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Tiger Woods Enters Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow Club, May 2-8
No.1-Ranked Player in the World Heads Field of 156 in $6 Million Tournament that Pays $1,080,000 to Winner
CHARLOTTE, N.C., APRIL 29, 2005 – Tiger Woods, fresh from his Masters Tournament victory three weeks ago, and the No. 1 player in the world, has added his name to the illustrious entry list for the third annual Wachovia Championship, which will be played at Quail Hollow Club, May 2-8.
Woods, who finished tied for third in last year’s edition of the Wachovia Championship, will join a strong field that includes nine of the top 11 players in the World Rankings. This will be Woods’ first appearance on the PGA TOUR since capturing his fourth Masters title in April.
“We are excited to welcome Tiger back to the city of Charlotte and are really thrilled for those patrons who have purchased tickets,” said Wachovia Championship Tournament Director Kym Hougham. “To now have a nine of the top 11 players in the world coming to our championship certainly means, the tradition continues.”
The field also includes World No. 2 Vijay Singh and No. 4 Phil Mickelson. That threesome—Mickelson, Woods, Singh—currently holds the top three spots on the PGA TOUR Official Money List.
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.
The 29-year-old Woods will enter the Wachovia Championship with 43 career PGA TOUR victories after his sudden-death playoff victory over Chris DiMarco, who is also in the field, in Augusta. Woods’ birdie on the first playoff hole earned him his fourth green jacket and ninth professional major, tying legends Ben Hogan and Gary Player for third-most all-time behind Jack Nicklaus (18) and Walter Hagen (11).
That victory was also Woods’ third this season, adding to a trophy collection that includes victories at the Buick Invitational in January and the Ford Championship at Doral last month, when Woods carded weekend rounds of 63-69, stared down a sizzling Mickelson over the final 18 holes and broke the tournament record with a 24-under-par 264 score.
His win at the Buick was Woods’ third in the event and extended his streak of consecutive seasons with a victory to 10 – the longest active streak on the PGA TOUR. He is in the top 10 in eight official statistics, including second in official money ($3,687,090) and par breaking (28.8 percent). .
USA Network will televise The Wachovia Championship Thursday and Friday and CBS will televise Saturday and Sunday.
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.
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 $506.8 billion, market capitalization of $80.3 billion and stockholders' equity of $46.5 billion at March 31, 2005. Its four core businesses, the General Bank, Capital Management, Wealth Management, and the Corporate and Investment Bank, serve 13 million household and business relationships primarily through 3,277 offices in 15 states and Washington, D.C. Its full-service retail brokerage firm, Wachovia Securities, LLC, also serves clients through 693 offices in 49 states and five Latin American countries. Our Corporate and Investment Bank serves clients primarily in 10 key industry sectors nationwide. 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.