Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic
| Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Fact Sheet |
|
2010 MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC FACT SHEET
HALL OF FAMERS - Six members of the World Golf Hall of Fame are in the field - Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Larry Nelson and Nick Price. MAJOR WINNERS - There are 15 major championship winners in the field (who have won 25 major championships). PAR AND YARDAGE - Fallen Oak will be set up at 7,054 yards and will play to a par of 36-36-72. HOLE BY HOLE - Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In
ARCHITECT TOM FAZIO - No living golf course designer has more golf courses in the Golf Digest top-100 than Tom Fazio, now 64. Since 2005, seven of his designs have awarded a top-100 ranking, including Fallen Oak. FORMAT AND SCHEDULE OF PLAY - Eighteen holes of stroke play are scheduled on each of three days - Friday through Sunday, April 30-May 2. Tee times are schedule to begin at 7:30 a.m. (CDT) each day. THE PURSE - The winner will receive $240,000 from a $1.6 million purse. WINNER'S TROPHY - The winner's trophy is a replica of the Biloxi lighthouse, which was recently restored and re-dedicated in February 2010 after suffering extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The iron lighthouse dates back to 1847 and stands in the median of Highway 90. TICKETS - Daily tickets are $15 each, for any day of the tournament. Children age 15 and under will be admitted free with a paying adult. Tickets can be purchased at the gate (take the general spectator shuttle from the IP Resort and Spa; see below). MILITARY APPPRECIATION DAY FRIDAY -- All active or retired United States military personnel with a military ID are invited to enjoy complimentary admission for themselves and their families on Friday, April 30, at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic at Fallen Oak. The tournament will conclude Sunday, May 2, with special military events as part of the closing awards ceremony. GENERAL PARKING -- All general parking for the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic will be staged free of charge at the IP Resort and Spa, off I-110 just three miles south of I-10. From there, continuous and complementary bus shuttles will transport spectators to Fallen Oak and drop them at the main admission gate. Shuttles will run to and from the golf course from 6:30 a.m. until one hour after play has concluded each day, Wednesday through Sunday. TELEVISION COVERAGE - The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic will receive 17 1/2 hours of tape-delayed coverage (counting re-airs) by the Golf Channel. The schedule is for air times is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday and from 6-8:30 p.m. on Sunday (All times CDT). The day's broadcast will re-air once on Friday and Saturday and twice on Sunday. GOLF CHANNEL FREE ON CHANNEL 18 THIS WEEK - Cable One basic service subscribers in South Mississippi will be able to follow complete Golf Channel tournament coverage on channel 18 for tournament week as part of a free promotional offer. A NEW EVENT - The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic came together because of the common vision of more than a dozen companies in the Gulf Coast area. The event has a three-year commitment from the PGA Tour. It is one of 26 events on the Champions Tour in 2010. ECONOMIC IMPACT - The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic will have approximately a $15 million economic impact on the Gulf Coast, according to calculations by the State tourism agency. That amount takes into consideration business involvement, visits and hotel stays, and residual value from the Golf Channel broadcast. SPONSORSHIP MODEL - Twelve local companies pooled money to bring the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic to life. This could be a new model for title sponsorships in communities trying to attract top level sporting events. MAJOR WINNERS IN THE FIELD (15 major winners; 25 major titles) -- LEE TREVINO - Six-time major winner Lee Trevino withdrew from the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic on Thursday afternoon (April 22) after injuring a knee on Wednesday. Trevino has been bothered with knee trouble in recent years. SHORTEST AND TALLEST - At 5'7", Jeff Sluman is the shortest players in the field. The tallest gofers are Andy Bean, Dan Forsman and Bob Tway, at 6'4". CELEBRITY PRO-AM GROUP - Alabama head football coach Nick Saban will play in a Pro-Am foursome at 9:15 a.m. Thursday at Fallen Oak with professional golfer Jerry Pate, Roy Anderson III, Bobby Mandal and Bo Mandal. LOCATION - Fallen Oak is located 15 minutes north of Biloxi, Miss., on Highway 15. VOLUNTEERS - More than 970 volunteers were recruited to serve on more than 20 committees to help stage this event. SPECIAL VOLUNTEER -- Ken Gestring, 45, who recently returned from a nine-month tour of duty in Afghanistan, is a volunteer on the caddie services committee. Gestring is a 24-year veteran and an emergency medical technician, was injured in combat in January 2010 but bravely attended to himself and nine others after a grenade explosion. He will receive the Purple Heart and Air Force Combat Action medal shortly. He already has received the Army Combat Field Medal. DISALLOWED ITEMS - Cameras are only allowed on practice rounds (Wednesday-Thursday), and cell phones are discouraged. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast is the benefiting charity for the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. Since 2007, Habitat for Humanity of the Gulf Coast has completed more than 300 homes for the people in the immediate area who are working hard to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "BIRDIES FOR CHARITY" - Local non-profit organizations have had the chance to fundraise while joining the excitement of the new Champions Tour event. For more information, visit the tournament homepage at www.msgulfresortclassic.com CONTEST WINNER -- Howard Seggelko, 45, of Kennesaw, Ga., won the "Ultimate Getaway Weekend" grand prize offered by IP Resort and Spa in conjunction with the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. His winning package for this week offered airfare and a four-night stay for four, plus event tickets, concert tickets, dinners, spa treatments and limo service. THE GULFPORT OPEN (1944-45) - The Gulfport Open was a two-year stop for the players on the PGA Tour following World War II. It was played at the Great Southern Golf Club of Gulfport, the state's oldest golf course, with the 1945 tournament leaving a lasting memory. MORE GULF COAST EVENTS - It is now known as the Nationwide Tour, but when it was begun in 1990, it was known as the Ben Hogan Tour. The Gulf Coast Classic was played at Windance Country Club in Gulfport, Miss., from 1990-92. From 1993-97, the Tour changed sponsorship to become the Nike Tour and the event was entitled the Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic. In 1997, the event moved to the Mississippi National Golf Course. And in 1999, after a year hiatus, it relocated to Oaks Golf Club and was entitled the Mississippi Gulf Coast Open. In 2000, the Tour changed title sponsors to the Buy.com Tour. 2010 CHAMPIONS TOUR WINNERS - The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic is the eighth stop on the Champions Tour for 2010. Here are this year's winners to date: MEDIA CONTACT - The media contact for the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic is Craig Smith, director of media and promotions for the Bruno Event Team, at (228) 236-7709 (cell) or csmith@brunoeventteam.com. Champions Tour media official Phil Stambaugh also will handle media affairs during tournament week. The general Media Center phone number is (228) 233-3990. |
