Visit these links for key information on the 2010 Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung:

Event Schedule / Event Map / Group Pairings

Wayne’s second annual Nationwide Tour golf tournament finished with Roger Tambellini earning the victory with a  20-under 265 score, taking the $144,018 USD prize purse and the coveted Gretzky champion’s ring.  Read More

Tambellini and Nicklaus Win as Le May Doan Beats Gretzky in a Scorecard Playoff

THORNBURY, ON, July 12, 2009 – Wayne Gretzky’s second annual Nationwide Tour golf tournament finished today with Roger Tambellini earning the victory with a  20-under 265 score, taking the $144,018 USD prize purse and the coveted Gretzky champion’s ring.

Other winners included Olympian Catriona Le May Doan who took the celebrity title in a scorecard playoff with a 42-under 243 score (edging out tournament host Wayne Gretzky) to win the keys to a brand new 2010 Ford Mustang. Cassie Campbell finished third with a 40-under 245. The Amateur title went to Steve Nicklaus, son of golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who shot a 39-under, 246 winning a brand new 2010 Ford Taurus.

“Congratulations to Roger, Catriona and Steve – they all played an impressive couple of rounds this week,” said Wayne Gretzky, who was narrowly beaten by Le May Doan.  “Catriona put the pressure on and made it tough to keep up –we’ll hope for a rematch next year.”

As with the 2008 event, celebrities drew large crowds during the first two rounds, with notable names not making the cut including Charles Barkley, Brett Hull, Todd Bertuzzi, Donovan Bailey, Damon Allen, Mike Keenan, Janet Gretzky and many others. Also making a massive contribution was the local community, as more than 700 volunteers rallied around the event, providing support on the course and through hospitality, security and transportation responsibilities.

“Last year, we were overwhelmed with the support from the friends, volunteers and local communities,” said Gretzky. “There was no way we could have hoped for more this year but we have been completely blown away, with more people helping us make this event something special.”

As the 15th of 29 events of the 2009 Nationwide Tour season, fans were treated to some of golf’s next ‘great ones’, as the pros competed at the mid-way point of their season. With the Nationwide Tour’s top 25 earning a spot in the PGA TOUR next year, competition is fierce, with much more at stake than just tournament winnings.

“The Nationwide Tour is thrilled to come back to Canada this year,” said Jim Duncan, Nationwide Tour Tournament Director. “The fans, staff and community made this a very popular event for players in 2008, and this year is no different. The courses are in perfect shape and the players really love competing here.”

As with any major event, corporate sponsors have played a major role, with Ford and Samsung participating as title and presenting sponsors respectively. Other sponsors include Scotiabank, Crescent Point Energy Group, Corona, Marquis Jet, Grey Goose, Boston Pizza, Tim Hortons, PepsiCo, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Callaway, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, IMI, Hockey Canada, Bruce Power, OLG Casino Brantford, Liquidation World, PAH (II) INC., Roots, Y&R, Liquidation World, PAK-MAN Disposal Services, The FAN 590 and Rogers Sportsnet.

“This event couldn’t happen without the support of our sponsors,” said Gretzky. “It’s been a very humbling experience to see their commitment to helping make this tournament great. I can’t thank them enough.”

Proceeds from the tournament go to the Wayne Gretzky Foundation whose mission it is to provide less fortunate youth with the opportunity to experience the sport of hockey.

For information, please contact:

Mark James, Cohn & Wolfe
647-924-5700
416-400-5263 (cell)
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.

THORNBURY, June 23, 2009 – Today, the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung announced 12 new celebrity golfers who will tee-off with the Great One when the tournament returns to Thornbury, Ontario, July 6-12, 2009.

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.

Article by Don Schwartz, WG Authentic / Visit Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung

Upon arriving at last year’s Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung, Nationwide Tour golfer Justin Hicks paused when he noticed his locker number. The lifelong hockey fan from Michigan couldn’t help but wonder whether the random locker assignment was a harbinger of good things to come. The coincidence seemed too perfect.

That locker number? Ninety-nine, of course.

“Seeing locker No. 99 for the Wayne Gretzky tournament was pretty interesting and a positive little thing that went into the back of my head, like ‘Wow, that’s kind of neat. Maybe it’ll be my week or something,’” said Hicks, who went on to win last year’s classic. “Sometimes you need a little something like that to get you thinking that things are going to go your way.”

More than coincidence, of course, is needed to win at the Wayne Gretzky Classic, an annual pro-am style stop on the Nationwide Tour. This year’s classic is set for July 6 – 12 at the Georgian Bay Club and the Raven at Lora Bay in Collingwood, Ontario and features a slew of celebrities and former professional athletes paired with fellow amateurs and players on the Nationwide Tour.

“I think there’s a neat alignment with the hockey playing celebrities and the professionals on the Nationwide Tour,” said Jim Duncan, Nationwide Tour Tournament Director. “I think the road to the top level has a lot of similarities. I don’t think there’s ever been a hockey player that hasn’t had to take a 13-hour drive in a bus or had to drive to get to one place or another. I think our players really enjoy the fact that a lot of them get to play with professional athletes in a pro-am format.”

