Nearly 950 competitors ranging in ages 15-77 vying for championship honors
ORLANDO, Fla., (Sept. 14, 2010) – Golf Channel announced today a record field of 942 competitors who are scheduled to compete at the 2010 Golf Channel Am Tour (GCAT) National Championships, Sept. 21-29, contested at four Jacksonville, Fla., area courses, headlined by the famed TPC Sawgrass at Ponte Vedra Beach. Tournament contestants range in age from 15 to 77 and will represent 44 U.S. States, Puerto Rico and Canada.
The GCAT National Championships will be divided into two events – the Senior National Championship (age 50+), taking place Sept. 21-24, and the Open National Championship, Sept. 26-29. THE PLAYERS Stadium Course – home to the iconic “17th” Island Green and THE PLAYERS Championship on the PGA TOUR – as well as neighboring Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass, St. Johns Country Club and World Golf Village’s Slammer & Squire Course will serve as host courses for the national championships.
Florida has the most participants entered at 119, followed by Texas (99) and California (96). Twelve participants in six flights – six from the senior (50+) division and six from the open division – will be crowned national champions in official awards ceremonies immediately following the conclusion of their respective tournaments on Sept. 24 and 29.
Twenty-nine past champions are returning for the national championships, including 11 defending champions:
Pete DeTemple, Callaway, Md. (Championship Flight)
Patrick Polzin, Indian Head Park, Ill. (Palmer Flight)
Zac Day, San Antonio, Texas (Hogan Flight)
Stephen Cannon, Southlake, Texas (Sarazen Flight)
Alfred Defeo, Absecon, N.J. (Snead Flight)
Ken Larney, Orlando Park, Ill. (Senior Championship Flight)
Clifford Conover, Roosevelt, Utah (Senior Palmer Flight)
Scott Godino, Las Vegas, Nev. (Senior Hogan Flight)
Steve Owensby, Stone Mountain, Ga. (Senior Sarazen Flight)
Chip Fleming, River Ridge, La., (Senior Jones Flight)
Pekka Ojapalo, Oakville, Ont. (Senior Snead Flight)
The Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa will serve as the official host resort and headquarters for the 2010 GCAT National Championships.
Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee, Rich Lerner, Frank Nobilo, Kelly Tilghman, Charlie Rymer, Win McMurry and Todd Lewis will be on-hand at the national championships, attending the welcome dinners and mingling with the competitors.
Chamblee, Nobilo and Lerner will host the senior division national championship welcome dinner on Sept. 20, while Tilghman, Rymer, McMurry and Lewis will host the open national championship dinner on Sept. 25. Golf Channel’s Lauren Thompson will interact with the competitors during nightly scoring functions at both the senior and open national championships. Golf Central, the network’s nightly news program, will include nightly score updates, and members of GolfChannel.com’s editorial team will contribute to the popular Shag Bag blog with daily posts and entries during both national championships.
As the largest amateur golf tour in North America, the Golf Channel Am Tour is open to the public and provides the most professional tournament experience for players of all ages and abilities, as well as offering unparalleled access to some of the most renowned and challenging golf courses across the country.For more information about the Golf Channel Am Tour and the national championships, visit www.GolfChannel.com/amtour.
About Golf Channel
Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. The Golf Channel cable network, co-founded by Arnold Palmer and a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is available in more than 120 million homes worldwide through cable, satellite and wireless companies. Exclusive partnerships with the world’s top tours allow Golf Channel to feature more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, added to a programming schedule distinguished by golf’s best news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platform of businesses is led by www.GolfChannel.com, a leading golf destination on the Internet, delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf, as well as services that help the recreational player with how to play, what to play and where to play golf.
About TPC Sawgrass
TPC Sawgrass — “Home of THE PLAYERS” — encompasses more than 30 years of magic and memories from famous pros’ road to the Championship and everyday golfers who challenge THE PLAYERS Stadium Course and Dye’s Valley Course. Open to the public and also offering exclusive memberships, TPC Sawgrass boasts a 77,000 square-foot Mediterranean Revival-style Clubhouse that protects and shares the TPC Sawgrass history and heritage through THE PLAYERS memorabilia. On the course, golfers build new memories with storyteller forecaddies who help closely replicate the experiences of the pros while challenging the famous 17th Island Green. Additional amenities include world-class golf instruction and state-of-the-art equipment at the TOUR Academy and restaurants Nineteen and Traditions overlooking the famed fairways. For more information on TPC Sawgrasss please visit http://www.tpc.com/tpcsawgrass_60.aspx or call PGA TOUR Experiences at 888-421-8555 and visit www.pgatourexperiences.com
About Slammer & Squire
One of “The Official Golf Courses of the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum,” the Slammer & Squire is an 18-hole championship course designed by Bobby Weed with design consultants World Golf Hall of Fame members Sam “The Slammer” Snead and Gene “The Squire” Sarazen. The Slammer & Squire features two distinct nines with generous fairways, contoured greens, and plenty of water hazards along with impressive views of the Hall of Fame. Along with the Slammer & Squire golf course, the King & Bear golf course offers five sets of tees and beautiful, tournament-ready course conditions year-round.
Slammer & Squire was the host site of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, a Champions Tour event, and currently hosts an array of other golf events. To learn more about Slammer & Squire at World Golf Village, visit www.golfwgv.com or call 904.940.6088.
About St. Johns G&CC
An award-winning Clyde Johnston-designed course, Billy Casper Golf-managed St. Johns Golf & Country Club attracts golfers from throughout the southeast United States. Carved out of a pine forest and featuring occasionally arduous wind patterns, the 18-hole layout tests golfers of all abilities, including those playing its championship tees at par-72 and 7,236 yards.
In 2009, under Billy Casper Golf agronomic direction, St. Johns was designated a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” by Audubon International for its high standards protecting the environment and preserving the natural heritage of golf. According to Audubon International, St. Johns is one of a handful of courses in the Jacksonville area to achieve certification, joining the elite TPC Sawgrass, Amelia Island Plantation, The Palencia Club and Bent Creek Golf Course. For more information about St. Johns: www.stjohnsgolf.com, 904.940.3200.
Contact:
Jeremy Friedman
Golf Channel Public Relations
407-355-4058
jfriedman@golfchannel.com
