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Courtesy of Naples Daily News
Naples, Fla. (April 9, 2008) - Greg Norman and Merrill Lynch announced Wednesday the purse for the 20th Merrill Lynch Shootout will be $2.9 million -- the largest prize in the annual event's history.
 | | Norman: "Thanks to the unselfish effort and partnership of Merrill Lynch and our corporate partners we have been fortunate to raise the purse significantly each of the last 11 years." |
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"Thanks to the ongoing commitment by Merrill Lynch and our supporting corporate partners, we have been fortunate to raise the purse significantly each of the last 11 years, which has in turn attracted a world-class field," Norman said in a press release. "Also, I cannot say enough about the tremendous support of the Naples community. With this combination in place, we will once again have a great event this year that achieves our goal of raising money and awareness for children's charities."
The Shootout's record purse will attract 24 world-class professional golfers, who will compete Dec. 10-14 at the Norman-designed Tiburon Golf Club on the grounds of The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.
The top three available players from the 2008 PGA Tour Money List and the top 10 committing players from the PGA Tour Career Money List will join defending champions Woody Austin and Mark Calcavecchia for the 12-team competition.
Teams will compete in a modified alternate shot format during the first round, a better ball on Saturday and a final-round scramble. The winning team will share a tournament record of $730,000.
Celebrating the tournament's 20th anniversary, the Merrill Lynch Shootout was created by Norman to raise awareness and charitable offerings for the CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation, which works in conjunction with the CureSearch Children's Oncology Group to identify causes and develop treatments for pediatric cancer.
Adding to the event's appeal, the Merrill Lynch Shootout moved to a December slot on the PGA Tour calendar for the first time last year. Both The Golf Channel and NBC will broadcast coverage of the Shootout, guaranteeing a minimum of five hours of network television coverage. The Golf Channel will televise Friday's competition and NBC will broadcast the weekend competition.
For all the latest Merrill Lynch Shootout news and information, visit the official tournament Web site at http://www.mlshootout.com. Tickets go on sale September 29th. For information to be mailed directly when tickets become available, call the Merrill Lynch Shootout office at (888) 66-SHARK.
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2008 Merrill Lynch Shootout
Tiburón Golf Club
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples
December 10 - 14, 2008
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| PURSE: $2.9 MILLION |
| Place | Team Total | Each |
| 1st Place | $730,000 | $365,000 each |
| 2nd Place | $460,000 | $230,000 each |
| 3rd Place | $265,000 | $132,500 each |
| 4th Place | $210,000 | $105,000 each |
| 5th Place | $180,000 | $90,000 each |
| 6th Place | $170,000 | $85,000 each |
| 7th Place | $160,000 | $80,000 each |
| 8th Place | $155,000 | $77,500 each |
| 9th Place | $150,000 | $75,000 each |
| 10th Place | $145,000 | $72,500 each |
| 11th Place | $140,000 | $70,000 each |
| 12th Place | $135,000 | $67,500 each |
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Merrill Lynch is one of the world's leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies with offices in 38 countries and territories and total client assets of approximately $1.7 trillion. As an investment bank, it is a leading global trader and underwriter of securities and derivatives across a broad range of asset classes and serves as a strategic advisor to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals worldwide. Merrill Lynch owns approximately half of BlackRock, one of the world's largest publicly traded investment management companies with more than $1 trillion in assets under management. For more information on Merrill Lynch, please visit www.ml.com. |
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The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples is the proud recipient of AAA's highest honor: The Five-Diamond Award, establishing it as one of the greatest resorts in the country. The resort also scored an impressive ranking as the #1 resort in Florida in Conde Nast Traveler magazine's annual reader's poll and #3 in Florida by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine. In the November 2004 issue of Golf Digest magazine, The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort was ranked as the No. #1 luxury golf resort in Florida and No. #25 in North America, beating out some of the long-standing top golf resorts in the country. The 295-room resort is Florida's finest luxury golf resort and is renowned for its incredible cuisine, outstanding service and luxurious rooms with panoramic views of the Greg Norman-designed golf course. |
