42nd PGA PROFESSIONAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

MEDIA DAY - Monday, Sept. 29, 2008

Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort - Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.

BOB DENNEY: I'm Bob Denney, Senior Association Writer for The PGA of America. It is my pleasure to invite you to this Media Day which advances the 2009 PGA Professional National Championship. I can't tell you how excited our staff back in Palm Beach Gardens is to have a chance to come back to the Land of Enchantment.

This wonderful venue has brought some great memories for all of us, beyond just the competition level, so we're glad to have you and also connect you today with some members of our staff and also some people at the head table. And also, it's our chance to let the media know a little bit more about our Championship.

I would like to introduce the members at the head table. On my immediate left, from Lost Tracks Golf Club in Bend, Oregon, the President of The PGA of America, Brian Whitcomb.

From Traverse City, Michigan, please welcome defending National Champion, Scott Hebert.

From Santa Ana Pueblo, the Honorable Governor, Ulysses Leon.

And from New Mexico State Golf Course in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the President of the Sun Country PGA Section, Dan Koesters.

We're also excited to have some special guests with us in the audience today. I would like to recognize them at this time. Also from the Sun Country PGA Section, Executive Director, John Speary.

From our host site, the Chairman of the Santa Ana Golf Corporation, Alden Paquin.

We're joined by members of the Board of Directors of the Santa Ana Golf Corporation.

The Chairman of the Santa Ana Hospitality Corporation, Robert Ortiz.

The Director of Golf and General Manager of Santa Ana Golf Corporation, Roger Martinez.

From Twin Warriors, PGA Head Professional, Derek Gutierrez.

Santa Ana Golf Club PGA Head Professional Dave Brown.

We're also joined by Jerry Westenhaver, General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort.

And please welcome the Director of Instruction at Twin Warriors, Sandy Lemon.

Two people who I'm next to introduce are so very important to the whole operation of this great championship. From Twin Warriors, Superintendent Don Petrey and Santa Ana Golf Club Superintendent Joe Dossler.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your care and hard work and we know the venue of this National Championship will be in great hands.

It's now my please to call upon the Honorable Governor Ulysses Leon for a few words.

GOVERNOR ULYSSES LEON: Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. On behalf of the 750 members of the Pueblo of Santa Ana it is my pleasure to welcome you here to the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa and the Twin Warriors Golf Club.

We are honored to once again be hosting The PGA of America's National Championship. Centuries of tradition, culture, honor, and respect await professionals of the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship.

Our Santa Ana Golf Board of Directors under the direction of our Tribal Council has done an outstanding job in directing the preparation for next year's championship. I am sure a real challenge will await each professional.

And I know that the PGA has a choice when it comes to National Championship venues, and I want to personally thank Mr. Whitcomb for honoring us once again. Thank you, sir.

We look forward to a great championship and perhaps a return of future championships here at the Pueblo of Santa Ana.

In closing, I want to thank everyone for being here today and extend the Pueblo's best wishes and prayers to each and everyone of you. Thank you.

BOB DENNEY: Thank you, Governor.

Now to our host, PGA Section President Dan Koesters.

DAN KOESTERS: Thank you, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Brian Whitcomb and all the distinguished guests to the Sun Country Section PGA and to the Twin Warriors Golf Club. Golf in new Mexico is an unhidden gem and ironically just last week Roger and I were in Santa Fe trying to get money to start marketing golf in New Mexico on a national basis and there could not be a better time for this event as kind of a kick off to those efforts.

This is the second PGA National Championship at Twin Warriors Golf Course, and having played in a number of these events I know there's not a better facility that we could host those at.

Roger Martinez, Dave Brown, Derek Gutierrez and their whole staff are known for running first class events. With the support of the Sun Country PGA professionals and volunteers I am positive that all the golf professionals, families, and visitors are going to leave with a very positive impression on from this event.

I know Roger already has 150 volunteers lined up, so I think there's no question it's going to be a memorable event.

The Sun Country Section is excited to be represented by three professionals in this event, Bill Harvey, from Arroyo Del Oso Golf Course in Albuquerque. Mark Pelletier from El Paso Country Club, and Bob May from Las Campanas Golf Club, I know they're excited about the prospect of playing with a little home course advantage, hopefully that's going to lead to some quality finishes for our Sun Country professionals.

And in closing I would just like to say the Sun Country Section PGA is proud to be the host of the 2008 PGA Professional National Championship and we look forward to seeing everyone in June of 2009.

BOB DENNEY: Thank you, Dan. It's now my pleasure to call upon the man who holds the highest office in our association, the 35th President of The PGA of America, Brian Whitcomb.

