Nicklaus' Signature Course at Vista Vallarta to host new Mexican event
Jan. 18, 2006
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The PGA TOUR’s
Champions Tour and ClubCorp today announced that the Jack Nicklaus
Signature Course at Vista Vallarta Golf Club in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
will be the site of a new Champions Tour event next spring.
The Puerto Vallarta Championship will be played March 27 – April 2, 2006.
The 54-hole stroke-play tournament will feature a 78-player field and
official prize money of $1.6 million, with the winner collecting
$240,000. The official competition will be preceded by two days of
pro-am play sponsored by First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), a global leader
in electronic commerce and payment services.
The Golf Channel will air all three rounds in the United States.
Vista Vallarta Golf Club is managed by ClubCorp. It opened for play in
2001 and was the host site of the 2002 World Golf Championships/EMC
World Cup, which was won by the Japanese team of Shigeki Murayama and
Toshi Izawa.
“We are excited that Vista Vallarta has been chosen as a site for a
Champions Tour event,” said ClubCorp CEO and president John Beckert.
“Vista Vallarta is a beautiful course and this event should only further
ClubCorp’s efforts to establish Puerto Vallarta as an international golf
destination.”
In addition to the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, Vista Vallarta has an
18-hole Tom Weiskopf-designed course. ClubCorp owns two other properties
in Puerto Vallarta, including Marina Vallarta Club de Golf and The
Owners Club at Puerto Vallarta. ClubCorp also owns Cozumel Country Club
in Cozumel.
“Vista Vallarta is the perfect venue for a Champions Tour stop,” said
Billy Sitton, managing director of Latin America for ClubCorp. “Not only
will the course provide challenging golf for the players, but the
surroundings will enhance the viewer experience.”
“The selection of Vallarta Golf Club for a new Champions Tour event is
another significant milestone for Mexico,” said Charlie Fote, chairman
and CEO of First Data. “We have a long history of doing business in
Mexico. The tournament has the potential to attract other companies to
the country and prove that Mexico has the right business environment to
accomplish great things for commerce and consumers.”
“The Champions Tour continues to have good news to share regarding the
2006 season,” said Champions Tour president Rick George. “This is our
seventh announcement since January about a new tournament or a title
sponsor extension. Puerto Vallarta is one of the great destinations in
Mexico. Our players look forward to spending the week at the Puerto
Vallarta Championship where they’ll compete on a terrific Jack Nicklaus
design and enjoy the wonderful hospitality the facility and area have to
offer.”
The Champions Tour currently has 28 tournament agreements in place for
the 2006 season, the same number of tournaments that are on this year’s
schedule.
About ClubCorp Founded in 1957, Dallas-based ClubCorp is the largest
owner and operator of private clubs in the world. ClubCorp's affiliates
include more than 170 golf courses, country clubs, private business and
sports clubs, and resorts internationally. ClubCorp has approximately
$1.5 billion in assets. Among the company’s nationally recognized golf
properties are Pinehurst in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina
(North America’s largest golf resort, home to the 1999 and 2005 U.S.
Opens); Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio (site of the 2003-2005
World Golf Championships – NEC Invitational); Mission Hills Country Club
in Rancho Mirage, California (home of the Kraft Nabisco Championship);
and The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia (America’s first resort
founded in 1766). The more than 60 business clubs and business and
sports clubs include the Boston College Club; City Club on Bunker Hill
in Los Angeles; Citrus Club in Orlando, Florida; Columbia Tower Club in
Seattle; Metropolitan Club in Chicago; Tower Club in Dallas; and the
City Club of Washington, D.C. The company’s 18,000 employees serve the
nearly 200,000 member households and 200,000 guests who visit ClubCorp
properties each year. Visit www.clubcorp.com for additional company
information.
About Vista Vallarta Vista Vallarta is located in the foothills
overlooking Puerto Vallarta and offers breathtaking views of the Sierra
Madre Mountains and Banderas Bay. The club includes two 18-hole golf
courses, the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course and a Tom Weiskopf-designed
course. Amenities at the club, which is open to the public, include
practice facilities, a pro shop and clubhouse.
About Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta, a world-class resort town, is
located at the heart of Banderas Bay, one of the largest and deepest
bays in the world. The seventh most frequented international destination
by Americans, Puerto Vallarta offers seven 18-hole golf courses,
exceeding the number of championship golf holes offered in Los Cabos.
About First Data First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), with corporate
headquarters in Denver, Colorado (U.S.A.), helps power the global
economy. As a worldwide leader in electronic commerce and payment
services, First Data provides credit, debit, smart card and stored-value
card issuing and merchant transaction processing services; Internet
commerce solutions; and check processing and verification services to
financial institutions in more than 70 countries on six continents. Its
Western Union and Orlandi Valuta money transfer networks include
approximately 202,000 agent locations in more than 195 countries and
territories. With more than 30,000 employees worldwide, First Data has
offices throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America and North
America. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at
www.firstdata.com.
About the Champions Tour The Champions Tour is a tax-exempt
membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older which
celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2005. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior
PGA Tour, it has grown to 28 official Charles Schwab Cup events offering
a minimum of $50.3 million in official prize money in 2005 and its
highest average purse ever of nearly $1.8 million. Rebranded the
Champions Tour in late 2002, its primary purpose is to provide
significant competitive and earnings opportunities for players age 50
and older; to protect the integrity of the game; and to help grow the
reach of the game in the U.S. and around the world. In addition to
providing competitive opportunities for its membership, Champions Tour
events also generate significant sums of money for charity. Through
2004, the three Tours of the PGA TOUR and their tournaments have
generated more than $910 million for charity since the first recorded
donation was made in 1938, with nearly $89 million raised in 2004. The
commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Rick George is president of
the Champions Tour. TOUR headquarters is in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Its Web site address is PGATOUR.com.
Media Contacts:
Jeff Adams Director of Public Relations, Champions Tour Tel:
904-273-3397
Patty Jerde Manager of Corporate Communications, ClubCorp Tel:
972-888-7316
Danielle Pereira Director, External Communications, First Data
Tel: 303-967-6062