PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA and CALGARY, ALBERTA — (Marketwire) — 03/05/13 — The Champions Tour today announced Shaw Communications (TSX: SJR.B) (NYSE: SJR) as the title sponsor for the Champions Tour tournament to be played at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The tournament, to be known as the Shaw Charity Classic, will be held the week of August 26-September 1, 2013.
“We are excited to be part of this international event in our hometown and help create a platform that celebrates our community and makes our charities even better,” said Brad Shaw, CEO, Shaw Communications. “We have grown from our roots as a small cable company here in Alberta, and giving back and supporting the communities we live in has always been part of who we are as a family and as an organization.”
“We knew when we announced that the Champions Tour was coming to Calgary that all the elements were in place to create a spectacular event through the tremendous community support the market so often delivers,” said Champions Tour President Mike Stevens. “Having Shaw Communications, a true community leader, agree to become title sponsor of the event further solidifies our belief that through their support and leadership this event could become the best on the Champions Tour. It-s been a long time since a golf tournament of this caliber visited Calgary, but now, the Shaw Charity Classic will deliver exactly what this market deserves – an exciting event for the fans featuring the best players who have ever played the game of golf.”
The 54-hole strokeplay tournament will have a purse of US$2 million and will be contested by a field of 81 Champions Tour professionals. The winner will receive US$300,000 and 300 Charles Schwab Cup points.
The multi-year title announcement was made at a function in Calgary by Tournament Chairman Clay Riddell and fellow Tournament Patrons Allan Markin (Tournament Vice Chairman), Keith MacPhail, Guy Turcotte and Jim Riddell. The Shaw Charity Classic tournament logo was revealed at the announcement.
The Shaw Charity Classic will be another major international event for the city of Calgary following the long-established and world-famous Calgary Stampede held annually in the summer.
Also in attendance for the announcement was World Golf Hall of Fame member Lanny Wadkins, whose multiple victories include the 1977 PGA Championship and the 1978 Canadian PGA Championship.
Specific charities to benefit from the tournament have yet to be identified but the overall impact to the Calgary community, both economic and charitable, will be significant.
The Shaw Charity Classic will be the 16th official Champions Tour event to be played in Canada since the Champions Tour began in 1980, and the third in Calgary following tournaments won by Don January in 1983 and Brian Barnes in 1998.
Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club, a well-established course that borders Fish Creek Park and provides spectacular views of the Canadian Rockies, will provide a challenging test for the Champions Tour professionals according to Steve VanSickle, President of Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club.
“On behalf of the members and staff of Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club, I would like to welcome the Champions Tour to Calgary and Canyon Meadows,” said VanSickle. “With the recent renovations to the course we know Canyon Meadows will provide a great test of golf for the professionals and fans will enjoy watching the best players in the world right here in Calgary. Calgary has a wonderful history of successfully hosting major events and the Shaw Charity Classic will continue that reputation.”
Further information regarding the Shaw Charity Classic can be found at .
About The Champions Tour
Collectively, the Champions Tour has the most recognizable and accomplished players in the game with many of its 30 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame competing regularly in its events and numerous other major championship winners among its members. The Champions Tour is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. Points earned in 26 official Charles Schwab Cup events in 2013 will determine the Charles Schwab Cup champion, the season-long competition designed to recognize the Champions Tour-s leading player. The Champions Tour-s primary purpose is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, protect the integrity of the game and generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays. In 2012, tournaments on all five Tours (PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, PGA TOUR Canada) generated more than $122 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR-s all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.8 billion. The Commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Mike Stevens is President of the Champions Tour. The PGA TOUR-s website is pgatour.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Follow the Champions Tour at Facebook.com/Champions Tour and on Twitter @ChampionsTour.
About Shaw Communications Inc.
Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified communications and media company, providing consumers with broadband cable television, High-Speed Internet, Home Phone, telecommunications services (through Shaw Business), satellite direct-to-home services (through Shaw Direct) and engaging programming content (through Shaw Media). Shaw serves 3.3 million customers, through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw Media operates one of the largest conventional television networks in Canada, Global Television, and 18 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, History and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (TSX: SJR.B) (NYSE: SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit .
About Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club
Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club opened in 1957. Through the dedication and hard work of its members and course Superintendents, the once rural stretch of prairie matured into a premier championship golf facility over the past fifty years. In the late 1950-s, members organized work parties to improve the course by collecting rocks and planting trees. The 7,158-yard, parkland layout has played host to many provincial and national amateur events. The course offers five sets of tees to challenge players of all levels, along with two separate driving ranges, a short game practice area and a new practice putting green.
Contacts:
Shaw Communications Inc.
Kara Bussey
Media Relations
(403) 750-7453
Champions Tour
Mark Williams
Director of Communications
904-280-5058
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