More than 1,000 competitors ranging in ages 12-79 vying for championship honors, Sept. 18-27; former MLB Pitchers Mark Mulder, Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez and three-time Olympian Todd Eldredge headline field; 12-year-old Charlie Reiter looking to claim second national championship; Twenty-six past champions returning to PGA West to reclaim honors; “Having to play well for four consecutive days is not something that is easy, and I’m looking forward to the challenge” – former MLB pitcher Mark Mulder
ORLANDO, Fla., (Sept. 13, 2011) – Golf Channel announced today a record field of 1,029 competitors who are scheduled to compete in the 2011 Golf Channel Am Tour (GCAT) National Championships, Sept. 18-27, which will be contested at four La Quinta, Calif., area courses, headlined by famed PGA West. Tournament contestants range in age from 12 to 79 and will represent 42 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. 18-21, and the Open National Championship, Sept. 24-27. PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, Greg Norman Course and TPC Stadium Course join La Quinta Resort & Club’s Mountain Course as host golf courses. La Quinta Resort will serve as the tournament headquarters and host resort for the national championships. The courses hosted the Golf Channel Am Tour National Championships in 2009 to rave reviews.
California has the most participants entered at 202, followed by Texas (106) and Florida (89). Twelve participants in six flights – six from the senior (50+) division and six from the open division – will be crowned national champions on Sept. 21 and 27 in official awards ceremonies immediately following the conclusion of their respective tournaments.
Headlining the national championships field are three sports celebrities – former St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics pitcher Mark Mulder; four-time World Series championship pitcher Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez and three-time Olympic figure skater Todd Eldredge.
“I’m excited to play in the national championships, which is going to feel like a PGA TOUR event,” said Mulder. “Having to play well for four consecutive days is something that is not easy, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Twenty-six past champions are returning for the national championships, including seven defending champions:
Don O’Connor, Carlsbad, Calif. (Championship Flight)
Gio Swann, Lauderhill, Fla. (Palmer Flight)
Mark Perfetuo, Cary, N.C. (Hogan Flight)
Suneil Aggarwal, Alpharetta, Ga. (Jones Flight)
Don Miller, North Bay, Ont. (Senior Hogan Flight)
Clifford Conover, Roosevelt, Utah (Senior Palmer Flight)
Randy Adcock, Vidor, Texas. (Senior Jones Flight)
Also included in the roster of past champions are six golfers from the 2009 GCAT National Championships contested at PGA West, including the youngest competitor in the field: 12-year old Charlie Reiter from Palm Desert, Calif. At 10, Reiter became the youngest competitor in the history of the GCAT to win a national championship, defeating fellow competitors more than twice his age.
Golf Channel’s Erik Kuselias, Gary Williams, Holly Sonders, Todd Lewis, Charlie Rymer and Win McMurry will be on-hand at the national championships, attending the welcome dinners and mingling with the competitors. Kuselias, Williams and Sonders will host the senior division national championship welcome dinner on Sept. 17, while Lewis, McMurry and Rymer will host the open national championship dinner on Sept. 23. Golf Central, the network’s nightly news program, will include nightly scoring updates, and GolfChannel.com’s Brandon Tucker and Jason Sobel will post daily blogs and features on-site at the national championships.
As the largest amateur golf tour in North America with more than 5,000 members, 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. Broken up into 60 local chapters throughout North America, the Golf Channel Am Tour conducted more than 800 local championships and 25 two-day “Major” Championships throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico in 2011. 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 part of the NBC Sports Group, 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.
Contact:
Jeremy Friedman
Golf Channel
t: 407-355-4058
e: jfriedman@golfchannel.com
Dan Higgins
Golf Channel
t: 407-355-4018
e: dhiggins@golfchannel.com
