TEE TO GREEN  - AT&T CHAMPIONS CLASSIC

Weekly Update #7

VALENCIA COUNTRY CLUB, MARCH 10-16, 2008

March 4, 2008

COUNTDOWN – 1 WEEK

CALIFORNIA HERE THEY COME:    It is time for the Champions Tour professionals to take center stage in Southern California.  This week’s event in Newport Beach is the first of two straight in Southern California, followed by the AT&T Champions Classic at Valencia Country Club, March 10-16.  For several of the players, their Southern California roots run deep, for example:  Mark O’Meara grew up in Mission Viejo and was an All-American at Long Beach State; John Cook grew up in Southern California; Dave Stockton, Scott Simpson, Craig Stadler, Jay Sigel and John Jacobs all played golf at University of Southern California; Jim Albus graduated from University of California Los Angeles and was an assistant golf professional at Mission Viejo Country Club.

DID YOU KNOW:  Tom Purtzer, the defending champion of the AT&T Champions Classic once shot an 11-under 60 at this week’s Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach.  His lowest round at Valencia Country Club is a 67, which he shot in the opening round of 2003.  He went on to win that rain-shortened (36 holes) tournament.  The lowest tournament round at Valencia Country Club is 8-under par 64, which is shared by five professionals:  Walter Morgan, 2001; Larry Nelson, 2001; Joe Inman, 2004; Tom Kite, 2006; and Hale Irwin, 2007.

LOWEST SCORING AVERAGE:  Since they both have two wins at Valencia Country Club in the AT&T Champions Classic, then it is easy to see why they lead the pros in scoring average since the tournament began play there in 2001.  Tom Purtzer and Tom Kite are tied for the lowest stroke average at Valencia CC (minimum of 11 rounds) with a 70.176 average.  Purtzer has recorded 9 of 17 rounds in the 60s, while Kite has posted 8 of 17 rounds in the 60s.

PRO-JUNIOR TOURNAMENT TO HIGHLIGHT EVENT WEEK:  Who gets the most enjoyment out of the Tuesday afternoon Pro-Junior Tournament - the Champions Tour professionals or the 15 Junior Golfers from the Los Angeles County Junior Golf Program?  It is

hard to tell by the smiles on the faces of the Juniors and the five pros who team up with them.  Three Juniors get matched with a Champions Tour professional in a five-hole one low ball format tournament where everyone is a winner – the Juniors who get to play alongside their golfing heroes and the professionals who get the opportunity to give back to young people eager to watch and learn how the pros “do it.”  The Juniors from the LA County area participating this year include:  Jennel Alexander, Gardena; Javier Chavez, Lynwood; Alicia Chavez, Lynwood; C.J. Coleman, Manhattan Beach; Roy Cootes, Rolling Hills; Margo Dionisio, Whittier; Hakim Elam, Los Angeles; C.J. Espino, Castaic; Austin Gomez, Alta Loma; Aaron Grimes, Compton; James Hurst, Palmdale; Jennifer Kim, La Canada; Bethany Wu, Diamond Bar; Tiffany Yau, Northridge and Taylor Yoshitake, Playa Del Rey.  Over 900 juniors competed in five junior golf tournaments and 119 qualified to play in the final.  All 119 qualifiers were invited to play in the AT&T Champions Classic Pro-Junior.  Over 70 responded with the first 15 being chosen to play.  The event takes place on Tuesday, March 11 at 3 p.m. at Valencia CC.

PENCIL US IN:  It’s time to purchase tickets and get the AT&T Champions Classic on your calendar.  Opening round play is scheduled for Friday, March 14, at 10:30 a.m.  Saturday and Sunday rounds also start at 10:30 a.m.

TICKET SALES:

Tickets for this year’s 54-hole stroke play event are available for purchase online at www.attchampionsclassic.com.  Tickets, which start as low as $15, can be purchased  through one of the event’s Champions for Charity partners, including the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Foundation, Special Olympics Southern California/Santa Clarita Chapter, SCV Youth Project, Boys and Girls Club of Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita Valley Optimist Club, Los Angeles Junior Golf Foundation, Girl Scouts:  Joshua Tree Council and the following High School Golf Teams:  Canyon Girls Golf, Valencia Boys Golf, Hart Girls Golf, Chaminade Golf Team, West Ranch Golf Team, College of the Canyons Foundation and Total Golf Adventures.