KEY Magazine Fort Worth

2005 Bank of America Colonial
59th Annual Championship Tournament
May 16-22, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth

Between May 16-22, eyes of golfing fans will once again be on the Bank of America Colonial. Some of the golfers who have committed for this historic event include defending champion Steve Flesch,Davis Love III, David Toms, Bernhard Langer, Justin Leonard, Chad Campbell, Shigeki Maruyama, Todd Hamilton, Jim Furyk and past Colonial champions Ian Baker-Finch, Olin Browne, Keith Clearwater, Rod Curl, David Frost, Sergio Garcia, Peter Jacobsen, Tom Lehman, and Corey Pavin. About 114 golfers are expected to play in this year’s Bank of American Colonial event with its $5.6 million purse. The winner’s share is $1,008,000.

Defending champion Steve Flesch saw his name on the Wall of Champions for the first time during the tournament’s Kickoff Day in February. Even though he was the star of the day, with receptions, interviews, press conferences and a dinner, he called the experience “pretty humbling.” Seeing your name immortalized on that historic list of champions can be overwhelming.

“Having my name on the Wall with that group of great champions is unbelievable,” Flesch said. “I remember playing my rookie year, looking at those names and thinking, ‘every good player that has ever played golf has run through this place.’ That means something to me.”

Monday, May 16 activities feature a Pro-Am with a 9 a.m. shotgun start, followed by pro practice rounds, and a 4:15 p.m. Junior Clinic on the driving range. Tuesday, May 17 includes more practice rounds. Wednesday, May 18 is the all day Pro-Am. Then at about 8 a.m. on May 19, the first 18 holes of the championship tournament begins at Colonial Country Club. Also, on Thursday evening in downtown Fort Worth’s Sundance Square, Bank of America is sponsoring a free concert with Travis Tritt. The second 18 holes is Friday, May 20, and the third 18 holes is Saturday, May 21. The final round starts around 8 a.m., Sunday, May 22.

The Colonial Country Club golf course is rated as Texas’ best, and is on “America’s best” golf course list. The course is the site of two U.S. Opens and the Tournament Players Championship, and is the oldest event on the PGA TOUR still played at its original site. The tournament’s popularity dates back to 1946 when golf legend Ben Hogan won the inaugural event. Since then, a host of other golf superstars have stormed the course to win championships. Julius Boros, Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Devlin, Cary Middlecoff, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, and Tom Weiskopf are just a few of the famous winners who have appeared throughout the tour’s colorful history.

Early television coverage, hosted by the USA Network, is scheduled for May 19 and 20. Saturday and Sunday coverage by Jim Nantz will be served up by the CBS network. Potential spectators can get a close-up view by calling the Bank of America Colonial ticket office at 817-927-4280. Tickets may be purchased at Metroplex Bank of America banking centers, or purchased online at www.bankofamericacolonial.com. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets are not sold at course entry gates during the event.Colonial Country Club and tournament title sponsor Bank of America honored more than 70 local charities last fall, with donations in connection with the 2004 Bank of America Colonial Golf Tournament. The contributions wrapped up a stellar year of more than $1.4 million in community service and charity donations for the event.

The tournament has generated cash and services for more than 100 different organizations in the last decade totaling more than $12 million. Included in 2004 was more than $500,000 generated for its primary beneficiary, Cook Children’s Medical Center. “We are very proud to give back to the Fort Worth community through these great causes,” said Colonial President Jeff Luz. “And the significant cumulative effect of supporting these endeavors year after year is very gratifying.”

The donations focus on children and support a variety of programs, including camp scholarships for disabled, special needs or low-income children, residency programs/services for abused, neglected and at-risk children, cultural programs/ field trips for under served students, college scholarships, educational mentoring programs, medical diagnostic and treatment services for disabled and low-income children, after-school programs, support services for homeless families, and more.

Colonial Country Club was named the Outstanding Philanthropic Organization in Tarrant County for 2002 by the local chapter of the Association of Fund-Raising Professionals (AFP).

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