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Fred Couples To Defend Title Against Phil Mickelson, Lee Trevino And Fuzzy Zoeller In Tylenol Par-3 Shootout At Treetops Resort, June 30-July 1
Contact Fred Robledo/Chris DeBlasio
Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.
818-344-6195, ext. 107/115
GAYLORD, Mich. - Fred Couples, a former Masters champion and a two-time
PGA TOUR Player of the Year, will return to the Treetops Resort to defend
his title at the Tylenol Par-3 Shootout, June 30 - July 1. Couples will
face the fourth-ranked player in the world, Phil Mickelson, 2001 champion
and $1 million hole-in-one winner Lee Trevino, and two-time major championship
winner Fuzzy Zoeller at the spectacular Par-3 Threetops Course, it was
announced today by Chuck Gerber, executive vice president of ESPN Regional
Television, Inc., and creator of the event.
The event will be televised by ESPN on Monday, June 30 FROM 10 p.m. to midnight, ET, and Tuesday, July 1 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., ET. Roger Twibell will be joined by Charlie Rymer in the booth for the telecast while Bill Kratzert will serve as the on-course reporter.
The purse for the 18-hole tournament is $540,000 and an additional $1 million bonus is available for every hole-in-one.
Each hole is worth $20,000, with a $10,000 bonus for the player hitting his shot closest to the pin. If the hole is not won, the money carries over to the next hole. If the hole is won, the player doesn't get the money unless he validates it on the next hole by either winning or tying the low score. No validation is necessary on playoff holes.
"We are proud of how popular this event has become in such a short time," Gerber said. "All of our players - defending champion Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson, Lee Trevino and Fuzzy Zoeller - are not only great players, they also put on a great show for television."
"The stage is set for another exciting event," said Rick Smith, new owner and managing partner of Treetops Resort. "We have been fortunate to have the leading names in golf participate each year and this year is no exception."
"Tylenol is proud to sponsor this event featuring some of golf's greatest
players. The event gives us an excellent opportunity to associate Tylenol
with a group of winners while showcasing our newest product, Tylenol
8 Hour," said Ami Schmitz-Levine, Director of Media and Scientific Communications.
Couples, one of golf's most popular players, is a 14-time winner on the PGA TOUR, including the 1992 Masters, the 1984 Tournament Players Championship, the 1996 PLAYERS Championship and the 1998 Memorial Tournament. His most dominant years were in 1991 and 1992 when his peers voted him Player of the Year.
Mickelson, a 21-time winner on the PGA TOUR, including the 1996 NEC World Series of Golf and the 2002 TOUR Championship, is one of golf's most consistent winners. Ranked No. 4 in the world, the talented left-hander has won multiple titles in seven of his 10 years on the PGA TOUR, including two four-victory years in 1996 and 2000.
Trevino, at the age of 63, is one of golf's legends and ultimate entertainers. He remains a force, especially on a par-3 course. The winner of 29 PGA TOUR events, including six major championships (two U.S. Opens, two British Opens, two PGA Championships) and 29 Champions Tour events, Trevino capitalized on his iron-play two years ago when he aced the 138-yard seventh hole to claim the $1 million bonus.
Zoeller is another entertaining player with major championship credentials. A 10-time winner on the PGA TOUR, including the 1979 Masters and the 1984 U.S. Open, Zoeller is now making an impact on the Champions Tour.
In last year's match, Couples missed a 3-foot putt on the opening day that would have earned him $140,000, but he made up for it the following day by winning the 14th hole (and validating it with a par on the 15th) to win $280,000. He wound up collecting $410,000 in the two-day event, $50,000 of it coming for being closest to the hole five times. Mickelson earned $60,000 for being closest to the pin six times. Trevino earned $50,000 and Arnold Palmer collected $20,000 for their closest-to-the-pin holes.
The Rick Smith designed Threetops Course was named by Travel & Leisure Magazine as the No. 1 par-3 course in the nation on its list of America's Top 5 Par-3 courses in December of 2002. This award, coupled with Golfweek's previous ranking of Threetops as America's best Par-3 Course, offers bragging rights to last a lifetime for any golf course designer. This unique course features holes that range from 135 to 216 yards with a 145-foot vertical drop on the third hole. Club selection for the Tylenol Par-3 Shootout will vary from a pitching wedge to a 5-iron.
Treetops Resort boasts 81 holes of championship golf by designers Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Tom Fazio and Rick Smith. Treetops is a five-time recipient of Golf Magazine's Silver Medal Resort award and is rated No. 32 in America's Top 75 Golf Resorts by Golf Digest.
As a full-service four-season resort, Treetops offers 19 downhill ski runs, 18K of machine-groomed cross-country ski trails along with a terrain park and tubing hills. Lodging at Treetops consists of 240 guest rooms including standard and deluxe rooms, suites and hospitality rooms and two- and three-bedroom condominiums. A 10,000-square-foot convention center is available for conferences along with a variety of other meeting facilities. Rounding out the amenities are three restaurants, a child development center, retail shops offering a variety of clothing and equipment, indoor and outdoor pools and much more.
Tickets for the Tylenol Par-3 Shootout will go on sale April 1, and may be purchased online at www.treetops.com or by calling 989-732-6711, ext. 2499. Daily passes can be purchased for $30 or two-day passes for $50.