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Sponsorship
The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., retains Peter Jacobsen Productions to sell sponsorship and international television sales for the "The Battle at The Bridges," a made-for-television golf event featuring Tiger Woods. As well, PJP will manage the 2003, 2004 and 2005 national fundraising golf tournaments for The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Western Region.
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Acushnet Company, manufacturer of Titleist and FootJoy, and Legends Inc., management company of Ernie Els, agree to an expanded multi-year equipment deal with the world's third-ranked golfer. The five-year agreement, which starts Jan. 1, provides for Els to continue playing Titleist golf balls and wearing a Titleist golf glove. He will also play Titleist golf clubs, wear FootJoy shoes and carry a Titleist golf bag.
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Equipment
Strategic Shaft Technologies and United Sports Technologies agree to combine SST PURE shaft alignment with UST's top-selling Proforce Gold shafts. The non-exclusive, multiyear license will make the new Proforce Pure Gold shafts the first factory-PUREd shafts ever produced.
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Associations
The Alumni & Fans Golf Association is formed to enhance the spirit and camaraderie of collegiate fans across the U.S. through golf and to raise scholarship funds for colleges and universities. The AFGA will conduct its first event, The Orange Bowl Alumni & Fans Golf Classic, on Jan. 1 at the Don Shula Golf Club in Miami Lakes, Fla.
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Dedicated to honoring longtime teaching legend Walter Lashlie "Red" Speigle, the Deer Run Men's Golf Association and Newport News Golf Club in Virginia begin efforts to initiate a scholarship award. The scholarship will be administered under the Virginia Golf Foundation and the VSGA scholarship program.
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The Arizona Golf Association plans to host a Player's Tour of Scotland from June 23 to July 1, 2003. The eight-day, seven-night tour is available for up to 24 players who would love to walk at least 18 holes of golf per day on the most famous courses in Scotland.
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The Women in The Golf Industry web site, www.wigi.info, is now live, featuring information on the organization's goals, membership information, links to member businesses and news as well as a private area for members only. The site was created for the organization by Meritsoft of Toronto.
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Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam and Hale Irwin are named winners of the Golf Writers Association of America 2002 Player of the Year Awards. All three players will be honored at the GWAA's Annual Awards Dinner April 9, 2003, in Augusta, Ga.
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Technology
Keyonix completes the installation of its accountability system at the Penny Branch Club in Furman, S.C. The Keyonix System replaces current cart ignition systems with its Smart Key System, similar to the electronic keys used in the past few years by the hotel industry, and allows course operators to regulate and account for golf cart usage and cart related revenue.
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Mira Vista Golf Course near Denver becomes the 11th Evergreen Alliance course to choose the Cybergolf Broadcast System to use at its facility. The system includes email marketing, data collection and a online survey creator among its many easy-to-use features.
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Tournaments
PGA Tour stars John Daly, Rich Beem and Jim Furyk team up against Champions Tour players Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite and Gary McCord along with LGPA stars Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb and Laura Diaz this weekend for the final golf event of the season, the Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge on ABC Sports Saturday and Sunday.
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The Chick-fil-A Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez, Atlanta's LPGA Tour event played at Eagle's Landing Country Club in Stockbridge since 1992, will donate $1 million from 2002 tournament proceeds to charities. It is the second consecutive year that its annual contribution has hit the $1 million mark, and the total contribution is now more than $4.1 million.
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California charities benefited from $1.5 million in contributions from the 2002 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Since the inception of the tournament in 1960 the Classic's charitable donations total $37,258,639.
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Bob Hope Chrysler Classic organizers also announce that several celebrities, including radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh and pitcher Randy Johnson, have made commitments to participate in the 2003 tournament, which will be played Jan. 27-Feb. 2.
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Events
For the first time on a national television stage, PGA Tour pros face a head-to-head challenge from a non-Pro Tour golfer in the 11th annual ADT Golf Skills Challenge, which airs on NBC Dec. 28 and 29 from 4-6 p.m. ET both days. Eight pros will compete against former Denver Broncos Super Bowl Champion quarterback John Elway in a competition of nine situational golf skills worth $500,000 in prize money.
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Briefly
QLink has added seven retail accounts this past week including Edwin Watts in North Miami Beach, as well as six other stores in Southern Florida and Southern California. ...

