One of Golf's Greatest Legends And Canadian PGATour Star Round Out Foursome For TELUS Skins Game at Nicklaus North
19th April, 2005
Canada prepares to pay tribute to golf legend at TELUS Skins
Game... Jack Nicklaus and Canadian Stephen Ames round out foursome
competing for $360,000 at Whistler’s Nicklaus North in
July.
Over the course of his legendary career, Jack Nicklaus has
contributed as much, or more, as anyone to the game of golf, and
this summer Canadian fans will be able to help pay tribute to him
when the Golden Bear returns to Canada to play in the TELUS Skins
Game July 4-5 at Whistler’s Nicklaus North Golf
Course. Nicklaus will be participating in the event just
one week before playing in his final British Open at St.
Andrews.
Also joining Nicklaus in the foursome competing for $360,000 in
prize money will be Canadian PGA Tour player Stephen Ames, who has
been rocketing up the Golf World Rankings over the past two
seasons. They will be joining Vijay Singh and John Daly,
who were both announced previously.
“Each year, the TELUS Skins Game is a highlight of
the Canadian summer sporting schedule, and on behalf of Canadian
fans, we thought it was important this year to thank Jack Nicklaus
for everything he has given to the game of golf,” said
Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and
CEO. “This year’s event will be
a celebration of the game, and one of the men who made it
great. We’re thrilled to be able to share
this event with golf fans from all corners of the
country.”
Tickets for the annual summer golf classic go on sale to the
public Monday, April 25 and 10 a.m. (Pacific Time) through
TicketMaster by calling 1-888-833-4447 or by visiting
www.ticketmaster.ca. Tickets are priced at $129 for a two-day pass
and $75 for a one-day pass for either Monday, July 4 or Tuesday,
July 5. A junior ticket discount of half price is
available for children 12 years and under. Prices do
not include applicable taxes and service charge.
This year’s event will mark Nicklaus’
third appearance in the Canadian Skins Game. He participated in the
inaugural event in 1993 at Devil’s Pulpit in Caledon,
Ontario and again in 1997 at Nicklaus North Golf Course, a course
that he himself designed. For Stephen Ames, 2005 will be
his first appearance in the event and he becomes the third Canadian
to participate, joining Mike Weir (1998-2002) and Ian Leggatt
(2003).
“I’m looking forward to returning to
Canada’s TELUS Skins Game and to Nicklaus
North,” said
Nicklaus. “I’ve always enjoyed
my long association with Canada and its people, whether it be the
decades I competed in the Canadian Open, designing golf courses, or
just coming up with Barbara and the family to
fish. Nicklaus North is a fabulous course in a beautiful
setting. I think it will be a good test for Vijay, John,
Stephen and certainly myself.”
Nicklaus dominated professional golf in the 1960’s
and 70’s compiling a list of career accomplishments
that have become the standard by which most of today’s
players are measured. He won 18 professional major
championships, including a record number of Masters titles
(six). He is tied for the most PGA Championship (five)
and U.S. Open (four) victories. Nicklaus has also earned
three British Open titles, making him the only person to win each
of the Grand Slam tournaments at least three times. In fact, only
four players (Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player and Tiger Woods)
won the career Grand Slam once, and Nicklaus is the only golfer in
history to do so on both the regular and senior tours.
Ames, who will turn 41 on April 28, enjoyed a career year on the
PGA Tour in 2004. He had a career-best 11 top-10
finishes, including his first Tour victory at the Cialis Western
Open in July, and finished the year eighth on the Tour money
list. He began the season ranked 96th on the Official
World Golf Ranking but rose to as high as 17th during the season.
Ames is currently ranked 25th in the world. He earned his first
top-10 finish of the 2005 season this past weekend, finishing tied
for sixth at the MCI Heritage
A native of Trinidad-Tobago, Ames received his Canadian
citizenship in December of 2003 and he resides in Calgary
year-round with his wife Jodi and their two sons, Justin and
Ryan.
“The TELUS Skins Game is a terrific event and
I’m proud to be representing Canada in it this
year,” said Ames.
“I’m thrilled to not only be included this
year, but to get the chance to play with Jack Nicklaus. I know
Canadian fans will love this opportunity to thank him for all he
has done for the game.”
It has also been confirmed that The Fairmont Chateau Whistler
will be the official hotel of the 2005 TELUS Skins Game, housing
the players and sponsors as well as special sponsor events.
Over the years, the Skins Game line-up has included many of the
biggest names in golf, including: Nick Price, Ray Floyd, Jack
Nicklaus, Fred Couples, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Ben
Crenshaw, Greg Norman, John Daly, Ernie Els, Mark
O’Meara, Mike Weir, Ian Leggatt, David Duval, Sergio
Garcia, Hank Kuehne, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson, the winner of
the 2004 TELUS Skins Game.
The TELUS Skins Game is also sponsored by Nicklaus North Golf
Course, the GolfBC Group, Firethorn, Pinnacle/Cobra and The
Fairmont Chateau Whistler. Media partners for the event include The
Vancouver Sun, The Province, Mojo Sports Radio AM 730 and CKNW AM
980, Pacific Golf Magazine and ScoreGolf Canada.
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