SANDESTIN, Fla. -- The PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour, The Boeing Company and Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort are pleased to announce The Raven Golf Club as the new home of the Boeing Championship at Sandestin. This official $1.6 million Champions Tour event, formerly known as the Blue Angels Classic, will be played the week of May 8-14, 2006.

The Boeing Company and Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort have partnered with the Champions Tour as both the new title sponsor and new host venue respectively for this tournament, to be held annually Mother’s Day week in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

“We are excited about this new partnership between Boeing, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort and the Champions Tour,” said Champions Tour president Rick George. “This partnership will elevate the tournament to another level and The Raven Golf Club will be a great test for our players and a terrific course for spectators. We welcome both Boeing and Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort into the Champions Tour family.“.

The Boeing Championship at Sandestin was held for the past 11 years at The Moors Golf Club in Milton, Fla., and raised over $2 million for a variety of charities in northwest Florida. Jim Thorpe is the defending champion of the event.

“The Champions Tour would like to thank Jimmy Lee III and everyone associated with Buffalo Rock Corporation for their outstanding support of this event over the years. Jimmy laid the groundwork for the very bright future of professional golf in northwest Florida,” George said.

“We’re honored to host such a prestigious Champions Tour event like the Boeing Championship at Sandestin,” said Mike Stange, vice-president and general manager of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. “Since 1998, we’ve been implementing a 10-year, $400 million master redevelopment plan to further establish Sandestin as a true destination golf resort. The plan kicked off with the development of The Raven Golf Club, followed by The Village of Baytowne Wharf which completed the Sandestin resort experience with its restaurants, shops and accommodations. We’re pleased for the local community that our investment has attracted the Champions Tour.

“With the great facilities at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort and our new title sponsor, The Boeing Company, we’re sure to become one of the best events on the Champions Tour,” said Phil Garcia, executive director of the Boeing Championship at Sandestin. “The move insures professional golf will continue in this area and we look forward to a long relationship with both Sandestin and Boeing. Through their support, this community event will return a significant amount of money to charity over the next several years”.

The Raven Golf Club at Sandestin is a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course that opened in March, 2000 and measures almost 7,000 yards from the championship tees with a par of 71. The Raven was named “Best New Course In Florida” in 2000 and “No. 1 Course in Northwest Florida” by Florida Golf News. The course has received a four-star rating from Golf Digest’s Places To Play in 2002 and 2004.