MasterCard Championship at Hualalai

--  Six First-Time Winners Headed To Champions Tour Season Opener --

(Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii)  --  With the recent conclusion of the 2005 Champions Tour official season at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the list of eligible players for the 2006 MasterCard Championship at Hualalai is now final.

Thirty-four players have qualified to compete in the Championship, which will launch the Champions Tour's 2006 season January 16-22 at Hualalai Golf Club in Ka'upulehu-Kona, Hawaii.  Six of the 34 are first-time Champions Tour winners, thus first-time qualifiers for the Championship.

Rounding out the field will be up to four additional invitees whose careers include a minimum of 30 combined (PGA TOUR/Champions Tour) career victories or 15 combined career victories with a minimum of one major championship win.  Last year these invitations went to Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino.

The list of 34 eligible players includes:

-  Allen Doyle      -  Tom Kite         -  Craig Stadler
-  David Eger      -  Wayne Levi      -  Ron Streck *
-  Ed Fiori           -  Bruce Lietzke   -  Bruce Summerhays
-  Bruce Fleisher  -  Mark McNulty   -  Doug Tewell
-  Bob Gilder       -  Gil Morgan        -  Jim Thorpe
-  Stewart Ginn   -  Larry Nelson     -  Tom Watson
-  Jay Haas *      -  Pete Oakley     -  D.A. Weibring
-  Hale Irwin        -  Don Pooley      -  Fuzzy Zoeller
-  John Jacobs     -  Tom Purtzer     
-  Peter Jacobsen  -  Dana Quigley   
-  Mark James   -  Mike Reid *  
-  Tom Jenkins   -  Loren Roberts *
-  Mark Johnson *  -  Des Smyth *

 *  first-time winners

"The field for the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai is always one of the best of the year," said Executive Director Brian Goin.  "It features virtually all of the current stars of the Champions Tour and in a few weeks we'll be making an announcement about a few more very big names who will be joining the field.  The MasterCard Championship at Hualalai is a great way to start the new season and Hualalai is an ideal place to stage it."

The MasterCard Championship at Hualalai features winners of Champions Tour major championships of the last five years (2001-2005) and winners of Champions Tour official money cosponsored and approved tournaments of the last two years (2004-2005), plus the four tournament invitees.

The Hualalai property includes a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course and a five-star Four Season hotel.  The event will be played on the Big Island course for the tenth year in a row.

Dana Quigley won his second MasterCard Championship at Hualalai last January defeating Tom Watson in a sudden-death playoff. 

The MasterCard Championship at Hualalai will air live on The Golf Channel on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 20, 21 and 22. 

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Contacts: Kelly Fliear        Jeff Adams
  Tournament Manager      Director of Public Relations 
  MasterCard Championship at Hualalai Champions Tour
  Tel:  800-417-2770   Tel:  904-273-3397
  Email:  kelly.fliear@verizon.net Email:jadams@pgatourhq.com