Keller Williams Realty, the nation's sixth-largest real estate company, has signed a one-year deal to sponsor the Amateur Golf Tour in 2003, with options for future years. The circuit has been renamed the Keller Williams Amateur Golf Tour. Keller Williams replaces Carolina Blonde beer as title sponsor of the tour, founded in 1995 in Charlotte by Dennis McCormac. ...

Quiksilver signs Ernie Els, current British Open Champion, to a five-year endorsement agreement for its Fidra Golf apparel line. ...

Apparel company Ashworth reports that net revenue for the fourth quarter ended Oct. 31 jumped 42.9 percent to $29 million and net income was $550,000 compared to a loss of $2.2 million for the same quarter last year. ...

The acquisition of National Golf by an investor group comprised of Goldman Sachs' GS Capital Partners 2000, L.P., Goldman Sachs' Whitehall Street Global Real Estate Limited Partnership 2001 and Starwood Capital Group's SOF-VI U.S. Holdings, LLC is approved by the requisite vote of its shareholders at its annual meeting.

In Their Own Words
World Cup winners

The Japanese team won the World Cup for the first time since 1957 aftern narrowly falling short to South Africa on their home soil last year. Japan's Shigeki Maruyama and Toshi Izawa bested a red-hot U.S. team that moved from the middle of the pack to contend on the weekend.

MODERATOR: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. We'd like to present the 2002 EMC2 World Cup champions, Shigeki Maruyama and Toshi Izawa.

Q. How are you feeling now?

TOSHI IZAWA: I'm not sure that I won the tournament. It's rather, I feel that the 72 holes is done. This year, I didn't play very well, but at the end of the year, winning such a big event is a very nice way to end the year.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: With a lot of media people in the press room, I feel that I won the tournament.

Well, I played this event three times, in the past three years, and it's been very nice to bring back the trophy to Japan. It's been quite a few years since Japan has won the World Cup, and I'm very happy now.

Q. Were you aware of the Americans problems on 18? And what were you feeling after the double bogey?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: We found out on the second shot on the 18th hole. One of the spectators told us that the putt David Toms missed was for double-bogey.

The 13th, Izawasan shot a 3-iron and hit it a little farther than we expected. The length left for the second shot, it was a tight green and it went over the green in the bunker and the lie was bad. So after that, we didn't talk much, because that's something that happens in golf.

Q. Were you influenced by the shot from Chand on 13, leaving it short of the green?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Yes, it bothered me -- yes. He got the shot to the green, right.

Q. What kind of reaction do you expect in Japan?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I'll be going back soon, and if I find out that it's not publicized big, then I'm not going to speak to them. (Laughter.)

Q. What did you think your experience in Mexico and will you come back to play?

TOSHI IZAWA: The golf course is beautiful and the climate was perfect. But I have a problem with the food. I love Japanese food, and if you can make more Japanese restaurants here, then it's going to be very nice. A lot of Japanese people will be coming. (Laughter.)

Q. You have to learn to like Mexican food?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I like it, Salsa, guacamole, quesadilla. (Smiling).

Q. How does this compare to a Presidents Cup?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Compared to the Presidents Cup, it's a little bit different. Presidents Cup, it's a little bit tougher because you have to play sometimes 36 holes a day and your partner changes. But this event, your partner is the same.

Q. If you can, ask your people as locals to Vallarta now, as winner of the World Cup?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Yes, yes, of course.

Click here to read the complete transcript.

 

Reader's Forum What do you think was golf's biggest story this year and why do you rate it the highest? The decision of Augusta National to not admit a woman member and to maintain its stance in the face of pressure from Martha Burk; Annika Sorenstam's 11 wins in one LPGA Tour season; Tiger Woods claiming two major titles and continuing to dominate men's professional golf; the European team winning the Ryder Cup; the sharing of titles twice in Europe and Australia; the large number of first-time winners on the PGA Tour; or something else? Let us know your opinions by sending your responses to info@gpagolf.com with the subject line RE: Year-end. Also include your first initial and last name, along with your city and state or country.