There’s a certain connection that gets made each year between the golfers and the celebrity amateurs, especially the former athletes who have been bitten by the golf bug since retiring from the sport where they first excelled.

“I think a lot of them watch us play and realize that while they were obviously once at the top of their sports, we’re at the top of ours,” Hicks said. “I think they definitely appreciate what we do. There have been times when I’ve played in other pro-am events and they’re just as interested in us as we are in them, asking things like ‘How did you hit that shot’ or ‘What were you thinking.’ Once you were a professional athlete in one sport it transfers over and they want to be as good as they can be in other sports too. They’re used to being around the crowds and knowing what it’s like to perform under pressure. I think that they really appreciate that with what we do with our games.”

Fans attending the Wayne Gretzky Classic will also appreciate the quality of play from the Nationwide Tour professionals. Generally thought of as a stepping stone to the PGA Tour, the Nationwide Tour has grown to become one of the most respected and competitive golf tours in the game today. Players on the Nationwide Tour such as Brian Gay, Jason Gore, Michael Sim and Camilo Villegas have gone on to success on the PGA Tour, while some golfers that have earned their PGA Tour playing card continue to compete in an occasional Nationwide Tour event.

“The gap between guys playing on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour has gotten pretty slim,” Duncan said. “I don’t think the public knows how close that gap is. But I think when they get out and see how good these guys can play, it’s pretty shocking.”

Hicks understands the tough competition that exists on the Nationwide Tour and expects nothing less at this year’s Wayne Gretzky Classic. A repeat victory is anything but a sure thing, though he does expect to draw upon last year’s success in Collingwood and his familiarity with both the courses and the area, which is the closest stop on the tour to his home and family in Michigan.

Of course, luck sometimes plays a role in sports and it’s yet to be seen who will find himself face-to-face with locker No. 99.

“I’m kind of interested to see what goes on with that,” Hicks said. “I don’t like to read too much into things like that, but it would certainly be a nice thing to see if I show up and get No. 99 again. I just think that Wayne has done so much for hockey and his country that anytime you’re able to draw some energy from that I think it’s a positive thing to have in your favor.”

Article by Don Schwartz, WG Authentic / Visit Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung

Blue Mountains – The Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic, presented by Samsung is partnering with the Blue Mountains to host a Junior Clinic for area youth featuring professional golfers from the Nationwide Tour, on Tuesday, July 7th at 3 pm at The Georgian Bay Club.

“We are excited to host an event of this caliber for our area youth”, said Joanna Garland, Youth Advisor for the Blue Mountains.  “It’s a great opportunity for aspiring junior golfers to see what it takes to be a Nationwide Tour Professional”.

The Clinic will feature a minimum of five Nationwide Tour Professionals, hosting a skills exhibition, followed by the pros working with youth individually on the driving range.  The clinic is best suited to youth ages 7 to 17 years.  Youth are invited to bring a golf club with them.  Parents are welcome to stay and take photos. The event is free of charge and participants are asked to park at The Georgian Bay Club. The professionals participating in the clinic will also be part of the 160 Nationwide professionals competing for a $800,900 purse in the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic.  The tournament features professionals, amateurs and celebrities
competing over four days.  The entire tournament will be filmed on the Golf Channel.

The tournament takes place from Thursday, July 9 to Sunday July 12.  Spectators are welcome, tickets are available for $15, children 12 years and under are free.

For more information on the Junior Clinic, please contact Joanna Garland at (519) 599-3131 ext 303.  Tournament information is available at www.gretzky.com/golf

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Media contact: Mark James, Cohn&Wolfe
phone: 416.924.5700 ext. 4086 | direct: 647-259-3269 | email:
mark.james@cohnwolfe.ca

Article by Don Schwartz, WG Authentic / Visit Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung

Wayne Gretzky understands the power of an assist – after all, he tallied 1,963 during his NHL career. His charitable foundation also makes plenty of assists, coming to the aid of less fortunate youth, having raised more than $1 million to date for kids in hockey.

One of the Wayne Gretzky Foundation’s largest fundraisers – the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic golf tournament – makes an annual assist to the Foundation in large part from the work of approximately 650 volunteers, who make countless assists of their own.

“We couldn’t run the tournament without volunteers,” said Kelly Dixon-Boldt, director of volunteers for the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic. “It wouldn’t exist without a volunteer base.”

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the tournament, providing the necessary manpower to make the fundraising event come together. Volunteers are called upon to fulfill a variety of duties from registering players to marshalling the course to doing the individual scoring to caddying and all points in between.

This year’s tournament is scheduled to tee off on July 6 at the Georgian Bay Club and the Raven at Lora Bay in idyllic Collingwood, Ontario. The pro-am style tournament is a stop on the PGA Nationwide Tour and pairs amateurs and celebrities along with professional golfers. The unique format not only entertains the galleries in attendance, but provides a memorable experience for volunteers who get to work alongside notable athletes and entertainers from the past and present.