BRIAN WHITCOMB: Thank you, Bob. And good morning to everybody. And first let me thank each and every one of you with regards to the media for having the interest in our National Championship and in the game of golf. It's through your pens and your lenses that will capture the images that will be broadcast around the world and certainly create interest in our game of golf.

And really that's what The PGA of America is all about. And that's that our professionals, we can play the game as evidenced by our National Champion just immediately to our left, whom I'll introduce in just a moment or two. We can promote the game, and we can teach the game, as evidenced by Sandy right over here in the room with us, we can teach the game better than anybody else in the world.

And we use our championships, like our PNC that's upcoming, to promote those opportunities for PGA professionals. There are 28,000 men and women professionals that make up The PGA of America. So it is the largest working sports organization in the world.

Well, next year, of course, you know the state of New Mexico and Santa Ana Pueblo will host our National Championship. And it serves as a very, very exciting time. You're one of among 13 states that have conducted this championship and I think that I was blesses to be here and many of you probably were too, back in 2003 when, back then I believe it was the Club Professional Championship, since then renamed to our Professional National Championship was conducted right here at the Tamaya Resort at Hyatt Regency and the Tamaya Resort.

And of course we can always remember, at least I will, Tim Thelen making that wonderful bunker shot on the last hole to prevail as our National Champion.

Well, last June in Georgia we had 312 of our very best players vying for our championship and this gentleman to my left is the one who prevailed. And it's a great showcase for our membership and for our professionals. It's also a great showcase for the game of golf and we'll talk about that more in a few minutes.

More than 3,700 professionals like Scott and myself and Dan will be trying to play in the 2009 championship. And of course it will be contested at the Twin Warriors Golf Club and the Santa Ana Golf Club and before we even get started I want to take just a moment to thank Derek Gutierrez and Roger Martinez for the work not only that they will be doing next June, but the work that they have been doing already for this great game of golf and for golf in this great state of New Mexico, which is honestly one of the most beautiful states in our country. And I think that when the television comes and puts a spotlight of our Professional National Championship to the millions of viewers, the world's going to see how really truly beautiful the State of New Mexico is.

And of course our broadcasting partner is the Golf Channel. And I think that next year they will be broadcasting 10 hours of live television for our National Championship. And it's interesting because this championship is being conducted for the first time not on the traditional Thursday through Sunday venue but on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday venue. And that's important because it won't be competing against some other live championship golf, whether it's the TOUR, PGA TOUR, the Nationwide Tour, the European Tour, or the LPGA. It will be self-standing and it should create greater interest, I would think, for the world to see our Professional National Championship. Which of course hosts a lot of things and it boasts a lot of opportunities for our PGA members.

One which of is, of course, the low 20 scorers in next year's Professional National Championship will qualify to play in our PGA Championship next August at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.

So it's a great opportunity for PGA professionals to play in one of the premier golf events in the world.

Also, the players next year will qualify for 10 spots on our PGA Cup Matches where we will defend our Llandudno Trophy in September in Loch Lomond in Scotland against the Great Britain and Ireland team.

And this has been a wonderful event and it's very closely aligned to the Ryder Cup format and it's an exciting time. It's been closely contested and I think that you'll see it's going to be quite a show. So it's another opportunity for our club professionals.

Well, I got a few things here I just wanted to visit with you about. For the past several Professional National Championships we have been represented by 43 states. Three members, as Dan talked about, will be represented in next year's Professional National Championship right here as Sun Country PGA professionals. And so it's a great time for them.

We'll have as many as 20 past champions playing next year. So that in itself is pretty exciting.

It's an opportunity, while I have this moment, to remember too that volunteers are very important, they play an important role in our championships as they do in the world of golf. So we look forward to seeing a lot of volunteers coming from the greater Albuquerque area. And not only do they get to volunteer and help conduct this great championship, but they get to volunteer and see a lot of the greatest players in the PGA ranks playing. So it will be exciting time for sure.

Before we meet our defending champion let's sit back for a few minutes and take a look at this video presentation that will tell you something about our champion.

(Video played.)

BRIAN WHITCOMB: Well, Scott not only got his name on that trophy, but he played for a total purse of $550,000 and he earned six exemptions into PGA TOUR events next year and the same thing holds true for our 2009 champion right here at the Twin Warriors Golf Club.

So our defending champion is a Michigan native. He was born in Escanaba, Michigan, graduated from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, and now lives in Traverse City, a former home for the legendary Walter Hagen, a co-founder of The PGA of America, and a man with his name on this crystal cup.

Our defending champion is a PGA Head Professional at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme, Michigan. I think that's very important, that not only is Scott a wonderful player, as evidenced by his fine play you just saw in the video and the whole world knows about it now, but also he's a Head Professional. He goes to work every day and tries to manage his game in between servicing the needs of the people that come into his resort and enjoy this great game. So I think it adds an extra twist to what our National Championship is all about.

