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New "Celebrity" Name On Champions Tour Stop Aims To Set Kansas City Apart Tournament Announces New Name and 11 Celebrity Participants Contact Steve McCracken KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 18, 2003) - In an effort to become the premier tournament on the Champions Tour, the Bayer Advantage Invitational has been renamed the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am. The announcement, along with placing tournament badges on sale, was made today at The National Golf Club of Kansas City, host site for the May 12-18, 2003 event. The name change is more than just semantic. In fact, the new name highlights specifically what will make the tournament such an electrifying, one-of-a-kind annual event in Kansas City - including the participation of high-profile celebrities, who in turn will not only draw more sponsors and bigger audiences, but also will help attract more money and resources for Kansas City's children's, education and life science's initiatives via The Pride of Kansas City Foundation. "We wanted a name that differentiates Kansas City among the 31 Champions Tour stops and communicates the unique nature of this event," said John Payne, President and General Manager for Bayer Animal Health Division, title sponsor for the Kansas City event. "We have a new celebrity format, a new Tom Watson signature course at The National, and a new commitment to raise both money and awareness for greater Kansas City." Tournament officials wasted no time in announcing celebrity commitments for the Pro-Am. Celebrities announced were: George Brett, Tournament Chairman and Member, Baseball Hall of Fame The unique format allows celebrities to pair with Champions Tour pros in a team competition Friday and Saturday, while the pros also play individually Friday through Sunday. The tournament's new name is accompanied by a colorful new logo, which was also unveiled today. "The new name is in keeping with the tournament's objective to create a marquee event on the Champions Tour," said Jeff Monday, Senior Vice President/Chief of Operations for the Champions Tour. "All the new changes for 2003 - name, course, format - define a bold direction for the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am and what they're seeking to accomplish both in terms of sport and charitable fundraising." Television: First round play of the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am on Friday, May 16, will be televised on The Golf Channel from 4 - 6:30 p.m. CST. Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 rounds will air on CNBC from 5 - 7 p.m. CST. For more information on the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am, or to schedule a media interview, please contact Tournament Director, Steve McCracken at 816/746-0200. About Bayer: Headquartered in Shawnee, Kansas, Bayer Animal Health's commitment to Kansas City is strong and unwavering. Recently, the Company completed construction of a $10 million, 51,000-square-foot central administration facility, further expanding the 52-acre campus. The Shawnee, Kansas site is where Bayer dedicated a new, $60 million, 100,000 square feet, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in 1998. With over $30 million in improvements to its original Shawnee I facility, Bayer's recent investment in the site now tops $100 million. Bayer Animal Health is a division of Bayer HealthCare, LLC. Bayer HealthCare with sales of approximately 10 billion dollars, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the health care and medical products industry. In the United States, Bayer HealthCare is part of Bayer Corporation, with 21,500 employees in 50 locations. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Bayer Corporation is a member of the worldwide Bayer Group, a $27 billion international health care and chemicals group based in Leverkusen, Germany. The Bayer Group stock is a component of the DAX and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: BAY). About the PGA TOUR's Champions Tour: The Champions Tour is a tax-exempt membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. The Champions Tour has grown to 31 official events offering more than $52 million in prize money in 2003, plus a lineup of Challenge events played in January, November and December. In October 2002, the PGA TOUR announced a rebranding of its three Tours (PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour) to more closely align them as part of one brand under the PGA TOUR umbrella. It was at this time the Senior PGA Tour was renamed the Champions Tour. The Champions Tour's primary purpose is to provide significant competitive and earnings opportunities for players age 50 and older; to protect the integrity of the game; and to help grow the reach of the game in the U.S. and around the world. In addition to providing competitive opportunities for its membership, Champions Tour events also generate significant sums of money for charity. The three Tours of the PGA TOUR and their tournaments have exceeded $740 million for charity since the first recorded donation was made in 1938. Nearly $72.4 million was raised in 2002. The commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. TOUR headquarters is in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Our web site address is PGATOUR.COM. |