2016 MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC presented by C Spire ADVANCE MEDIA INFORMATION

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2016 MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC presented by C Spire ADVANCE MEDIA INFORMATION Contacts: Dave Senko; Senior Manager, Communications, PGA TOUR Champions 904-728-1307 (cell); daves@pgatourhq.

com Dates: March 28-April 3, 2016 Course: Fallen Oak; Biloxi, Mississippi Par/Yards: 36-36 72/7,088 Year Opened: 2006 Course Designer: Tom Fazio (2006) Field: 81 professionals Format: 54-hole

1 2016 MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC presented by C Spire ADVANCE MEDIA INFORMATION Contacts: Dave Senko; Senior Manager, Communications, PGA TOUR Champions (cell); daves@pgatourhq.com Jess Isner, Manager, Communications, PGA TOUR Champions (cell); jessicaisner@pgatourhq.com Dates: March 28-April 3, 2016 Course: Fallen Oak; Biloxi, Mississippi Par/Yards: /7,088 Year Opened: 2006 Course Designer: Tom Fazio (2006) Field: 81 professionals Format: 54-hole stroke-play event with no cut. Purse: $1,600,000; Winner s Share: $240,000 Television: Golf Channel will televise the event on a tape-delayed basis on Friday (8:30-10:30 p.m.), while it will be televised live on the weekend (2:00-4:00 p.m.). All times are local. THE 2016 PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS: This year marks the 37th anniversary of PGA TOUR Champions and the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic presented by C Spire is the fifth event on the 2016 schedule. The last of 26 official events on the 2016 schedule is the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, November 7-13, at Desert Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. PGA TOUR Champions primary purpose is to provide significant competitive and earnings opportunities for players age 50 and older, to protect the integrity of the game and to help grow the reach of the game in the U.S. and around the world. ABOUT THE MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC PRESENTED BY C SPIRE: The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic is uniquely funded by consortium partners, who see this event as an ideal way to promote the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Led by C Spire Wireless, the tournament s presenting sponsor this year, the 2016 consortium partnership group also includes: Mississippi Power, Beau Rivage Hotel & Resort-Fallen Oak, Harrah s Gulf Coast, F.E.B. Distributing, Habitat for Humanity, Hard Rock Biloxi, Roy Anderson Corp, Hancock Bank, Hollywood Gulf Coast, Boomtown Biloxi, IP Resort & Spa and Coca Cola. The tournament is administered through the MGRC Foundation, Inc., and will again benefit Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. HISTORY OF THE EVENT: The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Presented by C Spire is currently in its seventh year. Its list of former champions includes: David Eger (2010), Tom Lehman (2011), Fred Couples (2012), Michael Allen (2013), Jeff Maggert (2014) and David Frost (2015). Last year, Frost became the first international player to win the event. CHARITY INFORMATION: The Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic Presented by C Spire is again the primary tournament charity and will benefit from this year s event. This Habitat for Humanity chapter was chosen as the Champions Tour s Charity of the Year in In addition, more than a dozen area charities will benefit from their participation in the Birdies for Charity program. Participating charities receive every single penny of generated donations. Since the inception in 2010, Birdies For Charity has generated over $240,000 and benefited nearly 30 charities on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Habitat for Humanity of the

