Northern Trust Open

January 15, 2004
Mike Weir, champion of the 2003 Nissan Open presented by Countrywide, will defend his title at the Riviera Country Club beginning Thursday, Feb. 19. Last season, Weir finished fifth on the PGA TOUR money list with $4,918,910 and was in contention for the Player of the Year Award which was eventually won by Tiger Woods.

In addition, he won The Masters in Augusta, Ga., and the Bob Hope Classic in La Quinta, Ca., along with third-place finishes at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Memorial Tournament, Western Open and U.S. Open. Mike is currently ranked as the sixth best player in the world trailing Tiger Woods (No. 1) followed by Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Davis Love III and Jim Furyk.

Also, the purse of the tournament will increase by $300,000 to $4.8 million, making the winner's share $864,000. Ten years ago, in 1994, the tournament purse was $1 million and 78 years ago, in 1926, the first tournament purse was $10,000.

Tickets for the tournament are priced at $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for juniors. They can be purchased by calling 1-800-752-6732 or by visiting local Roger Dunn's Golf Shops or online at www.nissanopen.pgatour.com

The tournament's title sponsor, Nissan North America, Inc. is celebrating its 16th year in that capacity. In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering and consumer as well as corporate financing, sales, marketing distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan in North America, along with a complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles, can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.Infiniti.com or by contacting Nissan's corporate media line at 310-771-5631.

Countrywide Financial Corporation is in its second year as the Presenting Sponsor of the tournament. Though its family of companies, Countrywide provides mortgage banking and diversified financial services in domestic and international markets. Mortgage banking businesses include loan production and servicing principally through Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. that originates, purchases, securitizes, sells and services primarily prime-quality loans. The company, headquartered in Calabasas,
Calif., is a member of the S&P, Fortune and Forbes 500s with more than 30,000 employees and over 500 offices. For additional information about the company, visit Countrywide's web site at www.countrywide.com.

The Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce has managed the tournament for the past 78 years, making this event the oldest civic-sponsored on the PGA TOUR. The programs and projects of the LAJCC focus on at-risk youth sports that emphasize education, life skills, family growth and leadership development. Membership information can be obtained by calling 213-482-1311 or online at www.lajcc.org.