2007 TOURNAMENT NEWS

KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP BACK WITH FULL SCHEDULE OF SENIOR PUTTING EVENTS

First Senior Putting Competition Scheduled for Jan. 9

Dec. 27, 2007 | RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. - Back by popular demand, the Kraft Nabisco Championship will hold a full schedule of senior putting competitions in the desert this year starting in January. The annual senior putting competition, now in its 23rd year, was condensed into one event last year but will feature five preliminary rounds and one final putting competition for 2008.

The first senior putting event is set for Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 10 a.m. at the Desert Hot Springs Senior Center, 11777 West Dr. in Desert Hot Springs.

The senior putting competition is free for adults 55 and older and offers participants the chance to win tickets to the 2008 Kraft Nabisco Championship LPGA golf tournament in addition to numerous other prizes. This year's putting competitions will be staged at several locations throughout the Coachella Valley with the finalists having a chance to compete for the grand prize at the "Championship Putt-off."

The 2008 Putt-off is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 22, at Mizell Senior Center in Palm Springs at 11 a.m., with a final preliminary round held just prior to the Putt-off at 9 a.m.

Tamra Borson, longtime marketing and advertising manager for the Kraft Nabisco Championship, said that participants can compete in as many preliminary contests as they want during the six-week competition.

"Last year, we shortened the competition to one day due to scheduling challenges with the various senior centers," Borson said. "This year, I'm happy to say we are back with a full schedule offering seniors several chances to putt for tournament tickets and other prizes. Every participant will receive one daily grounds ticket good for any day Tuesday through Friday to the Kraft Nabisco Championship. In addition, anyone who competes will have a chance to enter a drawing for a daily prize at each preliminary event."

Borson added that all seniors who compete in the putting competition will also qualify for a grand prize drawing. The drawing will be held at the Championship Putt-off.

The Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first "major" tournament of the year on the LPGA Tour, celebrates its 37th anniversary this year at Mission Hills Country Club. Last year, 18-year-old Morgan Pressel set a new LPGA record as the youngest player to win a major. Pressel will defend her title and compete against the 2007 Rolex Player of the Year Lorena Ochoa, Annika Sorenstam, Natalie Gulbis, Cristie Kerr and many other of the world's top women golfers.

Tournament Week is set for March 31-April 6 at Mission Hills Country Club. The 2008 Celebrity Pro-Am is scheduled for Tuesday, April 1, and Wednesday, April 2, during Tournament Week and will be played on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course and Arnold Palmer Course. The stars of the LPGA and the best amateur players in the country will compete on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course Thursday, April 3, through Sunday, April 6.

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