2 Mississippi Gulf Coast was formed in January 2007 when Harrison County HFH and HFH of Jackson County merged organizations. Since then, HFHMGC has incorporated Stone County into its service area and has constructed or repaired more than 898 homes. HFHMGC works in partnership with community stakeholders to create innovative, sustainable housing solutions by empowering all members of our community to actively participate in creating opportunity for people to transform their own lives. ABOUT FALLEN OAK: Fallen Oak is open exclusively to Beau Rivage Resort guests and is located adjacent to the DeSoto National Forest. The Tom Fazio-designed layout has received numerous awards including: No 1 Golf Course You Can Play in Mississippi by Golfweek, No. 2 Top 50 Casino Courses by Golfweek, No. 55 Top 100 Modern Courses by Golfweek, No. 19 America s 100 Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest and also boasts one of the best 19 th holes in golf by Golf Digest RECAP: Despite incurring a one-stroke penalty on the 17th hole of the final round when he dropped his ball and moved his coin on the green, David Frost sank a key six-foot par putt on the final green to post a 10- under-par score, good enough for a one-shot victory over Tom Lehman and Kevin Sutherland. Frost made four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine to open a two-stroke margin at the 17th. However, he violated Rule 20-1 after accidentally dropping the ball and causing the coin to move. The eventual bogey reduced Frost s lead to a stroke, and he needed to two-putt from 30 feet on the final hole to maintain his advantage. He left his first putt six feet from the hole but sank the par putt moments later. Lehman, Frost s closest pursuer down the stretch, playing in the group behind him, missed a 20-foot birdie putt to tie on the 17th hole and then could not take advantage of a superb second shot into the final hole, missing a four-foot birdie putt that would have sent the event into a playoff. [Rules officials] told me I dropped the ball, which is an act of negligence and had to incur a one-stroke penalty. I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' Last year I was disqualified and this year received a one-shot penalty. You play by the rules and luckily for me in the end it didn't make any difference, and I'm happy (Tom) Lehman didn't beat me in a playoff," Frost said. KEY STORYLINES: HOW THE CHARLES SCHWAB CUP RACE WILL WORK IN 2016: Starting this year, at the completion of the SAS Championship (Oct ), the leading 72 players on the money list will advance to the first Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs event. Wildcard Weekend at the SAS Championship allows for one player who finishes in the top 10, but finishes outside the top 72 on the season-long money list, to advance to the PowerShares QQQ Championship at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA (Oct ), where a points system will commence. Each player s current money total before the start of the PowerShares QQQ Championship will become the equivalent number of points (e.g. $330,000 equals 330,000 points). Double points will be earned by each player competing in each of the first two Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs events and added to the existing points earned through the SAS Championship (e.g. if a player has earned $250,000 through the SAS Championship, then earns $132,000 or 264,000 points - at the PowerShares QQQ Championship, his total points will be 514,000 points). A total of 54 players will advance to the Dominion Charity Classic the following week in Richmond, VA, before the points are reset for the 36 players competing at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Scottsdale, AZ (Nov. 7-13). The reset will be similar to the PGA TOUR s FedExCup Playoffs which allows the leading five players the opportunity to claim the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs trophy if they win the season-finale, but also mathematically allows for the 36th-ranked player to win, depending on his performance at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and the results of the remainder of the field. TOUR WELCOMES SEVERAL NEW FACES IN 2016: A number of new faces will begin to dot PGA TOUR Champions tournament fields this year as a number of long-time PGA TOUR performers turn 50. Here are the prospective members along with their 2016 birthdays: Craig Parry (January 12th), Bob Estes (February 2nd), Jose Maria Olazabal (February 5 th ), John Daly (April 28th), Michael Bradley (July 17th), Billy Mayfair (August 6 th ), Tim Petrovic (August 16th). Later in the year, Jerry Kelly turns 50 on November 23 and will be eligible starting in Other notable players who turn 50 early in 2017 are David Toms (January 4 th ) and Steve Stricker (Feb. 23 rd ). Parry finished T38 in his debut at the Allianz Championship, while Estes and Olazabal have yet to play in 2016.

