ACME, Mich., July 28, 2005 -- The best known Native American athlete today, PGA Tour Professional Notah Begay III, will play in the inaugural 2005 Native American Cup "Presented by Charter Communications." The Native American Cup will be played on Grand Traverse Resort and Spa's three golf courses, The Bear, The Wolverine, and Spruce Run, August 12-14, 2005.

"We're thrilled that Notah Begay III will participate in our first event," said Henry Boulley, Executive Director of the Native American Cup. "His participation confirms the importance of this event, which brings together members of Native American nations in the spirit of friendly competition to benefit our young people."

- About the Native American Cup -

The Native American Cup is a Native operated non-profit organization whose primary goal is to increase educational opportunities to Native Americans. The mission statement is, "To promote leadership and education through teamwork, camaraderie, and healthy competition." The Native American Cup enhances leadership and educational opportunities for Native American students by awarding annual scholarships funded through golf tournaments, the sale of logo items, and other miscellaneous fundraisers. The signature golf tournament, the Native American Cup, will be held annually the second weekend in August.

The 2005 Native American Cup "Presented by Charter Communications" is a friendly invitational competition among four tribal teams over a 3-day period. Each tribal team consists of twelve golfers, and the competition is a mixture of team and singles matches. The tribal team that acquires the most points over the course of the event wins the cup.

The four teams competing for the 2005 Cup include the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians, the host Tribe, as well as the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and Team Native America, which will be composed of various tribal chairmen, native businessmen, and four-time PGA Tour winner Notah Begay III.

Boulley added, "Our goal is for this event to grow so that in future years dozens of Native American Tribes from across North America are represented, and more scholarships are awarded."

The 2005 NAC Golf Show & Silent Auction "Presented by Greektown Casino" also headlines the festivities. The event takes place Saturday, August 13 in the Michigan Ballroom at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. Guests will have the opportunity to meet and greet four-time PGA Tour winner Notah Begay III, as well as purchase golf equipment or bid on fantastic items.

Items for bid include suites at The Palace of Auburn Hills and Comerica Park for Piston and Tiger games, autographed memorabilia by Notah Begay III, Tiger Woods, David Toms, Mark Prior, and Kerry Wood. A complete Nike golf package courtesy of Nike and Notah Begay will be available. It includes a bag, driver, woods, irons, wedges, putter, shoes, clothes, and accessories. Dozens of the leading golf courses in Michigan have donated rounds of two and four for this event, including Egypt Valley, Treetops,
The Chief, Hawks Eye, and Garland.

The 2005 scholarships will be awarded to college bound Native Americans from each of the participating Tribes as well as an honorarium to the Notah Begay Scholarship Fund of the Albuquerque Community Foundation.

Grand Traverse Resort and Spa has also been selected to be the site of the 2006 Native American Cup. Other future sites are yet to be determined.

- About Grand Traverse Resort and Spa -

Owned and operated by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is located near Traverse City, Mich. along the sandy shores of Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay. One of the Midwest's largest full-service, year-round, resorts and conference destinations offers 660 rooms and condominiums, 85,000 square feet of versatile meeting space, 54 holes of championship golf including The Bear, designed by Jack Nicklaus, and The Wolverine - a Gary Player signature golf course.

Additional features include a full-service spa, seasonal recreation, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, children's center, shopping gallery, and diverse restaurants and lounges.

- Sponsors -

Sponsors for the 2005 Native American Cup "Presented by Charter Communications" include the title sponsor, Charter Communications, as well as Grand Traverse Resort & Casinos, Bank of American, National City, Merrill Lynch, Kewadin Casinos, Greektown Casino, Station Casinos, IGT, Bally's, Michigan Golf Live, LCI, Fusion Design Group, and Konami.

The title sponsor, Charter Communications, Inc., a broadband communications company, provides a full range of advanced broadband services to the home, including cable television on an advanced digital video programming platform via Charter Digital(tm) and Charter High-Speed(tm) Internet service. Charter also provides business-to-business video, data and Internet protocol (IP) solutions through Charter Business(tm). Advertising sales and production services are sold under the Charter Media® brand.

- Helpful Web Sites for Additional Information -

Native American Cup: www.nativeamericancup.org
Notah Begay III: www.notah.com
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians: www.gtb.nsn.us
Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe: www.sagchip.org
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians: www.sootribe.org
Charter Communications: www.charter.com
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa: www.grandtraverseresort.com