He's the winner of nine Major Michigan PGA events since turning professional in 1993. He is a three-time Michigan PGA Champion and a two time Section Player of the Year.

He shares the all-time record of six Michigan Opens with Al Watrous, who won three Senior PGA Championships himself.

So Scott's an unbelievable player, has an unbelievable record, and I think as evidenced by the video, will attest to the fact that his name on that cup really is maybe the crowning achievement of his career to date.

But I think there's a lot more in store for him. I know he shot 68 the last round there at Reynolds Plantation in order to pull away and win by a one shot victory, as you saw. But there are other things in Scott's life.

You know it was just a week before he was to play in this professional National Championship that his wife prematurely gave birth to his daughter, Susie. And I'm proud to report that certainly they're both healthy, but it was a trying time. We all know that. It's a trying time when you've got family issues at home and things happen not exactly according to schedule.

And yet once Scott heard that his wife and his child were fine, he came down and had a tremendous National Championship and here he is as our defending national champion. And it gives me great pleasure to introduce not only a national champion, but a fine gentleman and a great promoter of the game of golf.

Ladies and gentlemen, our defending champion of our Professional National Championship, Mr. Scott Hebert. Scott?

SCOTT HEBERT: Thank you, Brian, for that wonderful introduction.

Winning the National Championship for our PGA Professionals was something that continues to grow. People would come up to me immediately after that, that had previously won, one of them being Tim Thelen, saying it will change your life.

And you get to thinking, how can a golf tournament change your life and it really does change, when you win one of those, what becomes available to you, not the money and not the events, but just a lot of the respect that you receive from your fellow playing professionals, community awareness, people really start to take a look at what you're doing, how you're growing the game of golf.

And at my place it just helps me as a PGA Professional, it's going to help the next champion, and I'm sure it's helped all the previous champions that it just makes it easier for us to do our job, for all the game of golf, especially at the junior level.

This year for me will, if I never won another golf tournament or if I won every other golf tournament I played in, this is obviously the greatest thing I've ever won.

And it's not just the trophy, it's, for me, I may sound like I get a little personal with myself, but having everything that happened to me this year and end up on top, with a baby that we originally thought we had planned it out perfectly, we were going to play in all these golf tournaments and then have a baby. And then the baby came early.

And for everything to work out the way that it has, it was truly a blessing. And if I come back to New Mexico next year and don't play well, you know, it's not going to be anything that's going to put a damper on what I did this year.

BOB DENNEY: Thank you, Scott. Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to offer question and answers for any of the people at the head table. And if you hold your hands high we'll spot you and get your question. And then we'll give you some details for the rest of the day. Any questions out there?

Q. Just looking at some of the other venues that the championship has been held at, Reynolds, coming to Twin Warriors, was that sort of a statement on golf in New Mexico, the level it got to?

BRIAN WHITCOMB: Yes, I think it is. It's the fact that in 2003 when we were here, The PGA of America, the world of golf enjoyed wonderful hospitality and I think the world got to see a new part of American golf here in New Mexico. And how beautiful and stunningly beautiful it is.

But it's more than that too. It's the feeling of warmth and welcomeness that we received here which made us want to come back again. And here we are. And we couldn't be any more proud of that.

I'll be honest with you, speaking a little bit off to the side there a little bit, I'm looking forward to the day when the State of New Mexico enjoys the prosperity through the game of golf that it's due.

It's got stunningly beautiful golf courses, great people that operate their facilities, a great long term vision. And so it's that type of relationship that makes us want to come back there.

We had a similar relationship I can tell you at the Sunriver Resort and Crosswater, in Oregon. We came back six or seven years later to play there again a year and a half ago and it was a great opportunity there.

So we do. We have been to wonderful venues, whether it's at the Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina or the Longaberger Golf Club in Ohio, or Turning Stone up in New York, which is a great facility, to these facilities.

And it's that feeling of warmth I think that brought us back here. Notwithstanding the great conditions of a golf course, the great golf courses themselves. There's more to it than that.

And certainly these golf courses will challenge our best players and when our champion emerges next June he will truly have not only bested a field of 312, but he will have competed very favorably on two of the truly great golf courses in America.

Q. How do you determine what courses are to be used and how far in advance are these planned?

BRIAN WHITCOMB: Well, let's start with the first part, we determine it by developing an interest level on both sides, the operators, the facility, owners/operators, whoever they might be, would maybe demonstrate an interest.