3 CAN LANGER CONTINUE HIS SUCCESS IN 2016?: With a record seven Arnold Palmer Awards as the Tour s leading money winner on his resume as well as a trio of Charles Schwab Cup titles, early indications are that Bernhard Langer may well continue his recent run of success in Langer, who is bidding for his third straight Jack Nicklaus Award as the Player of the Year, added PGA TOUR Champions win number 26 to his ledger when he was a three-stroke winner over Fred Couples at February s Chubb Classic. His 26 th career victory moved Langer into third place on the all-time list for victories on Tour behind Hale Irwin (45) and Lee Trevino (29). It was also Langer s third top-10 finish in He added a fourth top-10 finish when he was third in the recent Tucson Conquistadores Classic. In addition, he finished T8 in his first start of the year in Hawaii and was T10 at the Allianz Championship. In his impressive PGA TOUR Champions career, Langer has 64 top-3 finishes and has finished among the top times in 170 starts (.700%). LANGER IN FAMILIAR SPOT IN CHARLES SCHWAB CUP RACE: Although only four events have been played, Bernhard Langer has claimed an early lead in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race with $456,250 and leads Duffy Waldorf ($368,190) by $88,060. Esteban Toledo is in third place with $$292,114. Langer has won three Charles Schwab Cups including back-to-back titles in 2014 and He finished 338 points in front of Colin Montgomerie a year ago. NEW FACES DOT FIELD LIST: A total of 10 new players are slated to compete in the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic presented by C Spire. The newcomers include Craig Parry, Scott Verplank, Glen Day, Mike Springer, Scott McCarron, Brandt Jobe, Mike Grob, Carlos Franco, Doug Garwood, and Todd Hamilton. MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC NOTES: EVENT MAKES MAJOR IMPACT ON COMMUNITY: The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Presented by C Spire has generated over $76.6 million for the regional economy and over $750,000 in assistance for local non-profit community charities since the inception of the tournament in Over $400,000 alone has been raised for its primary beneficiary, the Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. GOLF HISTORY ON THE GULF COAST: In addition to the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic on the Champions Tour, both the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour have held events before on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Gulfport Open ( ) was a two-year stop for the players on the PGA TOUR following World War II. It was played at the Great Southern Golf Club of Gulfport, the state s oldest golf course. In 1944, Harold Jug McSpaden recorded one of his 17 PGA TOUR titles and the win in Mississippi was one of five victories that year. Sam Snead defeated Byron Nelson in a 19-hole playoff in 1945 after the two were tied at the end of regulation. Nelson rallied from that loss to win 18 tournaments that year, including a record-setting 11 in a row. It is now known as the Web.com Tour, but when it started in 1990, it was known as the Ben Hogan Tour. The Gulf Coast Classic was played at Windance Country Club in Gulfport from From , on what was then known as the Nike Tour, the event was entitled the Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic and remained at Windance Country Club until it moved to Mississippi National Golf Course in In 1999, after a year hiatus, the tournament relocated to Oaks Golf Club and was entitled the Mississippi Gulf Coast Open. Here s a complete list of the winners when the tournament was a regular stop on the Web.com Tour Year Winner The Gulf Coast Classic at Windance Country Club (Ben Hogan Tour) 1990: Dick Mast (-7) beat Rick Pearson in a playoff (36-hole event) 1991: Tom Lehman (-7) beat Tim Straub and John Wilson in a playoff (36-hole event) 1992: Glen Hnatiuk (-9) won by a stroke over Bruce Zabriski, Mike Donald, John Flannery (54-hole event) The Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic at Windance Country Club (Nike Tour) 1993: Jim Furyk (-10) beat Bob Friend in a playoff (54-hole event) 1994: John Elliott (-12) beat Chris Perry in a playoff (72-hole event) 1995: Allen Doyle (-15) defeated Franklin Langham in a playoff (72-hole event)

