IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bob Denney

IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bob Denney

June 18, 2013 561/624-8582

CENTRAL OREGON’S SUNRIVER RESORT READY TO CHALLENGE

NATION’S FINEST IN 46th PGA PROFESSIONAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

SUNRIVER, Ore. – Nestled on the eastern flank of the Deschutes River and at the base of the Cascade Range, Sunriver Resort’s 3,100 acres have been familiar territory for nearly three decades to many of golf’s premier performers. Those that have walked the fairways before know that there are hidden challenges at Crosswater Club and Meadows Golf Course, which lie at an elevation of 4,164 feet.

Those partner layouts are host to the 46th PGA Professional National Championship presented by Club Car, Mercedes-Benz and OMEGA, June 23-26, the showcase event for the PGA Professionals. It is the third National Championship at the scenic Central Oregon locale, following visits in 2001 and 2007. A 312-player field representing 45 states and 41 PGA Sections will bid to hoist a 17½-pound crystal, the Walter Hagen Cup, the prize named after the player and PGA of America charter member who spent a career elevating the golf profession.

Defending Champion Matt Dobyns of Glen Head, N.Y., whose debut appearance in the Championship last year resulted in a record eight-stroke margin, will be joined by 12 other past Champions: John Traub, Rochester Hills, Mich. (1980); Brett Upper, Scottsdale, Ariz. (1990); Steve Schneiter, Sandy, Utah (1995); Darrell Kestner, Glen Cove, N.Y. (1996); Wayne DeFrancesco, Columbia, Md. (2001); Barry Evans, Charleston, W.Va. (2002); Bob Sowards, Dublin, Ohio (2004); Mike Small, Champaign, Ill. (2005, ’09, ’10); Ron Philo Jr., Fernandina Beach, Fla. (2006); Chip Sullivan, Troutville, Va. (2007); Scott Hebert, Traverse City, Mich. (2008); David Hutsell, Baltimore, Md., (2011).

The diverse field also features 36-year-old left-hander Rod Perry of Port Orange, Fla., the 2012 PGA Professional Player of the Year; along with 11 players who competed in May in the 74th Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, including four of the five who made the 36-hole cut. Heading that list is Jeff Coston of Blaine, Wash., 57, who shared Low PGA Club Professional honors at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, and 2012 Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, Ga.

The first two rounds of the National Championship will be conducted on the par-72, 7,530-yard Crosswater Club designed by Bob Cupp in 1995, and the par-71, 6,969-yard Meadows Course, which was crafted by John Federspiel in 1969, and redesigned by John Fought in 1999. The final two rounds will be conducted at Crosswater Club, past site of the JELD-WEN Tradition (2007-10), a major championship on the Champions Tour.

When the Championship was last contested at Sunriver Resort in 2007, Sullivan became the second consecutive Middle Atlantic PGA Professional to win at Sunriver. Sullivan knows that Crosswater Club and Meadows present two separate hurdles.

“Both courses demand that you bring your entire game together,” said Sullivan, 48. “Crosswater is a big course where you have to be good in all facets of your game. It requires all your skills and confidence in shotmaking. When I played there in 2007, I had all cylinders of my game in order and I was able to make some putts. Everyone will have to use their practice rounds to determine their club selection. I am really looking forward to returning. It is a great place for this Championship.”

Crosswater Club Manager Josh Willis, a Mississippi State University graduate, was an intern when he helped support the 2001 Championship, and has been a member of the resort staff since 2004.

“When I first saw Sunriver on television, it hosted an episode of Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf,” said Willis, a graduate of Mississippi State’s PGA Professional Golf Management Program. “I thought it looked awesome, and I wanted to be working there. It has been great to be associated with a staff and resort that has worked to be as efficient as possible to run outstanding events.”

The Crosswater Club that Sullivan saw in 2007 has been updated. In addition to a renovated practice range and target greens, Crosswater’s 18 greens have been re-sodded. The new putting surfaces feature T-1 bentgrass, a strain grown in an Idaho forest and transported in time to bloom at installation in August 2011. The final touches were in place by October 2011, which have led to putting conditions that Willis calls “pristine.”

Willis said that any player hoping to be successful in the Championship needs to keep several things in mind.

“When Bob Cupp designed Crosswater Club, it opened as the longest in the country at a maximum of 7,863 yards,” said Willis. “He wanted to penalize any golfer that did not keep his ball in the fairway. He made the greens fair, and pretty straightforward. And, all our courses require that you adapt your game to the altitude. That is the most significant thing that you have to keep in mind to play well. I would call the difference in yardage from sea level about 8 percent. Some have said that it is 10 percent, but your ball does not travel as far as it would in Colorado. You have to understand how far you hit certain clubs.”

The perks for the Championship field are many, including the low 20 scorers advancing to the 95th PGA Championship, Aug. 8-11, at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. In addition, eight of the 10 members of the United States PGA Cup Team that will face Great Britain & Ireland, Sept. 20-22, at Slaley Hall in Northumberland, England, will be determined at Crosswater Club. The remaining two players for the U.S. Team, the result of a two-year points system, will be determined after the PGA Championship.

The PGA Professional National Championship features a total purse of $550,000, and is supported by Titleist/FootJoy, Callaway Golf, Nike Golf, TaylorMade-adidas and Ashworth Golf and the PGA Tour. Golf Channel will broadcast the Championship live Sunday, June 23 through Wednesday, Jun 26. PGA.com will also provide complete coverage of the National Championship.

Established in 1968, the PGA Professional National Championship roster of Champions includes past and present Tour professionals: Sam Snead, Bob Rosburg, Don Massengale, Ed Dougherty, Larry Gilbert and Bruce Fleisher.

About The PGA of America

Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has maintained a twofold mission: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, The PGA enables its professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry. By creating and delivering world-class championships and innovative programs, The PGA of America elevates the public’s interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. As The PGA nears its centennial, the PGA brand represents the very best in golf.

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