|
NAPLES, Fla. -- Tournament host Greg Norman announced the addition of Hank Kuehne to the field for the 15th annual Franklin Templeton Shootout scheduled for November 12-16 at Tiburón Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples.
Kuehne, the 1998 U.S. amateur Champion, has four top-10 finishes and more than $800,000 in earnings this year.
Kuehne, the PGA Tour's Driving Distance leader, completes the 24-player field, which includes PGA Champion Shaun Micheel, PGA Tour Player of the Year candidate Kenny Perry, 2002 PGA Champion Rich Beem, World Golf Hall of Fame member Nick Faldo, 2003 PGA Championship runner-up Chad Campbell and 1993 PGA Champion Paul Azinger.
 | | Kuehne, the 1998 U.S. amateur Champion, has four top-10 finishes and more than $800,000 in earnings this year. |
|
The 26-year-old Kuehne is enjoying a spectacular season in several areas. He leads the PGA Tour in Driving Distance with a whopping 319.6-yard average off the tee and his final-round scoring average of 68.67 is the lowest on Tour.
"Hank's addition to the field is a nice touch to an already impressive group of players," said Tournament Director Taylor Ives. "Hank is a really exciting player to watch with the power and distance he generates off the tee."
The 1998 U.S. amateur champion was not a member of the PGA Tour when the 2003 season began. However, he was granted a sponsor exemption to the BellSouth Classic, played on the Norman-designed TPC at Sugarloaf, and tied for third. With that top-10 finish, Kuehne earned a spot in the Shell Houston Open and tied for second there. The $565,000 he earned in those two stops enabled him to become a special temporary member of the Tour and he has since finished among the top 10 two more times.
Fred Funk, Mark O'Meara, Craig Stadler, Peter Jacobsen, Scott Hoch, Steve Elkington, Olin Browne, John Huston, Tom Kite, John Cook, Mark Calcavecchia, Brad Faxon, Lee Janzen, Rocco Mediate, Scott McCarron, Jeff Sluman and Norman committed earlier.
The field includes six of the top 30 players in the world -- Perry (8th), Mediate (21st), Faxon (22nd), Funk (24th), Beem (29th) and Campbell (30th). Combined, over half of the field is ranked among the top 100 in the world.
The field also represents 192 PGA Tour victories, including 20 major championship titles. Three players -- Perry, Funk and Sluman (captain's assistant) -- will represent the U.S. in this year's Presidents Cup competition.
The PGA Tour sanctioned event will again provide world-class golf to the Naples area by bringing together 24 of the greatest names in golf competing as two-man teams. Tickets may be purchased by calling The Franklin Templeton Shootout office at (888) 66-SHARK (74275).
The 2003 field consists of 12, two-man teams based on the following criteria: defending champions, top-three committing players from the 2003 PGA Tour money list, top-10 committing players from the career money list and nine special exemptions.
This year's event will again feature an alternate-shot format during the first round, a better ball Saturday and a final-round scramble. USA Network will televise Friday's coverage and CBS will handle broadcasting duties over the weekend.
The purse for the 2003 Franklin Templeton Shootout has been increased by $150,000 to a record $2.4 million. This is the sixth consecutive year the purse has increased, and this year's winning team will split $550,000.
The Franklin Templeton Shootout was founded in 1989 as a result of Greg and Laura Norman's desire to raise money and awareness for children's charities and create a unique experience for PGA Tour players.
Thanks to the support and loyalty of Merrill Lynch and other corporate sponsors, event volunteers and fans, The Franklin Templeton Shootout has contributed millions to children's charities. The 15th annual event again will donate a significant portion of the proceeds to the National Childhood Cancer Foundation to assist its battle against this terrible disease.
| 
