|
Champions Tour Event To Become Blue Angel Classic Contact Raad Cawthon MILTON, Fla. (April 16, 2003) - Tim Finchem, PGA TOUR commissioner, James C. (Jimmy) Lee III, founder of the Emerald Coast Classic, and retired Admiral John H. (Jack) Fetterman, CEO and president of the National Museum of Naval Aviation Foundation today announced the nine-year-old Emerald Coast Classic becomes the Blue Angel Classic in 2004. By adopting the name of the world's foremost military precision flying team, which is based onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, the tournament aligns itself with one of the area's most respected and beloved institutions. The announcement also marks a contract extension through 2008 between the PGA TOUR and the Blue Angel Classic, which will see its purse increase to $1.5 million next year. "We think this is a great pairing," said Lee, tournament founder and CEO and President of Buffalo Rock, Inc. "The most exciting thing about this is we feel it not only brings two great Northwest Florida attractions together, but we feel it is going to open the door for our golf tournament to increase the level of support it gives to local charities." The tournament will be paired with the National Museum of Naval Aviation Foundation, the educational and fund-raising organization supporting the development of the museum. The foundation is financially self-supporting and 100 percent of all donations to it go directly to museum support and its associated educational programs. The foundation has more than 13,000 dues-paying members, more than 1,200 in the Pensacola area. "The PGA TOUR has always attempted to associate with the best, on the golf course and in our business dealings," said Finchem. "The Navy's Blue Angels are all about being the best. By bringing together Northwest Florida's Champions Tour event and the Blue Angels, the tournament will be enhanced significantly and the tournament's charities will benefit greatly. Earmarking proceeds for the National Museum of Naval Aviation is certainly a natural tie-in. The Champions Tour is very excited about its relationship with the Blue Angels and the tournament's future through 2008." Fetterman said the pairing between the PGA TOUR and the National Museum of Naval Aviation Foundation is "a natural." "It's a cliche but this represents a win, win, win relationship," he said. "It's a win for Jimmy Lee for all the hard work and effort he has put into the event. It is a win for Pensacola and it's a win for the Navy, including the National Museum of Naval Aviation. "The Blue Angel name identifies a culture and that culture signifies the continual striving for excellence. When you look at the golfers who come here, who have worked their entire lives to achieve their goals, you see that same striving and desire for excellence. "All of that is encompassed by this name change." The renaming of the tournament will also allow an already established event to grow, reaching a wider audience and having a greater impact on the community. "The name change allows this golf tournament not only to continue to embrace the Pensacola community, but allows us to reach out to all the numerous and important military communities throughout Northwest Florida," said Phil Garcia, Emerald Coast Classic tournament director. "This partnership brings to fruition our long-standing goal of reaching out to the broadest spectrum of this community while recognizing, in particular, the important role the military continues to play in Northwest Florida and the world." The pairing of the Emerald Coast Classic and the National Museum of Naval Aviation is expected to create a synergy providing a sports-marketing outlet for businesses and industries involved in aviation. "The museum foundation becomes the primary recipient of our charitable dollars," said Lee. "But with the new sponsorship dollars we expect this partnership to draw in, we feel we will be able to impact more charities in a very positive way." Over the past eight years the Emerald Coast Classic has generated almost $1.5 million for charity. The majority of the donations have gone to children's health and educational services. In 2001 one of the primary Emerald Coast Classic charities, Baptist Health Care's Life Flight, was named the Champions Tour's Charity of the Year. Lee said the tournament, which remains the only major-league sporting event in the area, has faced financial challenges, in part because it is played in the Champions Tour's smallest market. "In the past we have struggled against some constraint to our bottom line," Lee said. "Between paying the purse, which this year is $1.45 million, and paying for television coverage, which is $450,000 annually, we have labored at times. With this new partnership and the new contacts we expect to grow from it, we are going to see that problem being eased. The primary beneficiary of all of this will ultimately be the charities we continue to help fund. "After all, over the years this Northwest Florida community has taken the Blue Angels and all they represent to heart. The Blue Angels are an integral part of who we are. I think that, in a different way, the Emerald Coast Classic has been working to become an integral part of this community. To that end, I believe everyone is going to embrace this new partnership in a big way." The Ninth Annual Emerald Coast Classic will be played April 18-20 at The Moors Golf Club in Milton. Last year's champion, Dave Eichelberger, was the eighth winner in as many tournaments dating to Ray Floyd's win in the first classic in 1995. The classic this week will play host to such golfing legends as Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Lee Trevino, and Larry Nelson. The Emerald Coast Classic is the eighth of 31 events in the season-long competition for the Charles Schwab Cup awarded to the annual champion of the PGA TOUR's Champions Tour. |