Jack Nicklaus-Designed Course at LionsGate Will Be Host Venue
Kansas City, MO – The PGA TOUR’s Nationwide Tour and Christmas In October today announced a new Nationwide Tour event will be played in the greater Kansas City area beginning in 2009.
The “Christmas In October Classic” will be played August 17-23 at the Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate in Overland Park, KS with a purse of $625,000 and first prize of $112,500.
Christmas In October will be the beneficiary of the tournament. Christmas In October is a Kansas City-based organization that “rebuilds houses, lives and neighborhoods in greater Kansas City” with the help of thousands of volunteers from various Kansas City-area organizations. Christmas In October was founded in 1984 by Dick Miller and John McMeel when they worked on 20 houses. Currently the organization is working on 400 houses. It is one of the largest volunteer programs of its kind in the United States and benefits the elderly, disabled and homeowners with young children who lack the skill and resources to make necessary household repairs.
The Nationwide Tour and Christmas In October have entered into a three-year agreement.
“We are asking the Kansas City-area business community to assist Christmas In October in restoring the homes of the elderly, handicapped and financially disadvantaged through our tournament sponsorship of this Nationwide Tour event,” said Christmas In October co-founder John McMeel. “As a 501(c)(3), Christmas In October provides a great opportunity for businesses to contribute to the community in a very direct and positive way. The money will be used to repair homes, schools, churches, public service buildings, day care centers and neighborhood recreation centers. The golf tournament will provide sponsors with a number of marketing and entertainment platforms to successfully retain business relationships and develop new opportunities and customers.”
“The PGA TOUR couldn’t be more pleased to partner with Christmas In October to bring the Nationwide Tour to Kansas City,” said Nationwide Tour president Bill Calfee. “When we come to a new market like Kansas City, most fans are surprised to learn that two out of every three PGA TOUR players are Nationwide Tour alumni and that they have amassed more than 230 TOUR wins and 11 major championships. Kansas City’s own and 2007 graduate Michael Letzig is a great example of the Nationwide Tour’s position as the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR and the impact the Tour has. By August the week-to-week pressure cooker to earn one of the 25 coveted PGA TOUR cards for 2010 will be reaching a critical phase. Golf fans of Kansas City will get to see the next round of PGA TOUR stars up close and personal in a much heightened competitive environment. We invite them to mark their calendars for not only a great week of golf at the Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate but a series of fun events for the entire community that will benefit a unique and wonderful organization in Christmas In October.”
“This is wonderful news that the Nationwide Tour is coming to Kansas City,” said Kansas City native and World Golf Hall of Fame member Tom Watson. “Over the years I’ve seen how the Nationwide Tour has grown. It now has a very strong impact on the PGA TOUR with a number of its players going on to stardom on the PGA TOUR. Michael Letzig, who is from our area and graduated from the Nationwide Tour last year, is off to a very solid start on TOUR this year. The level of play I see out of Nationwide Tour players is certainly impressive. I have no doubt they will enjoy LionsGate and the many challenges Jack’s course presents. I encourage golf fans of Kansas City to head out there next August to see how really good this next generation of players is.”
“I am happy to hear that the Nationwide Tour is coming to Kansas City,” said former Kansas City resident and 1998 Nationwide Tour graduate Woody Austin. “I lived in Kansas City for six years and have lived in the Midwest for over 20 years. Personally, I don’t think there’s a better place to play golf than in the Midwest. The people are great and the golf is fantastic. Kansas City is a great city and they really support their golf. The fact that the Nationwide Tour is bringing an event to town is great for the Tour and great for the city.”
Michael Letzig, a native and resident of nearby Richmond, MO, finished 12th on the Nationwide Tour money list last year to earn his 2009 PGA TOUR. Letzig is enjoying a very good rookie campaign on the PGA TOUR. The 28-year-old former Missouri Amateur champion (28) has earned $851,385 and has four top-10 finishes in 24 starts.
The Nationwide Tour visited the Kansas City area once before. In 1990, the Tour’s first season, Trevor Dodds defeated Jeff Maggert, Eric Manning and Dennis Trixler by one shot in the Deer Creek Open at Deer Creek Golf Club in Overland Park, KS.
The Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate previously hosted the PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour in 2005 and ’06. Both events were won by Dana Quigley. The 2005 event featured Jack Nicklaus’ last TOUR start in an official co-sponsored event.
ABOUT CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER
Since 1984, Christmas In October has used a two-week schedule in the month of October to help the elderly, disabled and homeowners with young children restore their homes to a livable condition. The program has grown to include over 6,000 volunteers working on over 425 houses each year. Christmas In October additionally rebuilds the neighborhood infrastructure; churches, schools, recreation centers and public service buildings. This is done with very limited monetary resources. The last two years the organization has been inundated with calls and applications from people within the community in desperate need of help. This led to expanding to a year-round program, enabling Christmas In October to help more people rebuild their homes and lives.
A Christmas In October case study: In February CIO toured a house in which three elderly women, all over the age of 70, lived under the same roof. There were no toilets, no showers and no kitchen appliances. When a neighbor let CIO personnel in the house for a tour the ladies were curled up in a bed together, trying to stay warm. CIO was told the women used the neighbor’s toilet and showered infrequently at a relative’s house two blocks away. CIO went to work the next day and installed a toilet, shower and sink basin. They fully equipped the kitchen with appliances, repaired holes in the walls, fixed broken windows and repaired the roof. CIO worked with the utility companies to restore water, electricity and gas.
LIONSGATE
The Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate was built in Overland Park, Kansas in 2001. This private club offers its members, families and guests the finest golf, recreational, social and business entertaining lifestyles. With the Club centered on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, members enjoy camaraderie, impeccable service and pride in belonging.
In Jack’s words, “We have not forced or tried to create features that aren’t natural to the site. Therefore, our landforms are very broad, bunkers are deep, but relatively simple in shape and the entire site flows very naturally. We have taken into consideration the Kansas winds by careful placement of the tees, width of fairways and the openings into the greens. Every golfer will have fun and that’s what it’s all about.”
The 18-hole, 7,251 yard, par-72 championship course is accompanied by a 21,000 square-foot clubhouse which features full menus and Ladies’ and Men’s locker rooms, Golf Pro Shop, fine dining and grill rooms.
ABOUT THE NATIONWIDE TOUR
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Nationwide Tour identifies those players who are ready to compete and win on golf’s greatest stage. As the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR, two-thirds of the current PGA TOUR membership played on the Nationwide Tour. To date Tour alumni have won 232 PGA TOUR titles, including all four majors and three PLAYERS Championships. Twenty-five PGA TOUR cards and a record purse approaching $19 million will be at stake over the course of 30 events in 2008 concluding with the $1 million Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch. Recognizing the Tour’s growing stature, Nationwide Insurance has renewed its umbrella sponsorship of the Nationwide Tour through 2012. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its three tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, supports over 2,000 local charities and has surpassed $1 billion in charitable giving. To learn more about the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit www.PGATOUR.com.
ABOUT NATIONWIDE
Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more than $161 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks #108 on the Fortune 500 list. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, farm, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and health and productivity services. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.
Nationwide, the Nationwide Framemark and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.
Contact:
Gene Barlow
Tournament Director, Christmas In October Classic
Tel: 913.208.2117
Email: doa360@msn.com
Jeff Adams
Director of Communications, Champions Tour
Tel: 904-273-3397
Email: jadams@pgatourhq.com