4 1996: Joe Durant (-15) won by a stroke over Brett Quigley (72-hole event) The Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic at Mississippi National Golf Club 1997: Jeff Brehaut (-13) won by six strokes over Tom Scherrer (72-hole event) 1998: No event The Mississippi Gulf Coast Open at Oaks Golf Club 1999: Joel Edwards (-8) won by a stroke over John Riegger (72-hole event) The Mississippi Gulf Coast Open at Oaks Golf Club (Buy.com Tour) 2000: Tripp Isenhour (-9) won by two strokes over John Elliott (72-hole event) Note: Bold face indicates current member of PGA TOUR Champions THEY VE ENJOYED SUCCESS IN MISSISSIPPI: Several players in this year s field have won PGA TOUR events in the state, including Brian Henninger (1994, 99) and Fred Funk (1998, 04), who each claimed a win in the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic and the Southern Farm Bureau Classic which was staged in Madison, Mississippi. Others winners at that venue include Gene Sauers (1990), Steve Lowery (2000), John Huston (2003), Willie Wood (1996) and Woody Austin (2013). In addition, when the PGA TOUR had its satellite tour event in Mississippi (Magnolia Classic), current Champions Tour members Craig Stadler (1978), Russ Cochran (1983) and Jim Gallagher, Jr. (1985) all posted wins. HOW THE LEADERS HAVE FARED: In the brief history of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic presented by C- Spire, players leading or tied for the lead after 36 holes have won the tournament three times David Eger, at the inaugural event in 2010, and Tom Lehman (2011) and Fred Couples (2012). Couples is the only firstround leader to have ever won. Nobody has ever won this event being worse than T8 after Saturday, the position Michael Allen was in in 2013 after the first 36 holes. All six of the previous winners of this event were positioned among the top five in the standings after the first round. OLDEST/YOUNGEST WINNERS: David Eger captured the inaugural Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic presented by C Spire event in 2010, at 58 years, 1 month, 15 days, making him still the oldest winner in the history of the tournament. Jeff Maggert s victory in 2014 at 50 years, 1 month, 3 days surpassed Tom Lehman s win in 2011 at 52 years, 27 days, as the tournament s youngest winner ever. FALLEN OAK ONE OF TOUGHEST: Fallen Oak has consistently been one of the more difficult tests on PGA TOUR Champions. It was the fourth hardest course in 2015 and has ranked in the top 10 for difficulty all but one year (2011/14 th ). A year ago, four of the holes were ranked among the top 50 for difficulty with No. 5 the hardest of the four, ranking 11 th overall on Tour. Others in the top 50 were No. 10 (21 st ), No. 18 (27 th ) and No. 17 (31 st ). The easiest hole has been No. 6. It was the 25 th easiest hole on Tour in SUCCESS AT FALLEN OAK: One player who has enjoyed a great deal of success at Fallen Oak is Michael Allen. The 2013 champion, Allen finished second in 2013 and also owns three other top-15 finishes. He comes into the 2016 event with a streak of 14 consecutive par/better rounds. STATS OF THE CHAMPIONS: Here is how the six past champions have played Fallen Oak during the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic presented by C Spire: Year Winner Score Eagles Birdies Pars Bogeys Dbl. Par Par Par Front Back Bogey 3s 4s 5s 2010 Eger Lehman Couples Allen Maggert Frost

5 HOW THE COURSE HAS PLAYED: Below is a round-by-round rundown of the first six years of the event. The number next to the overall average is where it ranked on Tour that particular year (Bold figures show lowest overall average, while those bold/underlined indicate the highest). Year First Round Second Round Third Round Overall Average/Rank (6 th ) (14 th ) (10 th ) (9 th ) (8th) (4 th ) A LOOK AT THIS YEAR S FIELD: The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic presented by C Spire has 60 players with 300 PGA TOUR victories on their resumes and 49 PGA TOUR Champions winners with 241 victories. In addition there are 10 PGA TOUR major championship winners and 18 players with major titles on PGA TOUR Champions. The field also includes four members of the World Golf Hall of Fame Bernhard Langer, Tom Kite, Larry Nelson and Colin Montgomerie. TOURNAMENT TIDBITS: Nick Price has the only ace in the history of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. Price holed a 9-iron shot from 152 yards at the par-3 14 th hole in the final round in It was Price s first hole in one as a member of PGA TOUR Champions Fred Couples holds the tournament record for most birdies in an event 21 in 2012 Scott Parel has open qualified in each of the first three full-field events This year s open qualifier is slated for Tuesday, March 29th at the Diamondhead Golf Club in Diamondhead, MS Bob Gilder will make his 110th straight appearance for which he was eligible on PGA TOUR Champions this week. Gilder has not missed a start on the circuit since skipping the 2011 Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn None of the six previous winners ever recorded an eagle on their way to the title...duffy Waldorf has a current streak of 123 holes without a three-putt, six more than Wes Short, Jr. IT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY Below are some previous highlights of current PGA TOUR Champions players that occurred during the week of March 28-April 3 in previous years. 3/28/99 Bob Duval makes history when he and his son, David win events the same day. Bob wins the Emerald Coast Classic, while David is victorious at THE PLAYERS Championship. 3/28/05 Fred Funk saves par on the 72 nd hole and becomes the oldest winner of THE PLAYERS Championship at 48 years, 9 months, 14 days, when he defeats Tom Lehman, Scott Verplank and Luke Donald by one stroke in the event s seventh Monday finish in history. 3/28/76 Hubert Green makes it three straight wins when he is a five-stroke winner over Jerry McGee at the Sea Pines Heritage Classic at Hilton Head. 3/28/93 Nick Price opens with an 8-under-par 64 and follows with rounds of for a five-stroke win at THE PLAYERS Championship at the TPC Sawgrass. Price had just four bogeys, one each day, on his way to victory. 3/29/87 Critical birdies on Nos. 15 and 18 helped Sandy Lyle grab a spot in a playoff at the Tournament Players Championship and a par on the third playoff hole was good enough to defeat Jeff Sluman near Jacksonville. 3/29/98 Lee Trevino wins a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event in the state of Texas for the seventh time when he is a two-stroke victor over Mike McCullough at the Southwestern Bell Dominion in San Antonio. It is the third time he won the title (others in 1991, 1992). 3/30/86 John Mahaffey defeats Larry Mize by a stroke to win the Tournament Players Championship (THE PLAYERS Championship). Mahaffey moved into contention with a third-round 65 and the round included eight birdies at the TPC Sawgrass. 3/30/97 Steve Elkington goes wire-to-wire for a seven-stroke victory over Scott Hoch at THE PLAYERS Championship and at the time becomes just the second two-time winner of the event, joining Jack Nicklaus and Fred Couples.

