They will tee off against over 75 athletes and entertainers for a piece of the $600,000 purse in a three day, 54-hole modified Stableford competition. They will be joined by Michael Jordan, Dan Marino, Charles Barkley, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Ray Romano, Mario Lemieux, Dale Jarrett and Jerry Rice, among others.

Wayne Gretzky won four Stanley Cup Championships while with the Edmonton Oilers, and is generally regarded as the greatest player to ever play in the NHL. In his career, Gretzky captured nine Hart Trophies as the most valuable player, ten Art Ross Trophies for most points in a season, five Lady Byng Trophies for sportsmanship and performance, five Lester B. Pearson Awards, and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season—a feat he accomplished four times. Following his retirement in 1999, he was immediately inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame.

The American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament will be televised by NBC on Saturday and Sunday, July 18-19 from 3-6 p.m. ET (live) and on ESPN2 Friday, July 17, from 7-9 p.m. ET (tape delay).

For the fourth year in a row, the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) is the official charity of the American Century Championship. The tournament will help build awareness of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign, while raising funds for the LAF’s cancer survivorship initiatives.  Collaborating with the LAF on the 2009 tournament is a natural fit for American Century Investments, given the fact that more than 40 percent of the asset management firm’s profits go to fund research for the prevention and cure of gene-based diseases such as cancer.

For further information, contact:

Steve Griffith
Vizion Group
484/433-7757 (East Coast)

Paul Weildinger
Weidinger Public Relations
775/588-2412 (West Coast)

Celebrities taking part include:

• Wayne Gretzky
• Janet Gretzky
• Damon Allen
• Donovan Bailey
• Mike Cammalleri
• Cassie Campbell
• Javier Colon
• Brett Hull
• Ed Jovanoski
• Catriona Lemay Doan
• Bob McCown
• Darren Pang
• Gino Reda
• Steve Stamkos
• Marty Turco

“I’m excited to see so many great athletes and personalities getting on board and joining us this year,” said Wayne Gretzky. Everyone had a great time last year and loved sharing the course with the Pros, as well as all the fans.”

Tickets, and further information, are now available at www.gretzky.com/golf.

For more information, including media credentials, please contact:
Mark James
Cohn & Wolfe
647-259-3269
mark.james@cohnwolfe.ca

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ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT

Coming to Thornbury, Ontario, July 6-12, 2009, the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung will provide fans with the opportunity to watch 160 professionals play with celebrities and amateurs in a pro-am style tournament. As an official Nationwide Tour stop, players will be competing for one of the year’s largest purses at $800,099, with all four rounds televised LIVE on the Golf Channel. Two courses will host the tournament – the Georgian Bay Club and The Raven Golf Club at Lora bay – with proceeds from the tournament to benefit the Wayne Gretzky Foundation. Further information, including tickets and volunteer opportunities, can be found at www.gretzky.com/golf.