3M Championship receives Presidents' Award for 2009

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BLAINE, Minn. -- Tournament officials with the 3M Championship, in Blaine, Minn., announced today that the 2009 Champions Tour event was recipient of the Champions Tour Presidents' Award as best tournament of the Champions Tour's 25 official events of the 2009 season.

The announcement was made by Champions Tour President Mike Stevens at the annual Champions Tour Tournament Association meetings last week in San Antonio, Texas.

"On behalf of our title sponsor 3M, we are very gratified to accept this distinguished award as the best of the best of the Champions Tour season," said Hollis Cavner, Tournament Director. "Coming on the heels of winning last year's Player's Award as the best 2008 event, we're delighted to be recognized for this achievement by the Champions Tour and bring this award back to this community that has embraced this event for the past 17 years. To have the 3M Championship singled out for this honor is a reflection of the support we receive from the Twin Cities' fans and our corporate partners."

"The President's Award is the pinnacle of our Champions Tour awards," said Champions Tour President Mike Stevens. "We evaluate numerous factors in our selection process such as community involvement, player feedback, attendance and charitable giving, plus a few intangibles that make an event stand out. The 3M Championship has long set the standard of tournament excellence on our Tour and maintained that level despite the pressures of the economic climate. They faced the challenges by capitalizing on opportunities and are indeed worthy of this honor."

Stevens also cited the event's long history of charitable giving when honoring this year's recipient. The 3M Championship contributed $1.3 million to local charities from the '09 event and has raised over $15 million for various charities since the tournament's inception in 1993.

"3M and its employees are thrilled to learn of this honor," said Bob MacDonald, senior vice president of marketing at 3M. "The 3M Championship has set many standards for professional golf events and this announcement is another example of the tournament's continuing excellence."