“We always call these jobs ‘getting inside the ropes,’” Dixon-Boldt said. “Anything that gets you inside the ropes and gets you closer to the players are usually the jobs that require the most number of volunteers. If somebody’s caddying for one of the pros or celebrities, they get to be right with that group the whole time. They get to watch them and interact with them and talk with them and all that kind of stuff.”

Celebrities at past classics have included the likes of Charles Barkley, John Elway, Alan Thicke and Mark Messier. Confirmed for this year’s Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic are five-time World and Olympic Champion Donovan Bailey, former NHL star Scott Thornton and current member of the Calgary Flames, Mike Cammalleri, with more to be named later.

The chance to be ‘inside the ropes,’ along with the opportunity to give back to less fortunate youth and simply enjoy summertime in the Blue Mountain countryside, are reasons why the Classic has a volunteer retention rate of nearly 80-percent from last year’s event. However, there are still plenty of openings for people willing to give of themselves to help raise money for charity, regardless of their golf knowledge.

“Those who just want to get involved because they know it’ll be a fun event and they have friends who perhaps are involved in the event as well generally get involved in the non-golf related committees,” Dixon-Boldt said. “That includes registration and helping to organize the volunteers. We need to have a volunteer group in charge of the volunteers themselves, making sure everyone gets fed, has drinks on the golf course and those types of things. There are certainly committees that are more related to people who know the game of golf, so people who feel confident and know the game would normally fall into the walking, scoring and/or marshalling and caddying positions.”

Dixon-Boldt also notes that volunteering at the Classic is not limited to individual commitments.

“We’re also getting non-profit groups and groups of friends to take on the responsibility of marshalling a hole,” she said. “You can gather 10 of your friends and take on responsibility of marshalling a specific hole on one of the golf courses for the entire tournament. So you kind of make it kind of like your own hole.”

While money raised at the tournament goes towards the Foundation as a whole, local Collingwood-area charities also benefit from the assist volunteers provide.

“There are a lot of people supportive of the tournament because it does give back to some local charities as well those that many of the volunteers are involved with,” Dixon-Boldt said. “It’s nice for people to know that the money goes back to the Foundation but there’s also some part of it that stays locally in the community.”

People wanting to make an assist of their own can register to volunteer and select their area of interest at www.gretzky.com/golf.

Article by Don Schwartz, WG Authentic / Visit Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung

Donovan Bailey among first confirmed for this year’s Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic Presented by Samsung

THORNBURY, May 12, 2009 – Today, the Wayne Gretzky Foundation officially launched the return of the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung to Southern Ontario this July 6-12. This year’s tournament will be featured LIVE on the Golf Channel, and will also directly benefit 19 local charities in a new charity ticket program.

The new ticket program will allow 19 local charities from the Collingwood/Barrie area to sell tickets on behalf of the tournament, and keep 50% of the sales for their individual causes. Tickets are now available through the full list of charities below, as well as on www.gretzky.com/golf.

“I’m very excited about this ticket program, it’s definitely a win-win situation” said Glen Gretzky, Executive Director of the Wayne Gretzky Foundation. “For every ticket sold by these charities, they’ll receive 50% of its revenue toward their organization. It’s a great way to help the community while getting more people out to watch some of the world’s best golf talents compete.”

Also new to this year’s tournament are the first three confirmed celebrity golfers –five-time World and Olympic Champion Donovan Bailey; former NHL star Scott Thornton; and  current member of the Calgary Flames, Mike Cammalleri.

“I’m thrilled that Donovan, Scott and Mike are playing this year,” said Wayne Gretzky, Founder of the Wayne Gretzky Foundation. “The celebs are fun to see and it’s also very exciting to watch some incredible golfers vie for their chance to play on the PGA tour”.

Sponsors continue to play a large role in the tournament’s success, with Ford of Canada returning as title sponsor, Samsung as the presenting sponsor and Scotiabank also on board once again. New sponsors this year include Crescent Point Energy Trust, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Nathan’s Hot Dogs. A full list of sponsors is available at www.gretzky.com/golf.

“We’re lucky to have the continued support of our sponsors,” said Wayne Gretzky. “Events like this would never happen without them, and we’re exceptionally grateful for their ongoing commitment to making this tournament something special for all Canadians.”

Returning July 6-12, 2009, the 2009 Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung will once again be played at the Georgian Bay Club and the Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay, nestled beautifully in the Thornbury / Collingwood area. As an official PGA Nationwide Tour event, celebrities and amateurs will be paired with 160 professionals in a Pro-Am format, shown LIVE on the Golf Channel. Players will once again compete for one of the largest purses on this year’s tour, $800,099. Tickets are available at www.gretzky.com/golf.

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

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About Wayne Gretzky Foundation
Founded in 2002, the Wayne Gretzky Foundation’s mission is to provide less fortunate youth with the opportunity to experience the sport of hockey. This goal will be accomplished through the donation of hockey equipment and ice time, as well as providing the opportunity for young people to attend professional hockey games. The Wayne Gretzky Foundation believes that hockey instills many positive life skills and contributes to the physical, emotional and social growth of young people.