FRED COUPLES TO SERVE AS HONORARY CHAIRMAN OF 2010 U.S. SENIOR OPEN AT SAHALEE C.C.

The United States Golf Association announced today that Seattle native Fred Couples has been named the Honorary Chairman of the 2010 U.S. Senior Open, to be held at Sahalee Country Club, July 26 - Aug. 1, 2010.

Couples was asked to serve in this capacity by the championship’s local organizing committee, headed by Chris Falco, and the Sahalee membership led by club founders Gene Lynn and Mike Jonson.

“We approached Fred to serve in this capacity because we wanted to honor his lifelong commitment to the game of golf and his connection to Seattle and the Northwest,” said Falco.

By serving as the Honorary Chairman, Couples will aid in the promotion of the championship by appearing in a ticket sales advertising campaign. He will also host an exhibition during the week of the championship, in which he will provide swing tips and give demonstrations to the spectators.

Couples will become eligible for the Champions Tour on Oct. 3, 2009, when he celebrates his 50th birthday. Couples has earned a one-time exemption into the 2010 U.S. Senior Open by virtue of being a Masters Champion. It will be his first U.S. Senior Open and the first time he will be playing competitively at Sahalee since the 1998 PGA Championship.

“It is an honor to serve in this capacity for the U.S. Senior Open and the USGA,” said Couples. “Add to that the opportunity to play my first Senior Open in my hometown in front of the Seattle fans, and it will truly be a great week.”

Tom Couples, Fred’s father, worked at the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department and introduced him to the game at the city-owned Jefferson Park Golf Course. Fred played on the O’Dea High School golf team and, upon graduating, was awarded a golf scholarship by the University of Houston. 

Couples began playing golf professionally in 1980 and has recorded 15 victories on the PGA Tour, including the 1992 Masters Tournament. More recently, Couples was named captain of the 2009 USA Presidents Cup Team.

For additional information on the 2010 U.S. Senior Open, please visit www.2010ussenioropen.com.  Volunteer positions are now available, and championship tickets will become available later this year.

About the 2010 U.S. Senior Open

The 31^st U.S. Senior Open will bring a field of 156 of the world’s best professional and amateur senior (over the age of 50) golfers to Sahalee Country Club.  Featured players expected to compete include: Fred Couples, Greg Norman, Tom Lehman, Fred Funk, Jay Haas, Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller and Mark O’Meara. NBC and ESPN will provide more than 16 hours of television coverage of the championship.  For additional information about the championship, visit www.2010ussenioropen.com.

About the USGA

The USGA is the national governing body of golf in the USA and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the world’s golfers and golf courses. 

The Association’s most visible role is played out each season in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open.  Ten additional USGA national championships are exclusively for amateurs and include the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, tests and regulates equipment, provides expert course maintenance consultations, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System and administers an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program, which has allocated more than $63 million over 12 years to successful programs that bring the game’s values to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with disabilities. For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.

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Contacts:

Sarah Knowlton – 2010 U.S. Senior Open - sknowlton@brunoeventteam.com - (205) 977-9350

Mike Zinga – 2010 U.S. Senior Open - mike.zinga@sahalee.com - (425) 868-8800

Dave Fanucchi - USGA - dfanucchi@usga.org – (908) 234-2300