For Release: Monday, December 7, 2015
PGA TOUR AND DAP ANNOUNCE NEW WEB.COM TOUR FINALS EVENT IS COMING TO CLEVELAND IN 2016-2018
-The LeBron James Family Foundation Named Tournament Beneficiary;
Storied Canterbury Golf Club to Host DAP Championship in September-
CLEVELAND, Ohio / PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR and Medina, Ohio-based RPM International, Inc. today announced a new Web.com Tour event will be played in Cleveland, beginning in 2016, with The LeBron James Family Foundation named the tournament’s beneficiary.
The DAP Championship has been named one of the four Web.com Tour Finals’ events that determine which 50 players earn PGA TOUR cards for the following season. Canterbury Golf Club, with its history of hosting golf championships, will be the Web.com Tour’s new home in Cleveland.
A three-year agreement for 2016-18 is in place. Dates for the 2016 DAP Championship will be Sept. 5-11. It will be the first in the Web.com Tour Finals’ lineup.
Similar to the other three Web.com Tour Finals’ events, the DAP Championship purse will be $1 million, with $180,000 earmarked for the champion.
Golf Channel will televise all four competitive rounds in the United States (Sept. 8-11), with the event having the potential to reach an additional 93 million homes via the PGA TOUR’s international broadcasting operation.
As a Web.com Tour Finals’ event, the 2016 DAP Championship field will include approximately 130 players, comprised of the 75 leading Web.com Tour money winners at the conclusion of the Regular Season and those players who finish Nos. 126-200 in the FedExCup and are not otherwise exempt on the PGA TOUR in 2016-17. Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, plus other PGA TOUR winners Jonathan Byrd, Stuart Appleby, Tommy Gainey, Robert Garrigus and Kyle Stanley, were among those who competed in the 2015 Web.com Tour Finals. A trio of October Web.com Tour graduates who have already won on the PGA TOUR this season – Emiliano Grillo, Smylie Kaufman and Peter Malnati – also competed in the Finals.
“The addition of the DAP Championship to the Web.com Tour schedule and the Web.com Tour Finals, in particular, is terrific news,” said Web.com Tour president Bill Calfee. “DAP, along with storied Canterbury Golf Club and The LeBron James Family Foundation, provides the nucleus for great things ahead for all of us in Cleveland. We welcome these new partners and look forward to raising the tournament’s impact on the area significantly.”
DAP Products Inc., a subsidiary of RPM International, Inc., is headquartered in Baltimore, MD and is a leading manufacturer and supplier of caulks, sealants, adhesives, insulating foam, spackling, glazing and other general patch and repair products. DAP has a history of first-to-market innovations with trusted quality, reliable and long-lasting products for professional contractors, remodelers and do-it-yourselfers.
“Partnering with the Web.com Tour for the DAP Championship in September is a great opportunity for DAP,” said DAP President Terry Horan, “Not only will we be participating in an event which is part of a global organization that represents world class performance, integrity and service to the community, we will be supporting The LeBron James Family Foundation.”
As part of its long-standing commitment to giving back to the local community, the DAP Championship has named the Akron, Ohio-based LeBron James Family Foundation the recipient of the tournament’s proceeds. Through this partnership, the event will assist the Foundation in its mission to positively affect the lives of children and young adults through education and co-curricular educational initiatives.
“As an organization with a deep commitment to our local community, we are thrilled to be a part of this world-class event as it makes its debut in Northeast Ohio,” said Michele Campbell, Executive Director of The LeBron James Family Foundation. “A big part of what we do is involving our community and our students in experiences that enrich their lives, and this is another great opportunity to do just that. We look forward to working with the PGA TOUR and DAP to make this an amazing event that will benefit our students as they work hard to earn their educations.”
http://lebronjamesfamilyfoundation.org/
With the DAP Championship being played as a new Web.com Tour Finals’ event in Cleveland, the Web.com Tour’s Rust-Oleum Championship, which was held in 2014 and 2015 in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake, will have a new home at Ivanhoe Club in Mundelein, IL. Ivanhoe Club is located in the northwest suburb of Chicago and is very near to Rust-Oleum’s headquarters in Vernon Hills, IL. The Rust-Oleum Championship will be contested June 6-12, 2016. DAP and Rust-Oleum are both members of the multinational RPM family of brands.
