National Car Rental Golf Classic at Walt Disney World Resort Attracts Top Players

    FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BW SportsWire)--Oct. 17, 2001--National Car Rental, a four-year sponsor of this prestigious PGA TOUR event, has watched the tournament grow steadily in stature and popularity among professional golfers. One reason may well be the fact that this year's purse of $3.4 million is the richest purse in the history of this event. PGA TOUR pros are also quick to point out that this tournament is a favorite among their families who like to visit the many popular Disney attractions in conjunction with enjoying the excitement of the tournament itself.
    A field of 144 players will compete this year, including the defending champion Duffy Waldorf and golf superstar, Tiger Woods. In last year's exciting tournament, Waldorf equaled John Huston's 1992 single-round tournament record by posting a career-best score of 62, which led to his narrow one shot victory over runner-up Steve Flesch. Tiger Woods captured the title the previous two years. Woods' finishing position in 2000 robbed him of joining Jack Nicklaus as the only three-time National Car Rental Golf Classic winner. A finish anywhere in the top 15 in this year's tournament would make Woods the event's first millionaire.
    Each year, two sponsor exemptions are allowed and this year National and Disney jointly selected Matt Kuchar and Charles Howell III to join the field of players.
    Howell, a resident of Orlando, currently holds the No. 1 spot on the PGA TOUR non-member money list with over $1 million in earnings. Impressively, he has finished as one of the top 10 players in four tournaments in 2001.
    Kuchar, who resides in nearby Lake Mary, Fla. won the 1997 US Amateur Championship and also holds a "Special Temporary Member" status with the PGA TOUR. He has earned more than a half-million dollars in nine TOUR events.
    Leading up to the final play on Saturday and Sunday, the golf pros team up with amateur players from near and far in two days of intense Pro-Am play. This year, National Car Rental donated two of its Pro-Am spots to Give Kids The World, a non-profit Orlando-based organization that provides a magical experience for children with life threatening illnesses. The organization will sell these popular spots, worth over $16,000, to raise money for the charity.
    The Pro-Am and first two rounds of the tournament can be seen on ESPN on Thursday through Saturday, with ABC-TV airing the final round on Sunday, October 21 beginning at 3:00 p.m.
    National Car Rental, a division of ANC Rental Corporation , is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. National is one of the world's largest vehicle rental companies with more than 3,000 locations serving 67 countries worldwide. With on-site locations at more than 250 major airports in the United States, National has been the preferred rental choice for millions of business and leisure travelers worldwide since 1947. National can be found on the Internet at http://www.nationalcar.com.