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Phil Mickelson Enters Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow Club, May 2-8
World's No. 4 Joins Deep Field of 156 in $6 Million Tournament That Pays $1,080,000 to Winner
Charlotte, N.C., April 26, 2005 – What is typically one of the most-talented fields on the PGA TOUR just became deeper with the announcement that Phil Mickelson committed Tuesday to play in the third-annual Wachovia Championship, which will be played at Quail Hollow Club, May 2-8.
Mickelson, winner of three PGA TOUR events so far this year and the No. 1 player on the Official PGA TOUR money list, parlayed a final-round 67 – the day’s low round – into a tie for fifth in his Wachovia Championship debut last year.
“We cannot be more pleased that Mr. Mickelson has decided to return to Charlotte and treat our patrons to the high quality of golf he has displayed throughout his career,” said Wachovia Championship Tournament Director Kym Hougham. “Competitors like Phil bring so much to not only our championship, but to the city of Charlotte.”
With the addition of Mickelson, six of the top 11 ranked players in the world are now scheduled to compete—Ireland’s Padraig Harrington (7), Chris DiMarco (8), Sergio Garcia (9), David Toms and Mike Weir (11).
Other TOUR stars, who committed earlier are Davis Love III, Mark O’Meara, Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk, Chad Campbell, Fred Funk, Charles Howell III, Tom Kite, Scott Verplank, along with the Championship’s first two champions Toms and Joey Sindelar
This season, Mickelson is off to a fast start. He owns three victories in 2005, including back-to-back wins at the FBR Open in Phoenix and the AT&T Pebble-Beach National Pro-Am to go with a victory at the BellSouth Classic outside Atlanta.
The reasons for Mickelson’s quick start aren’t hard to find. He leads the PGA TOUR in four categories: money ($3.842 million), scoring average (69.14), birdies (5.22 per round) and par breakers (29.3 percent), which is the percentage of times a player betters par. Additionally, Mickelson is third in putting and fifth in the All-Around.
The Wachovia Championship, a 72-hole tournament that features the traditional layout of Quail Hollow Club and a $6 million purse, will pay a championship record $1,080,000 to the winner.
Proceeds from all PGA TOUR events benefit charities selected by the tournament organization. The nationally known educational foundation, Teach For America, has been selected as the primary charitable recipient of the Wachovia Championship for 2005, in keeping with Wachovia's strong commitment to furthering education opportunities in local communities.
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About the Wachovia Championship
The Wachovia Championship is one of the largest, most prestigious sporting events in the Charlotte region. Now in its third year, the tournament is intended as an annual tradition that will bring customers, players and patrons back each year for an unforgettable golf experience. In a short two years, the national and international golf community has already recognized it as one of the top events on the PGA TOUR. The 2005 tournament will be held May 2-8. Sponsored by Wachovia Corporation (NYSE:WB), the tournament’s $6 million purse is one of the largest on the PGA TOUR. A combination of Quail Hollow Club, the spirit of the Charlotte area community and the support of Wachovia are several reasons the championship has and should continue to draw many of the world’s top golfers to Charlotte.
For more information, visit the tournament website, www.wachoviachampionship.com.
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About Wachovia
Wachovia Corporation (NYSE:WB) is one of the largest providers of financial services to retail, brokerage and corporate customers, with retail operations from Connecticut to Florida and west to Texas, and retail brokerage operations nationwide. Wachovia had assets of $493.3 billion, market capitalization of $83.5 billion and stockholders’ equity of $47.3 billion at December 31, 2004. Its four core businesses, the General Bank, Capital Management, Wealth Management, and the Corporate and Investment Bank, serve customers primarily in 15 states and Washington, D.C. Its full-service retail brokerage firm, Wachovia Securities, LLC, serves clients in 49 states and five Latin American countries. Global services are offered through 33 international offices. Online banking and brokerage products and services also are available through Wachovia.com.
Editor’s Note: For the tournament logo or course maps in JPG, EPS or PDF format, contact Nora Carr, Luquire George Andrews, 704-552-6565, ext. 145 or carr@lgapr.com, or visit www.wachoviachampionship.com to visit the online Media Center.