Sahalee to host golf greats again next year
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The NEC Invitational is one of four tournaments in the World Golf Championships series that began in 1999.
The other tournaments in the series are the Accenture Match Play Championship, the American Express Championship and the EMC World Cup.
The NEC Invitational replaced the World Series of Golf. It will have a field of 36 to 48 golfers, and most will have been members of the 2001 Ryder Cup teams or the 2002 Presidents Cup teams. The purse is expected to be at least $5 million.
Tiger Woods won the first two NEC Invitationals. The third NEC Invitational will be played in August at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
Tickets are expected to on sale for the Sahalee event in autumn. The price hasn't been set. The tournament will be held Aug. 22-25, 2002.
The tournament has opened an office in Redmond Town Center across from REI. The tournament director is Lance Hartman, who was director of the 2000 Presidents Cup. The telephone number is 425-869-2202. The tournament Web site is www.worldgolfchampionships.com.
The start of hospitality sales got under way April 23. The sales office is 206-378-0476.
Sahalee hosted the 1998 PGA Championship won by Vijay Singh.
New Fred Couples event
The Wells Fargo Celebrity Challenge featuring Fred Couples will be held Aug. 13 at The Golf Club at Newcastle.
The tournament replaces the Wells Fargo Invitational that featured PGA Tour pros in a two-day event. That tournament, which started in 1994, saw the quality of its field decline as tour purses grew dramatically and tour pros opted to stay home or travel early to that week's tour site.
In the new format, a local or national celebrity will be paired with local amateurs.
The admission price hasn't been set but is expected to be between $5 and $10, according to Susan Anda, events manager for the Sports and Events Council of Seattle/King County. Tournament proceeds will benefit the council's Amateur Athletic and Special Events Fund.
Merrill Lynch Invitational
This year's Merrill Lynch Invitational will be held Aug. 20 at the Tournament Players Course (TPC) at Snoqualmie Ridge and will feature a skins game among Arnold Palmer, Corey Pavin, Fuzzy Zoeller and Lee Trevino.
All four are former U.S. Open champions.
Gallery tickets went on sale last week for $10 per adult and $5 for seniors (55 and up) and juniors (17 and under). Tickets are available at Bogart Golf or any Merrill Lynch office, or online at the tournament Web site, www.mlisw.com.
Tournament proceeds will benefit Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center in Seattle. The tournament has a three-year goal of raising $1 million for Children's.
A pro-am featuring local pros will be held on the TPC course Aug. 19.