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November 23, 2004
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (Oct. 11, 2004). -- Tournament host Tiger Woods, Vijay
Singh and defending champion Davis Love III head a field of 16 of the greatest
players in the world in the sixth annual Target World Challenge presented by
Williams (TWC) at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Dec. 8-12. The
tournament benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Of the 16 players in the tournament field, 11 are players who competed in the
2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills Golf Club - Woods, Love, Padraig Harrington,
Colin Montgomerie, Chad Campbell, Miguel Jimenez, Stewart Cink, Chris DiMarco,
Jim Furyk, Jay Haas, Kenny Perry. Others in the field include fan favorites John
Daly and Fred Couples, along with 2004 British Open champion Todd Hamilton and
Stephen Ames, the first touring professional to emerge from Trinidad &
Tobago.
Players qualified for the field as the defending champion (Love) and the top
11 players from the Official World Rankings as of Oct. 3, 2004 who accepted
invitations. In addition, the Tiger Woods Foundation selected four (4) special
exemptions. The winner of the $5.25 million, 72-hole stroke-play event will
receive $1.2 million.
Players who qualified based on their Official
World Ranking as of Oct. 3 are Singh (1), Harrington (8), Cink (9), Furyk (12),
DiMarco (14), Campbell (16), Perry (17), Hamilton (18), Jimenez (19) and Ames
(20). Daly, Couples, Haas and Montgomerie received special exemptions to
complete the 16-player field.
"I'm looking forward to playing this strong field on such a challenging
course," Woods said. "I hope this will be another great show for the fans that
also brings attention to our tournament beneficiaries, Start Something and the
Tiger Woods Learning Center."
With a closing round of 8-under-64, Love became the first two-time winner of
the Target World Challenge. One of only three players to have played in the
event every year - the others are Woods and Singh - Love earned $1.2 million for
the victory. His other victory was in 2000. Love is the all-time leading money
winner in the Target World Challenge with $2,910,000.
Woods, the No. 3-ranked player in the world, has one victory (2001), three
runner-up finishes and a 10th place in the Target World Challenge. He is the
event's second leading all-time money winner with $2,830,000. He has been golf's
most dominant player since turning pro in 1996. Last year, he won the PGA TOUR
Player of the Year award for an unprecedented fifth time in a row. He has won 40
times on the PGA TOUR, including eight major championships - three Masters
Tournaments, two U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships and one British Open.
Fiji's Singh has taken over the mantle as the No. 1-ranked player in the
world. He has already earned $9,455,566 to set a single-season money record and
is about to win his second consecutive PGA TOUR money title. Singh, a four-time
winner last year, has won eight times this year, including the PGA Championship
for his third major championship - he also won the 2000 Masters and the 1998 PGA
Championship. A world-class player, Singh has won tournaments in 13 different
countries - Malaysia, France, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Spain,
Germany, England, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan and the United States.
Ireland's Harrington shot a course-record 9-under-par 63 in the third round
and held off Woods to win the Target World Challenge in 2002. One of the most
consistent players in the world, Harrington has been among the top 11 players on
the Volvo Order of Merit eight times. He holds the No. 8 spot on the world
rankings and the No. 5 position on the European Tour's Volvo Order of Merit,
with two victories and more than 1.5 million in earnings this season.
Cink will be playing in the event for the second time. He is a four-time
winner on the PGA TOUR, including two victories this year in the MCI Heritage
and the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational. He is currently No. 5 on the
PGA TOUR money list with $4,344,670.
Furyk will be playing in the event for the third time. The 2003 U.S. Open
champion is a nine-time winner on the PGA TOUR and is considered one of golf's
finest putters. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage in
his left wrist on March 22, which sidelined him for nearly three months.
DiMarco will be playing in the tournament for the third year in a row. He
finished seventh in 2002 and tied for 10th last year. A three-time winner on the PGA
TOUR, DiMarco has played his best golf this year in major championships. He tied
for second at the PGA Championship, tied for sixth at the Masters Tournament and
tied for ninth at the U.S. Open.
Campbell will be playing in the event for the first time. He is a two-time
winner on the PGA TOUR, including the TOUR Championship in 2003. This year, he
won the Bay Hill Invitational and has 9 top-25 finishes in 25 starts.
Perry made his debut in the Target World Challenge last year and finished
15th. He is a seven-time winner on the PGA TOUR who had his best year in 2003
when he won three times. This year his best finish was a tie for third in THE
PLAYERS Championship.
Hamilton, the reigning British Open champion, will be competing at Sherwood
Country Club for the first time. A professional since 1987, Hamilton posted 14
international victories before earning his first PGA TOUR card in 2003. In his
first full year on the PGA TOUR, he has two victories and eight top-25 finishes
in 26 starts.
Spain's Jimenez, one of the top players on the European Tour, will be making
his debut in the event. A three-time winner this year, Jimenez was a key member
of Europe's victorious Ryder Cup team in 2004. One of seven brothers, he worked
as a caddie as a youngster and didn't take up the game until he was 15.
