Major championship winners Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Zach Johnson
join FedExCup Champion Billy Horschel, heralded Europeans Luke Donald and Ian Poulter, along with defending champion Patrick Reed for Jan. 19-25 event
LA QUINTA, Calif. – He is one of only seven multiple-time champions in event history and one of the most popular and decorated golfers in history. And the rarefied air that Phil Mickelson occupies in the game of golf will go on display once again at the 2015 Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation.
Mickelson, a World Golf Hall of Fame member and owner of three green jackets, five major championship victories, 42 PGA TOUR wins and 51 professional titles worldwide, headlines the early list of commitments for the 2015 Humana Challenge.
The tournament, now in its 56th year and annually the PGA TOUR’s first West Coast Swing event of the new year, returns to La Quinta Jan. 19-25. The 72-hole event 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.
Joining Mickelson, who claimed both of his tournament titles (2002, 2004) in playoffs, but last played in the Humana Challenge in 2013, is a dynamic list of players who illustrate why the Humana Challenge field often gives a glimpse of future success. The players in the 2014 field claimed 20 PGA TOUR titles during the 2013-14 wraparound campaign. A fifth of those were claimed by defending champion Patrick Reed (who also won the WGC-Cadillac Championship) and Billy Horschel, who went on to win the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship and capture the FedExCup title.
Both Reed, who is seeking to be the first repeat champion since Johnny Miller in 1976, and Horschel, return for the 2015 Humana Challenge. Joining them are major championship winners Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson, 2012 FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker, and European Tour mainstays Luke Donald (former World No. 1) and Ian Poulter.
Other early commitments among the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings include Ryan Palmer and 2014 PGA TOUR winners Chris Kirk and Kevin Streelman.
“Those who follow the PGA TOUR even casually know that the player field at the Humana Challenge has been enhanced very substantially in recent years and it keeps getting stronger,” said Bob Marra, the executive director/CEO of the Humana Challenge. “In addition to the star power of the headliner players joining us regularly our field has provided a glimpse at players who have broken out to enjoy career-defining seasons. Look at Billy Horschel, who had a top-25 finish here last January and went on to win two playoff events and the FedExCup, or consider the eight first-time winners who were in our field last year. Fans who come out to the tournament are not only guaranteed of seeing many of the world’s top players, but are likely to see some new stars in the making.”
Fans certainly saw plenty of that last year with Reed, who rode three consecutive 9-under-par 63s to a 54-hole PGA TOUR scoring record of 27-under-par to claim his second career title in five months.
Reed’s season culminated with his first berth on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, where he led the Americans with a 3-0-1 record and 3 ½ points. He was one of five 2014 Humana Challenge alumni on the Ryder Cup team, joining Bradley, Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson.
There are a host of Humana Challenge ticket plans that will allow fans to see Mickelson, Reed and the rest of the dynamic field up close. Tickets are available at Lumpy’s in La Quinta (46630 Washington Street) and Rancho Mirage (72769 Dinah Shore Drive) and PGA TOUR Superstore (72280 Highway 111, Suite 110, Palm Desert). The following ticket specials can be purchased at www.humanachallenge.com through Jan. 18:
– Daily Grounds Ticket, allowing grounds access to any course for any tournament round, Thursday-Sunday, is $30 (25% off the gate price of $40).
– Full Week Grounds Badge, allowing grounds access to any course Wed.-Sun., is $90 (25% off the gate price of $120).
– Club 17 Membership, allowing grounds access to any course and access to Club 17 – an upgraded, exclusive spectator venue located at the 17th green of the Arnold Palmer Private Course and which features big-screen TVs, food and beverage service for purchase, and a cash bar – from Thurs.-Sun., is $250 for a Single membership and $450 for a Twosome. Tickets to this popular venue are nearly sold out.
– Bob Hope Club, allows access to the ultimate in golf luxury and access. Individual memberships give you access to our exclusive, yet relaxed, Bob Hope Club on the 18th green of the Palmer Private Course at PGA WEST. Membership includes breakfast, lunch buffet, afternoon snacks and a premier bar – all catered by Wally’s Desert Turtle. Through Jan. 18, weekend memberships that allow access Saturday, Jan. 24 and Sunday, Jan. 25 are $600 marked down from $650. Full-week memberships are $900 marked down from $950.
– Senior Ticket (age 56 and older; must show valid ID) is $25 for any one day from Friday, Jan. 23-Sunday, Jan. 25. Special Senior Day tickets for Thursday, Jan. 22 may be purchased online only for $20.
– Wednesday Grounds Ticket (for professional practice rounds) is $15.
Since 1960, Desert Classic Charities, the non-profit entity that organizes the Humana Challenge, has donated more than $56 million to a wide range of Coachella Valley charitable organizations and Eisenhower Medical Center. This past year, the Humana Challenge donated $800,000 to 39 local charities.
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a leading health and well-being company focused on making it easy for people to achieve their best health with clinical excellence through coordinated care. The company’s strategy integrates care delivery, the member experience, and clinical and consumer insights to encourage engagement, behavior change, proactive clinical outreach and wellness for the millions of people Humana serves across the country.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com.
About the Clinton Foundation
The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea 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, 26,000 American schools are providing kids with healthy food choices in an effort to eradicate childhood obesity; 36,000 farmers in Malawi have improved their incomes by more than 500 percent; 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; 8.2 million people have access to lifesaving HIV/AIDS medications; $200 million in strategic investments have been made, impacting the health of 75 million people in the U.S.; and members of the Clinton Global Initiative have made nearly 3,100 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/ClintonFoundation and on Twitter @ClintonFdn.
About_Desert_Classic_Charities
Since its inception, Desert Classic Charities, the charitable entity that organizes the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, has contributed more than $56 million to a wide range of Coachella Valley charitable organizations and Eisenhower Medical Center. The scope of giving is broad and includes support for 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 every year 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 more than 1 billion 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 2013, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $134 million for local and national charitable organizations and in early 2014 the TOUR’s all-time charitable contributions surpassed $2 billion.
The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
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