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June 12, 2007
HARTFORD, Conn., June 6, 2007 - The Travelers Championship, Connecticut's PGA TOUR event, announced today that University
of Connecticut head coaches Jim Calhoun, Geno Auriemma and Randy Edsall will compete in the Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am, to
be played on Wednesday, June 20 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. Tee times for the Pro-Am will be from 6:50 a.m.
- 8:50 a.m. and again from 11:50 a.m. - 1:50 p.m.
"We're pleased to welcome back Jim, Geno and Randy. University of Connecticut athletics and our PGA TOUR event are landmarks
on the state's sports scene, and we appreciate the opportunity to work together," said Nathan Grube, Travelers Championship
tournament director. "Each of these individuals has made history for Connecticut sports, and so it is particularly meaningful
that they come out to support the inaugural Travelers Championship, the start of a new era of professional golf in Connecticut."
Having completed his 21st season as head men's basketball coach at the University of Connecticut and 35th year as a collegiate
head coach, Jim Calhoun has unquestionably stood the test of time in establishing himself as the greatest program builder
in college basketball history. Calhoun's coaching success story includes winning two NCAA National Championships (1999, 2004)
at Connecticut, passing the elite 700-win plateau, recognition for the university as the most successful program in the history
of the Big East Conference with a record-setting 16 league titles, and earning basketball's highest honor, election into the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2005.
Since his arrival in 1985, UConn's women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma has transformed a program with only one winning
record to its credit to its current state, which includes five national championships, eight Final Fours and 28 BIG EAST titles.
This unmatched success, which is the standard for collegiate programs nationally, was recognized with Auriemma's induction
into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, Mass.) and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame (Knoxville,
Tenn.) in 2006. He currently ranks among the winningest active coaches in terms of winning percentage at .838 and is the first
coach in women's basketball history to guide a team to five consecutive Final Four appearances.
Randy Edsall has been the head football coach at UConn since 1999 and was entrusted with the responsibility of guiding
the Huskies from Division I-AA into the Big East Conference within the Football Bowl Subdivision. During their first three
seasons in the move up from Division I-AA, the team captured a .500 or better average, and in recent seasons, UConn has finished
in the national top 20 for total offense (2003, 2004) and total defense (2002, 2005). Much of the credit for this remarkable
growth is due to Edsall's leadership, which led to the team's 2004 victory at the Motor City Bowl - the first bowl appearance
EVER by a UConn football team.
In support of the PGA TOUR's Tradition of Giving Back, all proceeds of the Travelers Championship will be donated to co-charities
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp of Ashford, Conn. and the Greater Hartford Jaycees.
The Travelers Championship will be played June 18-24, 2007. Kids 15 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by
a ticketed adult. Tickets are now available on www.TravelersChampionship.com.
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About the Travelers Championship
The Travelers Championship will be held June 18-24, 2007 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. Proud to be part of
the inaugural FedExCup season, the 2007 event marks the start of a new era for professional golf in Connecticut, at a tournament
with a rich history of more than 50 years on the PGA TOUR. With a new title sponsor, course improvements, and the highest
purse in the tournament's history ($6 million), the Travelers Championship is committed to becoming one of the top TOUR events.
The championship is sponsored by Travelers, a leading provider of property casualty insurance. Travelers is a proud hometown
title sponsor that has been doing business in the community for nearly a century and a half and today has more than 6,000
employees in the Greater Hartford area. For more information, visit www.TravelersChampionship.com.
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