“RPM is excited to bring championship golf back to Northeast Ohio,” said Ron Rice, President and Chief Operating Officer of RPM International Inc. “We are a global leader in our industry, but we are also a Cleveland-based company with strong ties to our community. By partnering with The LeBron James Family Foundation and a club with the rich history of Canterbury, our goal is to give back to all who love this game by delivering an exciting Web.com Tour Finals event that leaves a positive footprint both locally and abroad. I’m most excited about the impact the event will have on our community and the children who are so important to our future, as well as the opportunity to partner with such a passionate group of people at The LeBron James Family Foundation, whose mission aligns so perfectly with ours.”
Designed by Englishman Herbert Strong, founded in 1921 and opened for play in 1922, Canterbury’s long history of hosting important golf championships began with the Western Open in 1932, won by Walter Hagen. The club has gone on to stage two U.S. Opens, two U.S. Amateurs, a PGA Championship (won by Jack Nicklaus in 1973), four Senior Players Championships (two of which were won by Arnold Palmer), a U.S. Senior Open and a Senior PGA Championship (won by former Web.com Tour member Michael Allen in 2009).
Canterbury is one of only two clubs to have hosted all five major golf championships that rotate throughout the U.S. It has perennially been ranked among the top-100 golf courses in the United States. Among its club professionals over the years was 1938 Masters champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Henry Picard.
“The membership of Canterbury Golf Club is excited and honored to host the upcoming DAP Championship on the Web.com Tour. Canterbury has been fortunate to have crowned 13 major champions over our history, including hosting all five of the rotating Major Championships,” said Jim Morrissey, General Chairman of the DAP Championship. “We look forward to re-introducing our historic golf course to the next generation of golfers and witnessing the incredibly talented future stars of the PGA TOUR. We wish to thank DAP and the Web.com Tour for selecting Canterbury to host this prestigious event.”
The tournament will be run by Cleveland-based Milestone Sports Management, with Principal Jon Wagner serving as Executive Director of the event, and Kevin Krisle serving in the role of Tournament Director.
Milestone Sports Management (MSM) is a golf-centric agency which has focused on players and brands via the many platforms that the game provides. By spearheading the movement to bring the Web.com Tour Finals to Cleveland, the company has put a strong focus on its consulting and business development practices in an effort to connect both the community and the charitable efforts of The LeBron James Family Foundation, while bringing PGA TOUR golf back to Northeast Ohio.
“We are thrilled to partner with RPM, a revered Cleveland corporation, as well as Canterbury Golf Club, one of the most celebrated venues in golf, to create a significant impact in our community while joining forces with such a well-respected and benevolent organization as The LeBron James Family Foundation,” said Wagner.
The Web.com Tour is The Path to the PGA TOUR. Each year, 50 PGA TOUR cards for the following season are available via the Web.com Tour – 25 during the Regular Season (January through August) and 25 at the Web.com Tour Finals (September-October).
For more information on the DAP Championship or the Web.com Tour, please visit www.PGATOUR.com.
ABOUT RPM
RPM International Inc. owns subsidiaries that are world leaders in specialty coatings, sealants, building materials and related services across three segments. RPM’s industrial products include roofing systems, sealants, corrosion control coatings, flooring coatings and other construction chemicals. Industrial companies include Stonhard, Tremco, illbruck, Carboline, Flowcrete, and Euclid Chemical. RPM’s consumer products are used by professionals and do-it-yourselfers for home maintenance and improvement and by hobbyists. Consumer brands include Rust-Oleum, DAP, Zinsser, Varathane and Testors. RPM’s specialty products include industrial cleaners, colorants, exterior finishes, specialty OEM coatings, edible coatings, restoration services equipment and specialty glazes for the pharmaceutical and food industries. Specialty segment companies include Day-Glo,Dryvit, RPM Wood Finishes, Mantrose-Haeuser, RPM Belgium, Legend Brands, Kop-Coat, and TCI. Additional details can be found at www.RPMinc.com and by following RPM on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RPMintl.