Ames, who was born in Trinidad and lives in Canada, will be a first-time
player in the tournament. At age 40, he won his first PGA TOUR event this year
at the Cialis Western Open to become the first 40-and-over player to win for the
first time since Brad Bryant in 1995. He is the first touring professional to
emerge from Trinidad & Tobago. He has earned $3,014,679 this year to rank
ninth on the PGA TOUR money list.
A 15-time winner on the PGA TOUR, Couples is the 27th-ranked player in the
world. The winner of the 1992 Masters Tournament will play in the Target World
Challenge for the fourth time. This year, he finished second at the Memorial
Tournament and has eight top-25 finishes in 16 starts.
Daly, one of golf's most popular players, will be making his debut in the
Target World Challenge. The winner of five PGA TOUR events, including two major
championships - the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 British Open - is the
38th-ranked player in the world. This year he has one victory (Buick
Invitational) and five top-10 finishes in 19 starts.
Haas, who will turn 51 on December 2, will be the oldest player in the field.
Introduced to golf by his uncle, 1968 Masters champion Bob Goalby, Haas has been
one of the sport's most consistent performers during a 24-year career. He has
nine victories and has played on three Ryder Cup teams. He has played on both
the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour this year.
Scotland's Montgomerie was Europe's most dominating player during the decade
of the 90s. The winner of 29 European titles, he set a record by winning seven
consecutive Order of Merit titles for yearly earnings from 1993-1999. During
that stretch, he was the European Player of the Year four times. He has received
accolades for his leadership qualities on and off the course, particularly as a
Ryder Cup player for the European team. In seven Ryder Cup matches, he is
unbeaten in singles (5-0-2) and has an overall record of 19-8-5.
Fans can purchase tickets through all Ticketmaster locations, at
ticketmaster.com, targetworldchallenge.com or by calling the Target World
Challenge tournament office at 714-816-1806 or Ticketmaster at 213-480-3232.
The best deal is a Weekly Gallery Badge, which can be purchased for $75. The
Weekly Gallery Badge is a grounds-only credential for the entire tournament week
(Wednesday-Sunday).
Daily Gallery Passes, which are grounds-only passes for individual days, can
be purchased for any single day. They are $25 per day on Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday, and $35 per day on Saturday and Sunday. Children 12 and under are
admitted free if accompanied by a paid adult (limit two children per paid
adult).
All general admission parking is free and complimentary pairings guides are
available daily on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Tournament week begins with a Pro-Am on Wednesday, Dec. 8, and the four-day
tournament begins Thursday, Dec. 9, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 12.
Sherwood Country Club, which opened 15 years ago, is again expected to
provide a stern test for golf's top players. Rated as one of the best golf
courses in the world, Sherwood Country Club features 1,800 mature oak trees and
lush landscaping including waterfalls, jasmine and rose bushes. Scheduled to
open in 2005 is the first ever par-3 18-hole golf course and club featuring 14
replicated holes from distinguished Nicklaus courses.
A portion of the tournament proceeds will benefit the Tiger Woods Learning
Center and Start Something. Scheduled to open in Spring 2005, the Tiger Woods
Learning Center will be an innovative educational facility in Southern
California for youth ages 8- to 17-years old to advance their educational
growth. The Learning Center will be staffed by full-time, experienced teachers
who will provide instruction in math, science and language arts. For more
information, visit www.twlc.org.
Start Something, created by Target Stores and the Tiger Woods Foundation, is
a free character education program that encourages kids ages 8 to 17 to identify
a specific personal desire or goal and begin taking steps toward achieving their
dreams. In the process, kids also identify personal values, interests and
talents needed to achieve their dream goal. More than 2 million youths
across the country have enrolled in the program since the program's launch in
2000. Teachers and youth group leaders can obtain a ready-to-go curriculum for
use with groups by visiting www.Target.com/startsomething. Teachers and children can call
1-800-316-6142 with questions on the Web site or program materials.
About Target Stores Minneapolis-based Target Stores serves guests at 1,272
stores in 47 states nationwide by delivering today's best retail trends at
affordable prices. Whether visiting a Target store or shopping online at
Target.com, guests enjoy a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to
thousands of unique and highly differentiated items. Target Stores, along with
its parent company Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), gives back more than $2
million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs.
Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit
organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.
Williams (NYSE:WMB), through its subsidiaries, primarily finds, produces,
gathers, processes and transports natural gas. Williams' gas wells, pipelines
and midstream facilities are concentrated in the Northwest, Rocky Mountains,
Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard. More information is available at www.williams.com.
Companies joining Target and Williams as supporting sponsors include Dole
Food Company, the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh
fruit, vegetables, fresh-cut flowers and a growing line of packaged foods, and
Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., headquartered in Calabasas, Calif., a national
leader in residential lending with a network of more than 500 offices providing
personalized mortgage finance services.
www.targetworldchallenge.com
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