Chattanooga Classic presented by Black Creek

Classic Gives Casey Martin Sponsor's Exemption

Casey Martin, the professional golfer whose diseased foot caused the PGA Tour to change its policy on cart usage, has been given a sponsor's exemption to play in the Chattanooga Classic.

Martin currently has conditional status on the Nationwide Tour, but he has not played in any tournaments on either the PGA Tour or the Nationwide Tour in 2006.

This season could be Martin's swan song in competitive golf. He has agreed to become the head golf coach at the University of Oregon in the fall.

"It has been a frustrating struggle for me to compete, so I'm very excited about the Chattanooga Classic giving me this opportunity," Martin said. "I have spent many an hour trying to figure out why I don't do well in competition."

Martin has done well in the past. He was a member of the 1994 Stanford University team that won the NCAA championship. He also won the 1998 Nike Lakeland Classic, then finished 14th on the money list in 1999 to earn a card on the PGA Tour.

Martin returned to the Nationwide Tour after an unsuccessful season on the PGA Tour, losing his card after one season in 2000.

He made only one cut on the Nationwide Tour last year while playing in nine tournaments.

"Our steering committee chose Casey on the basis of name and reputation," said Chattanooga Classic executive director Sam Woolwine. "Anyone following golf knows the Casey Martin story. We think he'll have a lot of people following him here."

Martin was given a sponsor's exemption in the 2003 Chattanooga Classic, but failed to make the cut.

"He helped us a lot then, in Chattanooga's return to Tour golf," Woolwine said. "This is our way of repaying him."

The Chattanooga Classic earlier announced that Luke List would get a sponsor's exemption. List, a junior at Vanderbilt, is one of the top collegiate players in the country. He played his prep golf at Baylor School.

The Chattanooga Classic will be played June 22-25 at Black Creek Club.