ABOUT DAP
DAP Products Inc. is Headquartered in Baltimore, MD and is a leading manufacturer and supplier of caulks, sealants, adhesives, insulating foam, spackling, glazing and other general patch and repair products. DAP has a history of first-to-market innovations with trusted quality, reliable and long-lasting products for professional contractors, remodelers and do-it-yourselfers. For more information about DAP products and applications, visit our website at DAP.com
ABOUT THE LEBRON JAMES FAMILY FOUNDATION
Founded in 2004, The LeBron James Family Foundation’s mission is to positively affect the lives of children and young adults through education and co-curricular educational initiatives. The Foundation believes that an education and living an active, healthy lifestyle is pivotal to the development of children and young adults. Staffed entirely by volunteers, including LeBron’s mother Gloria, wife Savannah James, and business partner Maverick Carter, the LJFF staff is dedicated to carrying out this mission. In 2011, in partnership with the Akron Public Schools, The LeBron James Family Foundation began working on the high school dropout crisis facing the Akron community and launched “Wheels for Education.” With its recent expansion into the Akron I PROMISE network, the programs are now serving more than 1,000 Akron-area students by providing them with the programs, support and mentors they need for success in school.
ABOUT CANTERBURY GOLF CLUB
Canterbury Golf Club is situated in the rolling terrains of Cleveland’s eastern suburbs. The club has carved out an unmatched history and tradition in the area. Canterbury is a historic club with a love for golf and a focus on the family experience. A clubhouse renovation was completed in 2009, updating member dining areas and facilities alike. The 56,000 square foot clubhouse has four member dining areas; The Picard Lounge, O’Meara Grille, and two outdoor patios. The Patio is the talk of the club and members boast it is “the best view in town”. From the beginning, the goal of the Club was to produce a golf course capable of challenging the best players in the game during its most prized Championships. Englishman Herbert Strong was chosen by the Club’s founders to design Canterbury. Strong was an excellent player in his own right but his ability to design a golf course would be his enduring legacy. Strong finished his 18-hole design in 1922 and the course was open for play on July 1st of that year. Beginning with the 1932 Western Open to the 2009 Senior PGA Championship, Canterbury has hosted 13 Major Championships. Canterbury is one of only two Clubs in history to have hosted all five of the men’s Major Championships that rotate sites. (The US Open, PGA Championship, US Amateur, Sr. US Open and Sr. PGA Championship). And the list of champions is equally impressive. Honorary Members include: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Dave Stockton, Mark O’Meara, and Bill Campbell in honor of their victories at Canterbury. Longtime Head Golf Professional, Henry Picard, won a PGA Championship and was a Masters Champion. His Masters jacket hangs today in our Heritage Gallery of the Picard Lounge.
ABOUT MILESTONE SPORTS MANAGEMENT
Milestone Sports Management stewards the sport of professional golf in the areas of player representation, corporate consulting, and event management. Representing some of the finest names and brands in the game, Milestone believes in golf’s ability to build, enhance, and amplify brands as well as the game’s power to generate emotion, loyalty, and concrete results. Based in Cleveland, Milestone will be responsible for all sales and operations of the DAP Championship. For more information, please visit www.msmgolf.com.
ABOUT THE WEB.COM TOUR
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Web.Com Tour continues to identify those players who are ready to compete and win on golf’s biggest stage. In 2013, the Web.com Tour became The Path to the PGA TOUR with all 50 available PGA TOUR cards coming through the Web.com Tour and the season culminating at the four-event Web.com Tour Finals. Web.com became the Tour’s umbrella sponsor on June 27, 2012. A 10-year agreement (through 2021) is in place. The Tour is in its 26th year of competition in 2015. Three out of four PGA TOUR members are Web.com Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won 425 PGA TOUR titles, including 21 majors and five PLAYERS Championships. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, surpassed $2 billion in charitable giving in Jan. 2014. To learn more about the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
ABOUT WEB.COM
Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: WWWW) provides a full range of Internet services to small businesses to help them compete and succeed online. Web.com is owner of several global domain registrars and further meets the needs of small businesses anywhere along their lifecycle with affordable, subscription-based solutions including website design and management, search engine optimization, online marketing campaigns, local sales leads, social media, mobile products, eCommerce solutions and call center services. To get more information, visit web.com; follow Web.com on Twitter @webdotcom or on Facebook at facebook.com/web.com. For additional online marketing resources and small business networking, please visit Web.com’s Small Business Summit.
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CONTACT:
Stewart Moore
Director of Communications, PGA TOUR
Tel: 904-543-5227 Cell: 904-540-2765
Email: stewartmoore@nullpgatourhq.com