Press Release
"MAJOR" CHALLENGE APPEALS TO TOUR PROS WHO PLAY WINE COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP AT WENTE VINEYARDS
Livermore, CA (March 26, 2008) - While the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour head into their first major championships of the year, players on the Nationwide Tour have their own unofficial major when the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship, Northern California's premier golf, food and wine event, returns to The Course At Wente Vineyards March 31-April 6.
"As players, we look at this as a major," said Matt Bettencourt, a Nationwide Tour player from Modesto, who is set to play less than an hour from his front door. "Every player marks this on his schedule."
Their only stop in Northern California has proved to be the toughest test on the Nationwide Tour the past two years - and this year has not been made any easier. The Greg Norman-designed course, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008, averaged 75.235 for four rounds last year. In 2006, following a month of rain that extended into tournament week, The Course At Wente Vineyards averaged 74.881.
Last year, veteran Omar Uresti won with a 72-hole total of 288, even par. It was the second-highest winning total in the 19-year history of the tour.
"The players like tournaments where par means something," Bettencourt said. "We don't see that every week on the Nationwide Tour." The first four events this year have been won with an average score of 11.5-under par, although the Panama Championship's winning total was only 5-under.
Besides having the highest scoring average on the tour, The Course At Wente Vineyards last year also produced three of the 10 toughest holes of the year, including the toughest of all, the par-4 first hole, which played to an average of 4.507 last year.
"Every look is different around the golf course," said Joel Kribel, the tour veteran from Pleasanton who has been playing The Course At Wente Vineyards since it opened. "There is no tee shot that looks the same and no approach shot is the same. In tournament condition, any hole can get you. You can't take any shot for granted. On a day that is windy, even-par feels like a 65."
An elite field committed to play includes each winner of the first four events on the Nationwide Tour this year, as well and 19 of the top 20 leading money winners, going into this week's event in Louisiana.
"It really says something about Livermore and Wente Vineyards that so many of those players want to play in this event," said Todd Fischer, who returns home to Pleasanton to compete in the Wine Country Championship.
Other Northern California products in the field include Matt Bettencourt of Modesto, Joel Kribel of Pleasanton, Jeff Brehaut of Los Altos, Matt Hansen of Atwater, Tom Johnson of Weaverville, who through four events is 13th on the money list, and tour rookie Scott Gordon from Sacramento.
Besides hosting the best field of professional golfers to visit the Bay Area in 2008, the Wine Country Championship also will feature gourmet food and wine tasting each day at the Diablo Magazine Food & Wine Pavilion presented by Viking. The AT&T Tech pavilion presented by Logitech will host some of the latest gadgets and electronics for business and the home.
The family oriented Wine Country Championship has averaged 20,000 spectators annually, with event proceeds benefiting local non-profit organizations. Sponsored by Wente Vineyards and co-hosted by the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Foundation, the event is to benefit the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, among other organizations.
While it is a tour-tested layout, the Course at Wente Vineyards also provides tour-quality conditions year round. It has been awarded top honors for Best Playing Conditions in the East Bay Region by Greenskeeper.org and ranked No. 1 on Fairways and Greens magazine's 2008 rankings of non-resort courses in the Bay Area (No. 16 overall in the state).
"This is truly a gem on our schedule," Kribel said.
TOURNAMENT NOTES
Visiting With Veterans
On Tuesday afternoon, several members of the Nationwide Tour are scheduled to head right across the road from the course to Livermore's U.S. Veterans Hospital for a special visit with patients. It's become an annual tradition, with both the pros and patients enjoying the camaraderie.
Several Nationwide Tour players can relate to facing medical obstacles. Jarrod Lyle of Australia, the winner of the Mexico Open and current leading money winner, was diagnosed with leukemia at age 17 and underwent nine months of chemotherapy. Darron Stiles had surgery in 1989 to remove a cancerous tumor from his jaw. Vance Veazey suffers from hypoglycemia and carries a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his golf bag in case he needs to adjust his blood sugar.
