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AKRON, Ohio -- World Golf Hall of Fame Member Tony Jacklin has been named the 2007 Ambassador of Golf by Northern Ohio Golf Charities, as announced today by World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational Executive Director Don Padgett. The award is presented annually to a person or persons who have fostered the ideals of the game on an international level and whose concern for others extends beyond the golf course.

"We are pleased to honor Tony Jacklin during the Bridgestone Invitational as the 2007 Ambassador of Golf," said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours. "Tony's on-the-course achievements throughout his storied career are remarkable enough, but when you also consider the influence he has had on growing the game in Europe and throughout the world, he truly exemplifies the word 'ambassador.'"

Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002, Jacklin earned four PGA TOUR titles and 24 victories worldwide during his professional career, including two major championships. Jacklin became a national hero in 1969 at Royal Lytham when he became the first British player since 1951 to win the British Open. One year later, Jacklin achieved even greater heights when he became the first player since Ben Hogan to hold the U.S. and British Open titles simultaneously. Jacklin won the 1970 U.S. Open upon at Hazeltine Golf Club by seven shots, the largest margin in 49 years, and became the first British player to win the U.S. Open since 1920.

A member of every European Ryder Cup team from 1967-1979, Jacklin compiled a record of 13-14-8 in the international team competition. The Bradenton, Fla., resident captained the European Ryder Cup Team four times from 1983-1989, leading the Europeans to their first victory in 28 years in 1985. In 1987, he captained the team that won on American soil for the first time ever. Jacklin joined the Champions Tour in 1994 and collected two victories at the 1994 First of America Classic and the 1995 Franklin Quest Championship.

Jacklin will be honored at a reception on Aug. 1 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, in conjunction with the Bridgestone Invitational.

Past Ambassadors of Golf are:

1981 Chi Chi Rodriguez
1982 Bing Crosby
1983 Byron Nelson
1984 Gene Sarazen
1985 President Gerald Ford
1986 Bob Hope
1987 Dinah Shore
1988 Joe Dey
1989 Frank Chirkinian
1990 Barbara Nicklaus
1991 Arnold Palmer
1992 Nancy Lopez
1993 Roberto DeVincenzo
1994 President George H.W.Bush
1995 Michael Bonnallack
1996 Deane Beman
1997 Peter Thomson
1998 Ken Venturi
1999 Gary Player
2000 Ben Hogan and Sam Snead
2001 Del de Windt
2002 Joanne Carner
2003 Robert Dedman Sr. and Jack Vickers
2004 Lee Trevino
2005 Pete Dye
2006 Ken Schofield

The 2007 event marks the ninth year of the World Golf Championships series. The Bridgestone Invitational is one of three World Golf Championships sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Southern Africa Tour. The other World Golf Championships include the Accenture Match Play Championship and the CA Championship.

The 2007 Bridgestone Invitational will be broadcast in over 140 countries. For more information and to purchase tickets visit worldgolfchampionships.com or call 1-877-WGC-4TIX