Phil Mickelson and Mike Weir will challenge defending champion Greg Norman in the Sixth Annual Export "A" Skins Game, presented by NEC, being held July 26-28 at The Links at Crowbush Cove in Lakeside, Prince Edward Island.
Mickelson and Weir will also be competing against Fred Couples, three-time Export "A" Skins Game champion and winner of this year's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
Tickets for this year's event will go on sale Saturday, February 14, 1998 beginning at 10:00 a.m. (AST) and can only be purchased by telephone through TicketMaster at 1-888-222-6608. Only three-day tickets will be available at a cost of $140. The three-day pass includes admission to: Pro-Am Day on
Sunday, July 26, featuring a variety of well-known sports and entertainment
celebrities; the first nine holes of the Skins Game on Monday, July 27; and
the second nine holes on Tuesday, July 28. There will also be a nine-hole
Pro-Am on each of Monday and Tuesday featuring the four competitors. Ticket
sales are limited to four tickets per order. TicketMaster service charges
and applicable taxes apply.
"The Export "A" Skins Game has built an excellent reputation as a
challenging and exciting event and I'm looking forward to competing in it,"
said Mickelson. "I'm also looking forward to playing Crowbush Cove, which
I'm told is quite a spectacular course."
Mickelson won the Mercedes Championships for the second time this past January to bring his total number of PGA Tour victories to 12. This extends his streak of years with a PGA Tour victory to six, matching Tour leader Norman. He won the 1994 Mercedes in a playoff with Couples. Mickelson is
also tied for third, at nine-under-par, for this year's rain-delayed AT&T
Pebble Beach Pro-Am, scheduled to be completed August 17. Mickelson is
currently ranked seventh in the Sony Rankings and third for Presidents' Cup
Eligibility. In 1997 he won the Sprint International and Bay Hill Invitational.
Weir earned his PGA Tour card in December, 1997 after successfully
completing Q-school. He was the 1997 Canadian Tour Order of Merit Champion,
winner of the 1997 Canadian Masters and Winner of the 1997 BCTel Pacific
Open. He was also the 1997 Canadian Tour Stroke leader with an average of
69.29.
"To be able to compete head-on against Greg Norman, Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson is an opportunity of a lifetime," said Weir, from Honolulu,
Hawaii, where he is preparing to compete in the United Airlines Hawaiian
Open. "I'm going out there to win, but whatever happens, I'll come out a
better golfer."
The 1998 Export "A" Skins Game features a prize pool of $360,000. In
addition to Norman and Couples, players who have competed in the past
include Nick Faldo, who won the exhibition in 1995; Jack Nicklaus, Nick
Price, Ernie Els, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, and Ray Floyd.
"We're proud to have been able to recruit the best and most respected
golfers over the past five years," said Stan Smith, President, Export "A"
Inc. "We decided to bring in two players this year who have not competed in the tournament to make it a fresher competition. In Phil, we have a player
who is ranked seventh in the world and who started off the year strong by
winning the Mercedes Championships. In Mike, we have a golfer who has
captured the attention of Canadian golf fans by his outstanding play in
qualifying for the PGA Tour. We felt people would like to see him play
against the best in the world."
As in previous years, the two days of Skins play will be broadcast
nationally on CBC Sports. It will be broadcast in Quebec by RDS. Other
confirmed event sponsors include Tourism PEI, BMW, Sprint, Ericsson, and the
Atlantic Lottery Corporation.
For further information contact:
Gene Diamond or Lores Taddei
Goodman Communications Inc.
(416) 924-9100