Pro-Am starts off action
Wine Country Championship Pro-Am events get things warmed up early in the week. The first is Monday at 1 p.m., with two sessions Wednesday, at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The pro-ams are open to the public, with free admission.
Comedian Ready for festivities
Standup comedian Henry Cho, an avid golfer, is to be the special guest at Wednesday's pro-am. Known for being "an Asian with a Southern accent," the Tennessee-born Korean comic also is to perform at the pro-am awards function Wednesday evening.
Popular VIP Passes Still Available
There are a limited number of VIP Hospitality Passes still available. The popular pass provides access to the luxury VIP Hospitality Tent, with private food and beverage service, overlooking the 18th green. Each ticket is $125 and valid one day only. VIP passes or Hospitality packages must be purchased before March 31.
Ticket Update
Passes for the entire week are $20 each, available only in advance; daily tickets are $5 each for the first two days of tournament play (April 3-4) and $10 each for the final two days (April 5-6). Admission is free for practice rounds. Children 12-younger are free (limit of two) with a paid adult admission.
For tickets and more information about the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship, visit www.winecountrychampionship.com, call (925) 447-2200 or fax (925) 447-2900.
About The Course at Wente Vineyards
The Course at Wente Vineyards opened in July 1998. Designed by golfing great Greg Norman, the 18-hole championship course is a picturesque 7,181-yard, par-72, upscale, daily-fee golf course tucked away in the scenic, rural Livermore Valley, 50 minutes east of San Francisco. With three distinct topographies-native woodlands, mature vineyard and rolling hills of natural grasslands-The Course at Wente Vineyards offers extraordinary visual panoramas and a diversity of play unmatched in the Bay Area. Designed for both novice and pro, The Course is host of the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship, part of the PGA Tour's Nationwide Tour. For tee times call (925) 456-2425 or visit online at www.wentegolf.com. The Course is located at 5040 Arroyo Road in Livermore, CA.
About Wente Vineyards
2008 marks Wente Vineyards' 125th Anniversary. As the country's oldest continuously operated family-owned winery, Wente Vineyards maintains its leadership role in California winegrowing under the ownership and management by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family. Blending traditional and innovative winemaking practices, the winery draws from 3,000 acres of sustainably farmed estate vineyards to create an outstanding portfolio of wines. Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is recognized as one of California's premier wine country destinations, featuring wine tasting, fine dining and championship golf.
About the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Foundation
The Livermore Valley Winegrowers Foundation was founded in 1994 as way for the Valley's wine industry to give back to the community and increase awareness of this generous wine region. Though its primary activities, the Livermore Valley Wine Auction and now the Wine Country Championship, the Foundation has contributed more than $3 million dollars for local charities ranging from providing funds for the pediatric unit at ValleyCare Medical Center, to funding the Oakland East Bay Symphony's programs for underserved children, and to supporting Camp Arroyo, a summer camp for children with life-threatening illnesses.
About The Nationwide Tour
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Nationwide Tour identifies those players who are ready to compete and win on golf's greatest stage. As the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR, 67 percent of the current PGA TOUR membership played on the Nationwide Tour. Tour alumni have won more than 200 PGA TOUR titles, including a grand slam. Twenty-five PGA TOUR cards and a record purse approaching $19 million will be at stake over the course of 30 events in 2008. Recognizing the Tour's growing stature, Nationwide Insurance has renewed its umbrella sponsorship of the Nationwide Tour through 2012. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its three tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, supports over 2,000 local charities and has surpassed $1 billion in charitable giving. To learn more about the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit www.PGATOUR.com.
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Press Contacts
| Kristen Hunter Hunter Public Relations West Coast Office P.O. Box 1049 Pebble Beach, CA 93953 (831) 375-1747 khunter@hunter-pr.com |
Ed Vyeda Hunter Public Relations West Coast Office P.O. Box 1049 Pebble Beach, CA 93953 (831) 375-1747 evyeda@hunter-pr.com |