Verdi to cover Presidents Cup for PGATOUR.COM

text size

Melbourne, Victoria, AUS -- While the U.S. and International Teams that will face off at next month's Presidents Cup were finalized several weeks ago, PGATOUR.COM expanded its own roster for the event today with the addition of special guest columnist Bob Verdi. Verdi, one of the most respected sports writers in the United States, will be on site at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia filing stories throughout the week that give fans an inside look at the competition, teams, players and captains, as well as the unique setting of the Sand Belt courses in Victoria. The Presidents Cup returns to Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Nov. 15-20.

Verdi joined the Chicago Tribune in 1967 covering hockey and baseball. He gradually moved his expertise and skills as a columnist into golf and wrote full-time for the newspaper through 1997. He joined Golf Digest and Golf World as a senior writer in 1997, but remained a contributing columnist to the Tribune for several years. Currently, Verdi is a member of the Chicago Blackhawks' front office, serving as team historian. He has authored two books on hockey, "The Golden Jet" with Bobby Hull and "Forever a Blackhawk" with Stan Mikita. He has covered all eight previous Presidents Cup, including those in Australia (1998), South Africa (2003) and Canada (2007).

"Bob Verdi has covered sports for more than five decades, and his voice and perspective are as respected and recognizable as any in the golf industry," said PGA TOUR Executive Vice President, Communications & International Affairs, Ty Votaw. "Although he recently left the golf landscape for a position with the Blackhawks, it would be a shame for fans to go without his unique insight and humor from this year's Presidents Cup. We're thrilled to bring him on board as part of the PGA TOUR editorial team in Australia, as his relationships with the players and captains are unmatched and will allow fans to see The Presidents Cup like never before."

"In a relatively short time, The Presidents Cup has evolved into a truly special event," Verdi said. "All you need to know about it is how golfers, on either side, were striving throughout the PGA TOUR season to make their respective teams. The first Presidents Cup in Australia, a great and passionate sporting nation, was terrific and this one promises to deliver another badge of honor for golf.

"I'm also glad to go half way around the world to talk to Fred Couples, who doesn't answer my phone calls in America."

Verdi was Illinois Sportswriter of the Year 19 times. In 2004, he was awarded the PGA of America Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism, which honors members of the media for their steadfast promotion of golf. It was recently announced that Verdi will receive Memorial Golf Journalism Award in 2012 at Muirfield Village Golf Club, site of The Presidents Cup 2013. The Memorial Golf Journalism Award was created to honor and pay tribute to golf journalists, electronic as well as print media, who have served their profession with conspicuous honor and made a major contribution and impact on golf journalism.

As part of the on-site team, Verdi will work with Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM managing editor, and Helen Ross, chief of correspondents. While Verdi's writing will focus on the players and personalities of The Presidents Cup, he will also present stories from the event in his individual and iconic style.

The PGA TOUR's New Media team will bring fans inside the competition through its award-winning coverage across a variety of platforms. Live scoring and play-by-play coverage will be presented for each of the sessions of The Presidents Cup on PresidentsCup.com and mobile.presidentscup.com. Fans will also be able to enjoy up-to-the-minute video highlights and live reporting directly from the on-site editorial staff. Fans can also follow along on twitter at www.twitter.com/PresidentsCup and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ThePresidentsCup.

"Bob is the standard by which all sports writers should be judged, and it was a great loss to our sport when he left to go to hockey," said International Team Captain Greg Norman. "I can't think of a better event for him to mark his return than The Presidents Cup. This is a win for all of us involved in the event, from the captains to the players to the fans around the world who will get a chance to read what is always his entertaining and honest perspective of the game."

"Bob and I have a great relationship, and I'm so glad to hear that he's making the trip to Melbourne to cover The Presidents Cup for PGATOUR.COM," said U.S. Team Captain Fred Couples. "I've missed seeing him out on TOUR this past year or so, and I know a lot of the guys on my team and Greg's team feel the same way. We'll pretend to make it hard on him to get a few quotes from us, but he knows we'll be happy to see him."

For more information about The Presidents Cup, please visit www.presidentscup.com.