Gail Flannigan Associates

Champions Tour will hold $2 million event in Dominican Republic

The PGA TOUR's Champions Tour and Cap Cana announced that the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Punta Espada Golf Club in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic will be the site of a new Champions Tour event next spring.

The agreement was signed on May 25, 2007 by Cap Cana's Board of Directors President, Dr. Ricardo Hazoury and Champions Tour Senior Vice President Mike Stevens in the presence of Jack Nicklaus at Nicklaus Design headquarters in North Palm Beach, Fla.

The Cap Cana tournament will be played March 31-April 6, 2008.

The 54-hole stroke-play tournament will feature a 78-player field and official prize money of $2 million, with the winner collecting $300,000. GOLF CHANNEL will broadcast all three rounds in the United States and coverage of the event will be distributed internationally.

"The Cap Cana will be a prestigious addition to our 2008 schedule," said Champions Tour President Rick George. "The pristine setting combined with the Jack Nicklaus design of the Punta Espada Golf Club and resources and amenities of the Cap Cana Resort will immediately establish The Cap Cana as a premier event on the Champions Tour."

Punta Espada Golf Club, the first of three Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses slated to open in Cap Cana, is operated by Troon Golf and opened for play in November 2006. The par-72 course incorporates the surrounding natural beauty of Cap Cana, stretching along a coastline where golfers on each hole look out into the blue expanse of the Caribbean Sea.

"We are very proud to be selected for the PGA TOUR's Champions Tour in 2008," said Dr. Ricardo Hazoury, President of Cap Cana's Board of Directors. "The design of our course at Punta Espada incorporates the natural characteristics of this unique environment of Cap Cana and has been well conceived for this level of play. As a golf destination, we are committed to a successful event. We will continue as a country to position ourselves in the world as a special place to enjoy the sport of golf and to celebrate this kind of professional tournament,"

"We are excited to be a new addition to the Champions Tour in 2008," said Sam Logan, Manager of Operations from Troon Golf assigned to the Punta Espada Golf Club. "Cap Cana has become well-known for excellent conditions and spectacular views, which make it an ideal location for touring professionals and spectators alike. It is a compliment to Cap Cana, Nicklaus Design and Troon Golf that just a few months after opening, Punta Espada debuted at No. 77 in Golf Digest's ranking of the 100 Best Courses Outside the U.S."

The complete 2008 Champions Tour schedule will be announced on June 25 at the annual Champions Tour National Media Conference following the Bank of America Championship in Boston, MA.