(NEW ORLEANS, LA) – Legendary golfer Billy Casper will participate in activities surrounding the “Play the Park Tournament” on Friday, November 14 at the North Course at City Park, recently re-opened three years after being ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Casper’s appearance coincides with the 50th Anniversary of his win at the Greater New Orleans Open Invitational in 1958 at City Park, for which he will be honored at 11:45 a.m. by the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the local annual stop on the PGA TOUR, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Approximately 28 teams or 112 golfers will compete in the four-person scramble tournament, kicking-off at noon, with proceeds benefiting City Park and City Park Golf. The winning team will receive a City Park pin-flag autographed by Casper and complimentary golf at the North Course.
Known for his mastery around the greens, Casper – the namesake of Billy Casper Golf (“BCG”), the recently-appointed operator of the North Course at City Park – will conduct a free putting and short-game exhibition at 4 p.m. with special guests from Fore!Kids Foundation of New Orleans and the Bayou District Foundation Junior Program. Casper will also sign autographs, pose for photos and generally entertain golfers with stories from his decades on the PGA and Champions Tour.
“New Orleans will always have a special place in my heart,” says Casper, a member of both the PGA and World Golf Hall of Fame. “It’s a privilege to witness City Park’s revival and the ongoing re-birth of New Orleans, and to welcome area golfers back to their home course for this terrific tournament.”
“Billy Casper is the ideal guest for this special occasion,” says Bob Becker, CEO of City Park. “He brings genuine enthusiasm for the game and New Orleans, as CityPark is where his legendary career took flight.”
The North Course is the first City Park layout to re-open. The East and West Courses, also devastated by Katrina, are slated for restoration in coming years. A par-67, 5,700-yard layout, the North Course at City Park originally opened in 1968 and the past three years has undergone a $1.3 million restoration. This includes the addition of tee boxes, re-grassing of greens, widening fairways, re-shaping bunkers, a new irrigation system and a re-routing of several holes on the back nine. BCG has procured new golf carts and maintenance equipment to replace those which languished under three feet of water for nearly a month, post-Katrina.
City Park was a regular stop on the PGA TOUR for 15 years, hosting the Greater New Orleans Open Invitational. Casper won the tournament in 1958 and again in its second iteration as the First NBC New Orleans Open, held at Lakewood Country Club, in 1975. That victory marked Casper’s 51st and final PGA TOUR win prior to playing on the Senior PGA TOUR.
For more information on the North Course or to make a tee time, visit www.cityparkgolf.com.
About City Park
City Park offers 1,300 acres of year-round family fun. Located in the heart of New Orleans, City Park offers a wide menu of natural attractions, activities for kids, sports and recreational offerings, including the New Orleans Botanical Garden, Storyland Fairytale Playground and the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park. The Park is home to multiple special events each year. In addition, several facilities are available to host any public or private event from a formal wedding to a casual picnic, a concert to a business meeting. The hundreds of acres of park land provide enjoyment for young children playing on our playgrounds and walkers, joggers, and bicyclists winding through the park’s streets and trails.
About the Fore!Kids Foundation
The Fore!Kids Foundation produces the local annual stop on the PGA TOUR, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Since its inception, the Foundation has helped to raise more than $17 million for area charities. Additionally, the Fore!Kids Foundation, through the PGA TOUR event, provides an estimated $25 million in annual economic impact to the city and state. The tournament is televised to an international audience, allowing millions of people to see some of the area’s greatest attractions.
About Billy Casper Golf
Headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, Billy Casper Golf was co-founded by Robert Morris and Peter Hill in 1989 along with professional golf legend Billy Casper, the Masters and two-time U.S. Open winner who ranks seventh all-time with 51 PGA Tour wins. The company manages 98 golf courses in 23 states, the District of Columbia and Costa Rica. Combined with Buffalo Communications, the golf-lifestyle PR division of BCG, 24 of their courses were honored in the recent Golfweek’s “America’s Best” state-by-state rankings.
For more information about Billy Casper Golf, visit www.billycaspergolf.com or call 703.761.1444.
Contact:
Nick Lashinsky
Billy Casper Golf / Buffalo Communications
703.891.3324
nlashinsky@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
www.billycaspergolf.com