NEWS RELEASE
Friday, March 18, 2016
For Immediate Release
Final Field Set for 2016 Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Presented by C Spire
Includes 19 PGA TOUR Champions Major winners and Five World Golf Hall of Famers
Mississippi Gulf Coast – With five World Golf Hall of Famers, 19 PGA TOUR Champions Tour major winners and 11 PGA TOUR major championship winners overall, the 2016 Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Presented by C Spire will again boast one of the strongest fields ever visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 2015 champion David Frost will defend his title against some of the best players in the world, including former champions Jeff Maggert, Michael Allen and Fred Couples.
Couples is joined in the field by fellow World Golf Hall of Fame members Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie and Larry Nelson. The 19 PGA TOUR Champions major winners account for 37 major wins on tour.
The field, which features 27 of the Top 30 on the current Charles Schwab Cup Money List, includes sponsor exemptions Roger Chapman, Mike Goodes, Blaine McCallister, Gary Hallberg and Grant Waite.
England’s Roger Chapman is a two-time PGA TOUR Champions major winner. He was victorious at both the 2012 U.S. Senior Open and the 2012 Senior PGA Championship. He made his debut in 2009 and began playing a full schedule in 2013.
Mike Goodes, a North Carolina product who graduated from Chapel Hill, turned professional in 2007. He won the 2009 Allianz Championship. He is also a two-time North Carolina State Amateur Champion, winning in 1989 and again in 2006.
Blaine McCallister, from Fort Stockton, Texas, has recorded five career PGA TOUR victories. A professional since 1981, he attended the University of Houston, where he was a roommate of Fred Couples and Jim Nantz.
Gary Hallberg was the 1979 NCAA Individual Champion while at Wake Forest University. The Illinois product has nine career victories overall. He also started the Saturday Series Pro-Am held in conjunction with TOUR events.
New Zealand’s Grant Waite, who graduated from Oklahoma, has three career victories overall. Also an instructor with several pros in his stable, he played on the New Zealand junior soccer team.
The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Presented by C Spire will take place March 31 - April 3 at Fallen Oak in Biloxi. Tickets are $15 and on sale now. They can be purchased online at www.2016MGRC.com or by calling the tournament office at (228) 896-6365. Children 16 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult.
The final field is as follows:
Allen, Michael
Andrade, Billy
Armour III, Tommy
Austin, Woody
Blake, Jay Don
Brooks, Mark
Browne, Olin
Bryant, Bart
Bryant, Brad
Byrum, Tom
Calcavecchia, Mark
Chapman, Roger
Coceres, Jose
Cochran, Russ
Cook, John
Couples, Fred
Dawson, Marco
Day, Glen
Dunlap, Scott
Durant, Joe
Faxon, Brad
Forsman, Dan
Franco, Carlos
Frost, David
Funk, Fred
Garwood, Doug
Gilder, Bob
Goodes, Mike
Goydos, Paul
Grob, Mike
Haas, Jay
Hallberg, Gary
Hamilton, Todd
Hoch, Scott
Huston, John
Janzen, Lee
Jimenez, Miguel Angel
Jobe, Brandt
Kite, Tom
Langer, Bernhard
Lowery, Steve
Maggert, Jeff
McCallister, Blaine
McCarron, Scott
Mediate, Rocco
Montgomerie, Colin
Nelson, Larry
Parnevik, Jesper
Parry, Craig
Pate, Steve
Pavin, Corey
Pernice Jr., Tom
Perry, Kenny
Purtzer, Tom
Roberts, Loren
Sauers, Gene
Senior, Peter
Short, Jr., Wes
Simpson, Scott
Sindelar, Joey
Sluman, Jeff
Smith, Jerry
Spittle, Rod
Springer, Mike
Sutherland, Kevin
Thorpe, Jim
Toledo, Esteban
Triplett, Kirk
Tway, Bob
Verplank, Scott
Wadkins, Bobby
Waite, Grant
Waldorf, Duffy
Wiebe, Mark
Wood, Willie
ABOUT THE MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC PRESENTED BY C SPIRE
In addition to C Spire as the tournament’s Presenting Sponsor, The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Presented by C Spire is uniquely funded by a group of consortium partners, who see this event as an ideal way to promote the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The 2016 consortium partners are: C Spire, Mississippi Power, Beau Rivage Hotel & Resort-Fallen Oak, IP Resort & Spa, F.E.B. Distributing, Habitat for Humanity, Hard Rock Biloxi, Harrah’s Gulf Coast, Hancock Bank, Hollywood Gulf Coast/Boomtown, Coca-Cola and Roy Anderson Corp. The tournament is administered through the MGRC Foundation, Inc. and will benefit Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
ABOUT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST
Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast was formed in January 2007 when Harrison County HFH and HFH of Jackson County merged organizations. Since then, HFHMGC has incorporated Stone County into its service area and has constructed or repaired more than 898 homes. HFHMGC works in partnership with community stakeholders to create innovative, sustainable housing solutions by empowering all members of our community to actively participate in creating opportunity for people to transform their own lives. To learn more, visit www.hfhmgc.org.
ABOUT PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
PGA TOUR Champions has the most recognizable and accomplished players in the game, with many of its 34 members in the World Golf Hall of Fame competing regularly in its events. The Tour also counts numerous other major championship winners among its members. PGA TOUR Champions is where Legends play. PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. PGA TOUR Champions primary purpose is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, protect the integrity of the game and generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays. Points earned in official Charles Schwab Cup events in 2015 determined Bernhard Langer as the Charles Schwab Cup champion. In 2016, the newly-introduced Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs will identify and recognize the Tour’s leading player. The Commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Greg McLaughlin is President of PGA TOUR Champions. The PGA TOUR’s website is pgatour.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Follow the PGA TOUR Champions at facebook.com/ChampionsTour and on Twitter @ChampionsTour.
ABOUT BRUNO EVENT TEAM
Bruno Event Team is the largest dedicated sports event management company in the country. Bruno Event Team is experienced in all facets of event management, employing a year-round staff of 80+ employees in 13 offices around the United States and Canada. Bruno Event Team services each client with expertise in strategic planning, marketing, advertising, public and media relations, ticket and merchandise sales, sponsor relations, hospitality consulting, event operations, event financial planning/accounting and volunteer coordination. For more information, please visit www.brunoeventteam.com.
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