CHICAGO -- Michael Belot, who served as operations manager for the 2002 and 2004 PGA Championships, has been named tournament director for the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club, it was announced today.

"Michael Belot is uniquely qualified to be tournament director for the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club thanks to his successful experience at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota and Whistling Straits in Wisconsin," said Kerry Haigh, managing director of tournaments for the PGA of America. "I look forward to continue working with Michael to make the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah a great success."

A native of Kohler, Wisconsin, Belot, 27, joined the PGA of America in 2001 as an operations manager for the 2002 PGA Championship at Hazeltine. He graduated from the University of Minnesota, where he assisted with event coordination in the Golden Gopher athletic department. Before beginning with the PGA, Belot was also hired by the 2001 Final Four as an operations intern.

"It's a great honor for me to be named tournament director for the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club," Belot said. "The demand and excitement for this Championship has already been fantastic. I look forward to working with the tournament's staff, volunteers, and Medinah members to make the 2006 PGA an event to remember."

The PGA Championship perennially features the strongest field in golf. Recent champions include Vijay Singh, Rich Beem, David Toms, Tiger Woods, Paul Azinger, Nick Price and John Daly. Past champions include such legends as Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus.

The 88th PGA Championship will be played August 14-20, 2006 at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. The Ryder Cup is scheduled to be played at Medinah in 2012.

Media Contact:
Barry Cronin
847/698-1801, cell: 847/867-3032
bcronin@cronincommunications.com

Julius Mason
561/624-8444
jmason@pgahq.com