Major champions team up for 32nd annual tournament

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Feb. 4, 2009
By Maureen Callaghan, PGA TOUR Staff

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- The 32nd annual Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf returns to the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa on April 20-26, and Savannah golf fans can expect another action-packed week, starting with the distinguished Demaret Division competition on Monday and Tuesday.

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Condon/PGA TOUR
Gary Player will pair up with fellow World Golf Hall of Fame member Bob Charles in the Demaret Division.

Featuring the greatest legends of the game, the division honors World Golf Hall of Fame member Jimmy Demaret and features a 36-hole, two-man better-ball competition for players 70+ competing for a purse of $370,000 (unofficial money).

Three-time Masters and three-time British Open champion Gary Player and his partner, 1963 British Open champion Bob Charles, are one of the first teams to commit to the Demaret competition and will tee it up at the event for the second time together. World Golf Hall of Fame member Player, who will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his British Open win this year, has notched a total 163 titles worldwide, including 15 major championships (9 on PGA TOUR, 6 on Champions Tour).

Native New Zealander Charles, who became the first left-handed player in the World Golf Hall of Fame with his induction last November, has 23 Champions Tour titles and six PGA TOUR wins on his list of 75 worldwide victories earned on five continents. Charles tied for second in the Raphael Division last year with then partner Stewart Ginn.

Champions Tour stalwarts Gene Littler and Don January announced they will once again tee it up together for the 24th year. The dynamic duo have claimed five division titles together at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, most recently in 2004 when they beat the team of Miller Barber and Jim Ferree by a single stroke. Littler is a 29-time champion on the PGA TOUR and winner of the 1961 U.S Open at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.. The San Diego native went on to win another eight times on the Champions Tour en route to being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1982.

January is a 12-time winner on the PGA TOUR and earned a major victory at the 1967 PGA Championship after beating fellow Texan Don Massengale in an 18-hole playoff. The winning continued when January joined the Champions Tour in 1980, as he went on to add an impressive 22 titles to his resume.

The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf's unique format features a total of three team competitions during the week, starting with the Demaret Division on Monday-Tuesday followed by the Raphael Division, a 36-hole, two-man better-ball competition for ages 50-and-up, on Friday and Saturday (unofficial money).

Official competition begins with the first round of the Legends Division on Friday, April 24. The 72-hole, two-man better-ball format will once again be counted as an official money/official win for both team members. Previously held as an individual competition, Andy North and Tom Watson became the first team to win under the Legend Division's new team and official win format last year.

Tickets are on sale now with daily ticket prices starting at $20 (The price of single day tickets increases to $25 at the gate). Weeklong Emerald Club passes are $75 ($65 for age 60+). Emerald Club passes include admission into the National Car Rental Emerald Club Pavilion Wednesday-Sunday. Tickets may be purchased by calling toll free, 877-942-1123 or 912-234-5700 or by visiting the tournament's web site at www.LMLOG.com.

The 2009 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf will be broadcasted live on the GOLF CHANNEL Friday, April 24 from 12:30-3:30 p.m. ET and CBS Saturday and Sunday April 25-26 at 1-3 p.m. EST.

The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf is part of the Champions Tour's "The Road to the Charles Schwab Cup", a season-long points race that kicks off in Hawaii with 26 official events and culminates in Northern California at Sonoma Golf Club October 26 - November 1, with $2.1 million in payouts awarded to the season's top five leading performers.

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