We have a team that goes out and looks at the opportunities of the golf facility. But it's bigger than just that. We have to look at the venue, for example, in this case the magnificent resort we're in, the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort is second to none. So it gives us an opportunity so that it fits.

And so we have to look at the community, the opportunity in and out as far as travel. We have to look at emergency services. There's a lot that goes into just choosing where the venues are, notwithstanding the golf course itself. And then once that's determined, we go.

So maybe it's a four or five year lead time. And then as evidenced by our experience we obviously had in 2003, we're back in 2009. So there's a six-year turn around and I really don't know the business side of things, but I would assume that they had a debriefing opportunity, both between the management and the leadership of the resort, and The PGA of America determined the viability of coming back again, constructed a contract, and signed it on both sides and here we are again.

So that's sort of the way things go. But we have a lead staff that goes out and looks very closely at several golf courses, not just one. So when a facility is awarded a National Championship or any one of our other National Championships, then I think that's a real time to celebrate, not only the golf courses, but as well as the leadership of those golf courses and of the community in general.

Q. I'm just curious if you track like it's kind of a two part question the economic impact when you come to a community like this and also are the players self funded to get here or once they qualify are they on scholarship or something?

BRIAN WHITCOMB: No, they're not. And that's the world of professional golf when you play, and Scott can speak to it more clearly than I can. But, yeah, there's a purse that has $550,000 and I think making the cut makes you a minimum payment of one or two thousand dollars, I think. So that in itself won't pay for your expenses to be here. Plus knowing that these are working professionals, they have a job someplace throughout America that they're leaving in order to play in this championship.

So they're not on any form of scholarships, it's through their great play that they're able to reap their rewards that our championship provides. And the first half of the question was?

Q. The economic impact that comes from an event like this.

BRIAN WHITCOMB: Absolutely, there's an economic impact. And they quantify that and I'm sure that that's done in several arenas, one from the resort side, one from the golf courses, one from the community side, and then of course one from The PGA of America's side.

Because it's important to us that there's a positive economic reason for a community to host our championships. And there is. And these go from our most visible events like we just hosted last week, the Ryder Cup, which has a tremendous residual economic impact, as well as a community outreach program on the charitable side.

Our National Championship has the same characteristics. So you will see opportunities for community outreach right here at Santa Ana Pueblo, you'll see community outreach programs that our professionals will be taking part in that give opportunity and expose the game to some that may otherwise not be exposed to the game.

There will be charitable opportunities that will be left within the community and then the direct economic impact of hosting a championship, as well as the residual economic impact that Golf Channel will film for 10 hours to 110 million households what's going on in the State of New Mexico and the host sites.

Q. How important would this be as an opportunity to get a TOUR event back, like a Nationwide Tour event or a PGA TOUR event? Is this something that they would look at, maybe something that would spring board from this event?

BRIAN WHITCOMB: Well, it certainly could. Our Professional National Championship is a great opportunity for The PGA of America to get introduced to the operators at these great venues like we're at right here. And then there are obviously other opportunities and championships that The PGA of America conducts. And that would be left, of course, to the business side of The PGA of America and the business side of your leadership here.

With regards to the PGA TOUR, you know, the TOUR, whether it's a Nationwide Tour or another TOUR event or a Champions Tour event, I would leave that between this venue and the PGA TOUR.

But through The PGA of America, it's always certainly in our thoughts, as well as I would imagine the operators' thoughts, that somewhere down the road maybe another championship comes our way.

So that's, I have to assume that that's the spirit of the facility that have an interest in hosting our Professional National Championship, not that it's a one-time exposure and then done, but rather that we develop a relationship between The PGA of America, our great players, and of course the facility, to see if there's other opportunities down the road.

BOB DENNEY: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. Just a couple closing notes before we close. The National Championship field will be completed in May.

As Brian mentioned earlier, 43 states have traditionally been a part of that format. We're hoping to have a full compliment of states in the future. We'll see how that goes in the qualifying period of time.

We also have periodic e-mail alerts to you in New Mexico to keep you apprised of anything happening related to this championship.

Golf Channel will be here in force, as you know, for this championship, site visits coming up as well. It's the focal point of the golf world for 2009 in many respects because of the schedule that Brian outlined for you earlier. Not conflicting with the U.S. Open or any other championships that we have in the past.

So Scott and all the great players will be with us, and Scott, we're going to be interested in seeing how we can handle 10 percent more on our drives out here in the high desert.

SCOTT HEBERT: I don't know about you, but I'm excited about it.

BOB DENNEY: I'm sure you'll handle that well. If you have not picked up a news kit at the door, please do so. It helps give you an outline for this championship. And we really thank you very much for being with us and we'll have one on one interviews following. Have a great day at Twin Warriors Golf Club.

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