful holes and memorable moments on the PGA TOUR.
The Kodak Challenge begins in January 2009. Select PGA TOUR tournaments will feature a Kodak Challenge hole. Players must play at least 18 Kodak Challenge holes throughout the season to be eligible to win. Players will post their lowest score relative to par on 18 of the Kodak Challenge holes to compete for the Kodak Challenge title and $1 million.
The Kodak Challenge holes, to be announced later in 2008, will be selected by Kodak and the PGA TOUR with input from an Advisory Board made up of representatives from a cross-section of the golf industry. Holes will be selected based on their aesthetic beauty and their connection to memorable moments in the game of golf.
“We are thrilled to partner with the PGA TOUR to introduce the Kodak Challenge – a unique, exciting and engaging competition for the players and fans,” said Jeffrey Hayzlett, Chief Business Development Officer and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “True to the spirit of our company, the Kodak Challenge will celebrate the beautiful holes and memorable moments in golf – the ‘Kodak Moments’ – and add excitement and anticipation that will build throughout the season. Players simply have to do what they do best – play. But with a million dollars on the line, they might just grip the club a little tighter.”
The members of the Kodak Challenge Advisory Board are:
David Feherty – CBS Sports golf analyst
Rees Jones – renowned golf course architect
Jules Alexander – renowned golf photographer
Andy Pazder – PGA TOUR Senior VP, Tournament Administration
Lance Barrow – CBS Sports golf, Coordinating Producer
“I’m pleased to be a part of the Kodak Challenge Advisory Board,” said Feherty. “This is a unique and compelling competition that I believe TOUR players and fans will be excited about. When players are on the Kodak Challenge hole, they’ll want to play it well, particularly because it could mean a million bucks at the end of the year.”
Tom Wade, Chief Marketing Officer of the PGA TOUR, said the TOUR is looking forward to the first year of the Kodak Challenge and believes fans are the ultimate winners of the newly announced competition.
“We believe the Kodak Challenge will add a unique dimension to avid fans’ interest in PGA TOUR tournaments from the early part of the season through the Fall Series, and engage casual fans by emphasizing the memories created each week as TOUR players routinely achieve the seemingly impossible in some of the most picturesque scenes in all of golf,” said Wade. “For some time we wanted to bring a concept like this to players and fans, and in Kodak we have a partner that is a perfect fit to celebrate the beautiful holes and memorable moments of the TOUR.”
Later this year, Kodak will announce plans to engage golf fans in the Kodak Challenge, with interactive content available at kodakchallenge.com. Information will also be available at pgatour.com/kodakchallenge.
Earlier this year, Kodak and the PGA TOUR launched a six-year marketing partnership that along with the Kodak Challenge, includes corporate hospitality and Kodak branding on digital scoreboards.
About Kodak
As the world’s foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives.
To learn more, visit http://www.kodak.com, and our blogs: 1000words.kodak.com, PluggedIn.kodak.com, and GrowYourBiz.kodak.com.
Editor’s Note: Kodak corporate news releases are now offered via RSS feeds. To subscribe, visit www.kodak.com/go/RSS and look for the RSS symbol. In addition, Kodak podcasts are viewable at www.kodak.com/go/podcasts. Our podcasts may be downloaded for viewing on iTunes, Quicktime, or other PC-based media players. Users may also subscribe to Kodak podcasts via the iTunes application if already installed on your computer. From the iTunes store, type “Kodak podcast” in the search field to view all of our podcast offerings.
About the PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is a tax-exempt membership organization of professional golfers. Its primary purpose is to provide competitive earnings opportunities for past, current and future members of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour; 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 2008, the three Tours will have a combined 108 events offering approximately $355 million in prize money. Tournaments are being held in nine countries outside the U.S. and in 37 states. In addition to providing competitive opportunities for its membership, TOUR events also generate significant funds for local charities. In fact, the three Tours have surpassed the $1 billion mark in overall charitable contributions. The PGA TOUR’s website address is www.pgatour.com and the company is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
Contact:
Krista Gleason, Kodak 585-724-5952 krista.gleason@kodak.com
Chris Smith, PGA TOUR 904-273-3379 csmith@pgatourhq.com
Patrick Smith, Ketchum 980-235-2869 patrick.smith@ketchum.com