SAMMAMISH, Washington – Feb. 19, 2005 – Dates and a slight format change were recently announced by the Committee in charge of the 12th Sahalee Players Championship.
The championship will be contested from July 6-8 at Sahalee Country Club outside Seattle, Washington, and will once again feature a limited field of elite amateur golfers competing over 72 holes at stroke play.
This year's format eliminates the 54-hole cut to the lowest 20 scorers and features 18 holes of play on Wednesday, July 6 and Friday, July 8, with 36 holes being completed on Thursday, July 7. Tournament Chairman Michael Jonson remarked that the format change "benefits the championship in two ways. Players are now guaranteed four competitive rounds on a major championship-caliber layout.
Also, those players leaving our championship to compete in either the US Amateur Public Links or the Pacific Northwest Amateur Championship will now have an extra day for travel and practice rounds. We think this will help us convince an even more spectacular group of players to make the journey to the Pacific Northwest."
About the Sahalee Players Championship
Inaugurated in 1992, the Sahalee Players Championship (SPC) annually showcases an exclusive international field of the best amateur golfers. The championship is contested over 72 holes at stroke play on the 'high heavenly ground' of Sahalee Country Club, host of the 1998 PGA Championship and 2002 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational. Played on consecutive weeks with the Pacific Northwest Amateur Championship, the SPC serves as the first leg of amateur golf's Western Swing.
The past two US Amateur champions were victorious in one of the Western Swing championships prior to their US Amateur win (Nick Flanagan, 2003 Pacific Northwest Amateur champion; Ryan Moore, 2004 Sahalee Players champion). More information about the Sahalee Players Championship and the Western Swing can be found online at www.sahaleeplayerschampionship.com and www.westernswinggolf.com, respectively.
Contact:
Brice Waddell
PNGA Senior Director, Communications
Phone: 206-526-1238
E-mail: brice@westernswinggolf.com
