Québec City, Québec – Geoff Ogilvy, considered by many to be a leading contender at this year's Masters tournament, was named to the TELUS World Skins Game field today, along with the reigning Masters champion Trevor Immelman and Ian Poulter, a star on both the PGA and European Tours. The 2009 TELUS World Skins Game will take place June 22-23 at La Tempête Golf Club in Lévis, Québec.
As part of the TELUS World Skins Game's global theme, Ogilvy will represent his native Australia, with the South African Immelman and England's Poulter rounding out the field. For Immelman and Poulter, it will be their first time participating in the TELUS World Skins Game, while Ogilvy previously participated in the 2007 event. The three players join a star-studded ‘five-some' with previously announced players Canadian Mike Weir and Fred Couples of the United States.
"I really enjoyed my time playing in the TELUS World Skins Game two years ago, so I was thrilled with the invitation to return this year," said Ogilvy. "It's been a very rewarding start to the 2009 season for me. Having the opportunity to play with these great golfers immediately following the U.S. Open will not only be a treat for us as players, but hopefully for the fans as well."
Ogilvy, a six-time winner on the PGA TOUR, which includes a major victory at the 2006 U.S. Open, is arguably the hottest player in the world so far in 2009. With two wins in his six starts (Mercedes Benz Championship and World Golf Championships -Accenture Match Play Championship), he is currently ranked fourth in the world and leads both the PGA TOUR's 2009 FedExCup points race and money list.
Immelman, who was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and has ten professional wins to his credit, earned the biggest win of his young career last April with his victory at the Masters. He has also been a two-time member of the International Team at the Presidents Cup, including in 2007 when the event was played at Royal Montréal Golf Club.
"I am excited and honoured to be invited to participate in the 2009 TELUS World Skins Game in support of Opération Enfant Soleil," said Immelman as he prepared to defend his 2008 victory at Augusta National this week. "I have always enjoyed playing in Canada and I look forward to visiting Québec City this summer."
A fan favorite, Poulter is known as one of the most colourful players in golf, in part due to the radical outfits he sometimes wears on the course, but also thanks to his engaging personality. He has been a player of great impact for the European team in Ryder Cup competition, including scoring the winning points for the team in 2004. At the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, Poulter held the clubhouse lead for the final round before being defeated by defending champion Padraig Harrington and ultimately finishing in second place.
"Watching Immelman defend his Masters title against Ogilvy at the game this week will be outstanding, but I'm even more excited about watching them join Poulter, Weir and Couples, some of the most talented golfers in the world, at the TELUS World Skins," said Joe Natale, president of TELUS Business Solutions. "They'll be bringing their ‘A game' to a tournament that supports a better quality of care for sick kids in Quebec. We couldn't be happier about this star-studded line-up."
Fulfilling its promise to "give where we live", for the 2009 golf event TELUS has partnered with Opération Enfant Soleil, a local charity that invests in the development of quality pediatric care in Québec. Funds will be generated through the ‘Charity on the Course' program which includes donations made for every birdie and eagle played by the professional golfers during the competition. Golf fans will also be able to support the cause by bidding on one of the many items that will be auctioned on eBay in the weeks preceding the tournament.
Karen Radford, president of TELUS Québec, said, "With the support of golf fans everywhere, the local community and the very talented players named to the field this year, the TELUS World Skins Game will help Opération Enfant Soleil continue to increase the success rate of pediatric heart surgeries in Quebec for years to come."
Opération Enfant Soleil will use the money raised during the 2009 TELUS World Skins Game to equip the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec's Centre mère-enfant's surgical unit with the latest in multimedia technology to facilitate complex pediatric heart surgeries. The new system's extensive connectivity will enable real-time participation in surgeries from any location, thereby improving educational opportunities and providing quick access to specialists, wherever they may be.
Tickets for the 2009 TELUS World Skins Game, priced at $125 for a two-day pass, go on sale on Monday, April 13 at 10 a.m. (ET) and will be available for purchase by phone at 1-866-60SKIN1 (1-866-607-5461) or online by visiting www.telusskins.com.
Owned and operated by IMG in Canada for 17 years, the TELUS World Skins Game has included many of the biggest names in the game including Jack Nicklaus, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples and Greg Norman.
The TELUS World Skins Game is also sponsored by Audi, Desjardins, Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, GREY GOOSE® Vodka, Québec City Tourism, Québec Tourism and Samsung Electronics Canada Inc.
About IMG Operating in 30 countries, IMG Sports & Entertainment's diverse businesses include: consulting services; event ownership and management; fashion events and models representation; licensing; golf course design; and client representation in golf, tennis, broadcasting, speakers, European football, rugby, cricket, motor sports, coaching, Olympic and action sports. IMG Academies are the world's largest, multi-sport training and educational facilities, delivering world-class training experiences to more than 12,000 junior, collegiate, adult, and professional athletes each year.
About TELUSTELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.7 billion of annual revenue and 11.6 million customer connections including 6.1 million wireless subscribers, 4.2 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video. In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $135 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 2.6 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Nine TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead our local philanthropic initiatives. For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.
To purchase TELUS World Skins tickets, call 1-866-60SKIN1 (1-866-607-5461) or visit www.telusskins.com after April 13, 2009 at 10 a.m. ET.
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