New sponsorship brings enhancement to Northern Trust Open

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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- With its new title sponsorship of the PGA TOUR's historic tournament at Riviera Country Club, Northern Trust announced Monday a series of tournament enhancements, starting with the 2008 Northern Trust Open, Feb. 11-17.

"In planning for this year's inaugural Northern Trust Open, we looked at how we could improve the experience for everyone involved, from the players and their families to tournament viewers worldwide," said Frederick H. Waddell, president and chief executive officer of Northern Trust Corporation.

This year's Northern Trust Open is projected to raise $2.5 million to support charities in Southern California, an increase of more than 30 percent from last year's event. To further align the event with the Los Angeles community, the tournament will include new celebrity and media components.

The Michael Douglas and Friends Celebrity Golf outing will be held at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 10, and GOLF CHANNEL will broadcast live the entire tournament week from a custom-built on-site studio.

Players will share a larger, $6.2 million purse and will enjoy smaller pro-am teams, and fans around the world will be able to use the new interactive Web site www.northerntrustopen.com) to check the leaderboard and talk with others online about the tournament -- 24 hours a day.

"We look forward to working with the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce and the PGA TOUR to expand on what is already a world-class event," Waddell explains. "We are committed to improving the tournament each year, shining the spotlight on this historic event, establishing Southern California as the destination for the TOUR's global spectators and increasing the amount we give back to the community."

"We are very pleased about Northern Trust's plans to elevate the profile of this tournament, which has such a wonderful history on the PGA TOUR," said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. "Northern Trust understands the importance of a title sponsor becoming fully engaged with all aspects of the tournament in order to maximize the overall experience. We are very excited about the future of the Northern Trust Open."