PGA of America Partners With Jack Nicklaus To Begin Modification Program At Valhalla Golf Club

(8/23/06) PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - The PGA of America has partnered with golf legend and course designer Jack Nicklaus to make Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., site of some of the most memorable moments in major championship history, into an even more spectator-friendly venue while maintaining its perch as one of America's finest courses.

The modification program, with construction planned for this summer, will accomplish two goals - to support the golf experience for Valhalla Golf Club members and enable the course to challenge the world's finest players who will gather Sept. 16-21, 2008, for the 37th Ryder Cup.

"The PGA of America is proud to have Jack Nicklaus join us in elevating Valhalla Golf Club into an unforgettable golf experience for the average golfer and continue its tradition as one of this country's premier homes of major championship golf," said PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Joe Steranka. "Valhalla Golf Club has already achieved much attention in its short history, and it will once again be showcased to the world at the 2008 Ryder Cup."

Nicklaus designed Valhalla Golf Club in 1986, and also competed in PGA Championships contested there in 1996 and 2000, and in the 2004 Senior PGA Championship. Valhalla Golf Club is listed among "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses" by Golf Digest and Golfweek.

"The PGA of America came to me with the question and request: 'how can we improve Valhalla for the Tour players who will compete here, the members who will play here, and the fans who will come to enjoy our events?' " said Nicklaus. "First, I was honored to be invited to consult on how these goals can be achieved. Valhalla is important to me, and I want to be part of The PGA's commitment to make it the best possible golf course and major championship venue from each of these perspectives.

"We are working together to undertake several significant changes to the course to prepare it for the Ryder Cup and as a championship venue from both modern player and spectator perspectives - the changes to the golf course we have already discussed will enhance both of those experiences. We are also going to make some changes to make the golf course more enjoyable from a member perspective, the people that will be playing there every day.

"In the end, we want the Tour players, fans and members to walk away and say, 'Wow, that is a great golf course and a great experience' - worthy as a major championship venue and as one of the premier golf clubs in the country. For me personally, Valhalla is going to be a big part of my legacy to the game and to players for generations after I am gone. I take great pride in Valhalla and want it to be the best it can be."

The modification program at Valhalla Golf Club will:

• Replace grass on all 18 greens, plus the practice green, with an A1-A4 blend.

• Modify some of the green contours to allow for additional and possibly more exciting hole placements

• Re-construct the greens on Holes No. 6, 10, 11 and 16

• Add additional bunkers on Holes No. 1, 5, 12, 15, 16 and 17

• Create additional spectator pads to accommodate the International Pavilion to the left of Hole No. 10

• Create a new television compound area behind No. 11 tee and No. 15 green.

• Increase the spectator viewing on Nos. 14, 15 and 16, to provide an improved spectator experience.

• Remove significant scrub foliage to allow spectators to be able to move more easily throughout the golf course, particularly on the back nine

• Refurbish and refurnish the existing clubhouse

• Expand the existing spectator bus terminal

Valhalla Golf Club is named after the hall in Norse mythology where the souls of Viking heroes feasted and celebrated with the gods. In present-day major championship golf, the club was the site of Tiger Woods' stirring three-hole playoff with Bob May in the 2000 PGA Championship; where Hale Irwin won his fourth Senior PGA Championship in 2004; where Mark Brooks won the 1996 PGA Championship via a playoff and where Barry Evans captured the 2002 PGA Professional National Championship.

The PGA of America completed its purchase of Valhalla Golf Club in 2000, following the 82nd PGA Championship. Since 1996, The PGA of America has funded the Dwight Gahm Scholarship for students that complete at least two years in the Louisville Urban Youth Golf Program. The scholarship, named in honor of the original owner of Valhalla Golf Club, is intended for a student who attends or plans to attend the University of Louisville.

Celebrating its 90th anniversary, The PGA of America was founded in 1916, and is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf

Paul Azinger Selected To Captain U.S. Ryder Cup Team In 2008 At Valhalla Golf Club In Louisville

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Paul Azinger, a member of four Ryder Cup Teams and winner of the 1993 PGA Championship, has been has been selected by The Professional Golfers' Association of America to captain the 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup Team. Azinger will guide a 12-member team in the 37th Ryder Cup, Sept. 16-21, 2008, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.

Azinger, 46, competed on the 1989, '91, '93 and 2002 Ryder Cup Teams, and was an inspirational leader during that period, including a 2-0-2 record in singles. The winner of 12 PGA Tour events, Azinger captured the 1993 PGA Championship in a memorable playoff against Greg Norman, four months before being diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. He recovered from his illness to post a strong 1998 season and won the 2000 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Azinger is the 25th Ryder Cup Captain and the 15th PGA Champion to guide a team in one of the world's most compelling sports events. He has won 14 worldwide professional championships since becoming a Tour professional in 1981.

He will lead a U.S. Team that has not won possession of the Ryder Cup since 1999, and has weathered two successive 18½ to 9½ defeats to Europe, the latter coming last September at The K Club in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland. Europe has won possession of the Ryder Cup in eight of the past 11 competitions.

