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Naples, Fla. - Greg Norman and Merrill Lynch announced the purse for The Franklin Templeton Shootout will be $2.8 million - the largest prize in the annual event's 19-year history.
The Shootout's record purse will attract 24 world-class professional golfers, who will compete December 5 - 9 at the Norman-designed Tiburón Golf Club on the grounds of The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, FL for the seventh consecutive year.
The top three available players from the 2007 PGA TOUR Money List and the top 10 available players from the PGA TOUR Career Money List will join defending champions Jerry Kelly and Rod Pampling for the elite12-team competition.
Teams will compete in a modified alternate shot format during the first round, a better ball Saturday and a final-round scramble. The winning team will share a tournament record $700,000.
"With the support of Merrill Lynch and our other corporate partners we have been fortunate to raise the purse significantly each of the last 10 years, and that helps us attract a world-class field," Tournament Founder and Host Greg Norman said. "Couple that with the tremendous support of the Naples community and we will once again have a great event this year that achieves our goal of raising money and awareness for children's charities."
In 1989, The Franklin Templeton Shootout was created by Norman to raise awareness and charitable offerings for the CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation, which works in conjunction with the CureSearch Children's Oncology Group to identify causes and develop treatments for pediatric cancer.
Adding to the event's appeal, The Franklin Templeton Shootout will move to a December slot on the PGA TOUR calendar. Both The Golf Channel and NBC will broadcast coverage of the Shootout, guaranteeing a minimum of five hours of network television coverage. The Golf Channel will televise Friday's coverage and, for the first time, NBC will broadcast the weekend competition.
"The early response to our date change has been overwhelmingly positive, and we anticipate the best roster of professionals to date," Tournament Director Taylor Ives said. "We expect that this year's Franklin Templeton Shootout will be our most successful tournament in our 19-year history, and we're looking forward to hosting a sizeable turnout."
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