Bradley, Johnson, Simpson, Brandt Snedeker join defending champion Brian Gay; field includes 15 champions on the PGA Tour in 2013 and 2014; Holly Sonders, Craig T. Nelson, Michael Bolton and Jay Feely are special guests
LA QUINTA, Calif. – Rickie Fowler, one of the most popular golfers in the world, returns to his Riverside County roots for the first time in four years this week and headlines a strong field of up-and-coming golfers and seasoned veterans committed to play the 2014 Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation.
Joining the flamboyant Fowler, who grew up in Murrieta and made his mark as a prep golfing standout at Murrieta Valley High School, are four players ranked in the top 22 in the Official World Golf Rankings: Zach Johnson (No. 6), Brandt Snedeker (No. 14), Webb Simpson (No. 20) and Keegan Bradley (No. 22).
The Humana Challenge is a 72-hole tournament, playing Thursday-Sunday, and features 156 professionals playing at the Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA WEST, the Jack Nicklaus Private Course at PGA WEST and La Quinta Country Club.
Tickets are available at www.HumanaChallenge.com, at the gate and at Lumpy’s golf stores in La Quinta and Rancho Mirage.
“It’s still where I grew up and played the majority of my junior golf growing up,” said Fowler, whose only other appearance in the tournament was in 2010. “I played at least 50 percent of my golf in the desert up until I was probably about 12 years old. So I played a lot out there and then have played over the years in high school. So I do enjoy playing out there, with the weather; there’s usually not much wind and there’s pretty good scoring conditions.
“I feel like it’s a good way to start off the year and I’m looking forward to getting out there and picking up where we left off in high school – making a lot of birdies out there.”
Someone who has made a lot of birdies everywhere of late is Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion who is one of the hottest golfers in the world right now.
Last month, he beat Tiger Woods in a playoff to capture the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, then came from behind to win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Maui a week ago. Johnson’s best Humana Challenge finish came two years ago, when he tied for eighth.
Bradley is emblematic of the springboard the Humana Challenge provides young, up-and-coming players. His one and only appearance came three years ago, when he tied for seventh. Seven months later, Bradley hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy as the winner of the PGA Championship.
Snedeker is another example. In 2012, he tied for eighth in the Humana Challenge. In September, he was the FedExCup playoff champion, and now he’s a stalwart on Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams. He is making his sixth appearance, having finished T23 last year.
“You look at the kind of seasons people who play the Humana Challenge have, and year after year you see that playing well in our event is a springboard to success,” said Bob Marra, executive director and CEO of the Humana Challenge. “We had 14 PGA TOUR winners in our field last year, and with players like Rickie, Zach, Keegan, Webb and Brandt, it’s fair to say we’ll have a few more in 2014. We are thrilled to have them here for our fans to enjoy and appreciate.”
Simpson is the most recent major champion in the field, having captured the 2012 U.S. Open title at The Olympic Club outside San Francisco. He last played in the event in 2011 and owns a T5 finish in his tournament debut in 2009.
Other major champions in the field include Mark Brooks, Stewart Cink, Ben Curtis, John Daly, Lucas Glover, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Lee Janzen, Steve Jones, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, Geoff Ogilvy, David Toms, Mike Weir and Y.E. Yang.
Waiting for them are a rich mix of past tournament champions, beginning with defending champion Brian Gay. Other past champions include Mark Wilson (2012), Jhonattan Vegas (2011), Bill Haas (2010, and the 2011 FedExCup playoff winner), Pat Perez (2009), D.J. Trahan (2008), Charley Hoffman (2007), Chad Campbell (2006), Justin Leonard (2005), Weir (2003), Joe Durant (2001), Jesper Parnevik (2000) and Champions Tour members Brooks (1996) and Peter Jacobsen (1990).
Along with Zach Johnson and Simpson, OHL Classic at Mayakoba champ Harris English is the third 2014 PGA TOUR winner in the field.
This year, the Humana Challenge will invite a number of individuals to play in the amateur portion of the event as special guests of the tournament and its sponsors, replacing the celebrity field as it has existed in the past.
Those spots will go to popular Golf Channel personality and event “rookie” Holly Sonders, and three past amateur entries: actor Craig T. Nelson, multi-platinum recording artist Michael Bolton and Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely.
“Holly is very popular with golf fans, and we know how well Craig and Michael interact with our galleries,” Marra said. “And Jay is a nice addition because not only is he an outstanding golfer, but he has a foundation that works with the Clinton Foundation on numerous charitable activities, including an organization that benefits victims of the Haiti earthquake. We are excited to see them once again charm our galleries this year.”
In conjunction with the tournament, the Clinton Foundation will host its third annual Health Matters: Activating Wellness in Every Generation Conference at the La Quinta Resort and Club, Jan. 13-15. This conference will showcase what leaders from across sectors – business, technology, sports and philanthropy – are doing to contribute to the health and wellness of people throughout the United States.
Since 1960, Desert Classic Charities, the non-profit entity that organizes the Humana Challenge, has donated more than $52 million to Eisenhower Medical Center and numerous other non-profit organizations in the Coachella Valley.
About Humana Inc.
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a leading health care company that offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services that incorporate an integrated approach to lifelong well-being.
By leveraging the strengths of its core businesses, Humana believes it can better explore opportunities for existing and emerging adjacencies in health care that can further enhance wellness opportunities for the millions of people across the nation with whom the company has relationships.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s website at www.humana.com.
About the Clinton Foundation
The Clinton Foundation convenes businesses, governments, NGOs, and individuals to improve global health and wellness, increase opportunity for women and girls, reduce childhood obesity, create economic opportunity and growth, and help communities address the effects of climate change.
Because of our work, 20,000 American schools are providing kids with healthy food choices in an effort to eradicate childhood obesity; 21,000 African farmers have improved their crops to feed 30,000 people; 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced in cities worldwide; more than 5,000 people have been trained in marketable job skills in Colombia; more than 6.8 million people have benefited from lifesaving HIV/AIDS medications; $100 million in strategic investments have been made, impacting the health of 25 million people in the U.S.; and members of the Clinton Global Initiative have made nearly 2,800 Commitments to Action to improve more than 430 million lives around the world.
Learn more at http://www.clintonfoundation.org, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ClintonFounation and on Twitter @ClintonFdn.
About Desert Classic Charities
Since its inception, Desert Classic Charities, the charitable entity that organizes the Humana Challenge, has contributed more than $52 million to the Eisenhower Medical Center and surrounding Coachella Valley nonprofit organizations. Its scope of giving is broad and includes structured and mentoring programs for children, social services, and food and safe shelter for the less fortunate. Desert Classic Charities is dedicated to continuing its mission to serve human needs in the Coachella Valley and beyond by generating funds and opportunities through the Humana Challenge.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, NEC Series, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China.
The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 945 million households in 225 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2012, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $130 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR’s all-time total of charitable contributions to $1.86 billion.
The PGA TOUR’s website is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
Contact:
Brian Robin
(818) 462-5610
Pat Bennett
(760) 346-8184