"Paul Azinger's passion for the game, his courage to battle back from debilitating disease and his leadership in past Ryder Cups make him the ideal leader to guide the American team in 2008 at Valhalla," said PGA of America President Roger Warren. "Paul is one of the game's biggest supporters of the Ryder Cup and his performances have earned him the respect of his peers as well as many around the world."

In 2005, Azinger served as a golf analyst for the ABC network, working alongside Ryder Cup veteran Nick Faldo, who was selected in 2004 to serve as the 2008 European Ryder Cup Captain. Azinger and Faldo have competed against one another four times in the Ryder Cup, with Azinger owning a 2-0-2 advantage. The series included a memorable halved singles match in 1993 at The Belfry, in which Faldo registered a hole-in-one.

Azinger is a native of Holyoke, Mass., and a resident of Bradenton, Fla. He attended Brevard Junior College and Florida State University before turning professional in 1981. He captured his first Tour victory in 1987 and also earned that year's PGA Player of the Year Award. In 1995, he was honored by the Golf Writers Association of America with the Ben Hogan Award, presented to an individual who remains active in golf despite physical handicap or serious illness.

Azinger and his wife, Toni, have two daughters: Sarah Jean, 21; and Josie Lynn, 15.

Azinger joins a succession of golf's greatest players in the role of Ryder Cup Captain. Walter Hagen, the first Captain in 1927, was followed by such legendary performers as Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino.

Valhalla Golf Club, which has been the site of some of golf's most memorable championships, will host its first Ryder Cup. Designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus in 1986, Valhalla Golf Club is undergoing a multi-million dollar modification program that is headed by Nicklaus.

In 1996, Valhalla hosted its first PGA Championship won by Mark Brooks in a playoff over Kenny Perry. Three years later, Tiger Woods and Bob May left an indelible mark on major championship golf lore as they competed in one of the greatest single-day duels in a major championship. Woods prevailed in a three-hole aggregate score playoff but only after May's 30-foot birdie putt missed by inches on the 18th hole.

Valhalla also hosted the 2002 PGA Professional National Championship, and in 2004, Hale Irwin birdied the 72nd hole to capture his fourth Senior PGA Championship by one stroke over Jay Haas.

The Ryder Cup began in 1927 when enterprising English seed merchant Samuel Ryder commissioned the casting of a gold chalice that bears his name. The U.S. Team defeated Great Britain, 9½ to 2½, in the inaugural matches in Worcester, Mass.

Since then, except for a span (1939-45) during World War II and following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks upon America, the Ryder Cup has been held biennially with the U.S. and Europe alternating as host. Since 1985, Europe owns a 7-3-1 advantage in golf's preeminent event.

The PGA of America's point system to determine eight of the 12 members of the U.S. Ryder Cup team begins in Jan. 7, 2007, and concludes Aug. 10, 2008, at the 90th PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich.

Celebrating its 90th anniversary, The PGA of America was founded in 1916, and is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.

Commonwealth to Host 2008 Ryder Cup - Sept. 16-21

(Frankfort, KY) - The 37th Ryder Cup will be contested Sept. 16-21, 2008, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. The PGA of America announced the dates as Valhalla prepares to host the largest international sports event ever conducted in Kentucky.

"It is an honor for Kentucky to be the site of the 2008 Ryder Cup," said Gov. Ernie Fletcher. "The week of September 16 through the 21st will give us a chance to show the world what Kentucky is all about. With 14 international sporting events coming to Kentucky over the next five years, the Commonwealth is truly a major player in the international sports world." Kentucky is only the third state to have hosted three of the four PGA of America Major Championships: PGA Championship - 1996 and 2000, Senior PGA Championship - 2004, Ryder Cup - 2008. The 2002 PGA Professional National Championship was also played at Valhalla.

Gov. Fletcher created the Ryder Cup Advisory Committee to work with the Kentucky Sports Authority to ensure the state and the PGA of America and the 2008 Ryder Cup receives maximum benefit and exposure from the event. The event is expected to bring in more than 210,000 spectators. An expected 250 companies will purchase corporate hospitality packages. The economic impact is expected to exceed $115 million. NBC and its cable partner will carry 26 hours of coverage; 545 million viewers in 177 different countries and territories will watch the event. An estimated 1,500 worldwide media members will cover the event.

"The PGA of America joins the City of Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky with great anticipation of the 37th Ryder Cup coming to Valhalla Golf Club," said PGA of America President Roger Warren. "Kentuckians know what it means to be outstanding hosts and model sports fans. The 37th edition of the Ryder Cup will be the opportunity to showcase Louisville, Kentucky and the game of golf to the world."

Valhalla Golf Club, ranked No. 70 in the most recent list of "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses," by Golf Digest, was the site of perhaps the most memorable of Tiger Woods' 10 major championships.

The Ryder Cup spans 35 competitions over 79 years. Since its origin in 1927, the United States owns a 24-9-2 record. Europe has won seven of the past 10 competitions.