RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Jan. 6, 2005 – Forget Annika and Tiger - the best putting action in the desert can be found each year at the Kraft Nabisco Championship Senior Putting Competition. This year's competition gets underway at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 7, at the Coachella Senior Center, located at 1540 Seventh St. in Coachella, Calif.

The annual competition for adults 55 and older - now in its 21st year - is free and gives seniors the chance to putt for prizes and tickets to the Kraft Nabisco Championship in March. The 2005 putting competition will feature several preliminary contests with the "Championship Putt-off" set for Feb. 23 at Trilogy Golf Club at La Quinta in La Quinta, Calif. Participants can compete in as many preliminary contests as they want over the competition's six-week run.

According to Tamra Borson, marketing and advertising manager for the Kraft Nabisco Championship, every participant in the competition will win a One-Day Grounds ticket to the LPGA tournament. Participants will also be entered in a drawing held at the end of each preliminary contest for such prizes as Tumi bags, Waterford crystal photo frames and designer watches.

In addition, all seniors who compete in the putting competition will qualify for a grand prize drawing for a 2005 Kraft Nabisco Championship tournament package. The package includes four VIP Clubhouse badges, four 18th green skybox passes good for Tuesday through Friday of Tournament Week, and one VIP parking pass for the tournament.

"The Senior Putting Competition is open to any senior who'd like to take a swing at winning some free tickets and a fabulous tournament package," Borson said. "And while we think the grand prize for the putting competition is the best yet, we are also adding more prizes at each of our putting stops in order to give more people the opportunity to win."

Borson also said that volunteers are needed at the senior centers to assist with the putting competitions. Each volunteer will receive a Kraft Nabisco Championship shirt and jacket or vest. Interested volunteers should contact Kraft Nabisco Championship by calling the Tournament Office at 760/324-4546 or by visiting the Web site at www.kncgolf.com.

In keeping with the tournament's longstanding tradition of supporting desert seniors, the 2005 Kraft Nabisco Championship will also celebrate its 11th annual "Senior Appreciation Days" during Tournament Week. Senior Appreciation Days offer free admission for adults 55 and over during both days of the tournament's Celebrity Pro-Am. This year's 2005 Pro-Am is scheduled for Tuesday, March 22, and Wednesday, March 23, during Tournament Week and will be played on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course and Arnold Palmer Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

The 2005 Kraft Nabisco Championship Tournament Week kicks off on Monday, March 21, with a practice round for LPGA players and the finals for the Toyota/Kraft Nabisco Championship $1 Million Hole-in-One Contest, including the Celebrity Hole-in-One Contest for Charity. Admission to all events at Mission Hills Country Club is free on that day.

Championship play runs Thursday, March 24, through Sunday, March 27. Defending champion Grace Park will be back to defend her title against such LPGA stars as Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, Se Ri Pak, Karrie Webb and other professional and amateur players representing the best in women's golf.