3/31/74 Lee Trevino shoots four consecutive rounds in the 60s, including a final-round 65, and rolls to an eight-stroke victory over Bobby Cole and Ben Crenshaw at the Greater New Orleans Open.

6 3/31/74 Lee Trevino shoots four consecutive rounds in the 60s, including a final-round 65, and rolls to an eight-stroke victory over Bobby Cole and Ben Crenshaw at the Greater New Orleans Open. Cole and Trevino were tied for the lead after 54 holes. 3/31/91 Steve Elkington wins the first of two THE PLAYERS Championships beating Fuzzy Zoeller by one stroke at TPC Sawgrass. After a three-putt bogey at No. 17, Elkington nailed a 3-iron from 200 yards to within 12 feet of the hole and then sank his birdie putt which proved to be the winner. 3/31/96 -- Fred Couples becomes the first player to win two Players Championships. A Players champion in 1984, Couples starts the final round of the 1996 event four strokes off the lead. However, with contenders stumbling around him, Couples zips around the TPC Sawgrass in a bogey-free 64 capped by an eagle-birdie-par finish to win by four strokes over Colin Montgomerie and Tommy Tolles. 4/1/79 Tom Watson wins the first of two Sea Pines Heritage Classic titles when he posts consecutive rounds of 65 to open a three-stroke margin after 36 holes. He would go on to a five-stroke victory over Ed Sneed at Hilton Head for the first of five wins that year. 4/1/07 Keith Fergus wins The Ginn Championship at Hammock Beach on the Champions Tour. Fergus thus joins Ron Streck as the only players to win on all three Tours at the time. 4/2/2000 In just his fifth start on the Champions Tour, Tom Kite outlasts Larry Nelson and Tom Watson to win The Countrywide Tradition. After Nelson went out on the second hole, Kite and Watson went four additional holes before Kite s birdie gave him the win. It was the Champions Tour s 600 th event. 4/3/94 Raymond Floyd wins the first of four major championships on the Champions Tour when he birdies the first extra hole to defeat Dale Douglass at The Tradition in Arizona. Floyd got himself into the playoff when he birdied three of his final four holes at Desert Mountain.

2014 MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC PRESENTED BY C SPIRE MEDIA INFORMATION

2014 MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC PRESENTED BY C SPIRE MEDIA INFORMATION Contact: Phil Stambaugh; Media Official, Champions Tour 904-610-9261; jamesp@pgatourhq.com Dates: March 17-23, 2014 Course: Fallen