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The BMW Charity Pro-Am Golf Tournament is off to a star-studded start with golf legend Jack Nichlaus and film star Kevin Costner playing the inaugural round at the beautiful new Cliffs at Walnut Cove course, just south of Asheville in Avery�s Creek. The annual pro-am tournament continues through Sunday, with play at each of The Cliffs� golf courses through Saturday. Sunday�s final round will be played at The Cliffs Valley course, off of Highway 25, in Upstate South Carolina. All four rounds are being televised live by The Golf Channel.The BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs is the only tournament on the Nationwide PGA Tour where amateurs and celebrities are grouped with Nationwide PGA Tour professionals in a four-day better-ball competition. Amateurs, celebrities, and pros will rotate between each of the three courses on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with the 14 lowest scoring pro-amateur/pro-celebrity teams advancing to play Sunday's final round. The event is great fun, even for non-golfers, as spectators enjoy the spring weather and get a chance to see some of their favorite sports, television, and big screen personalities. Celebrities who are playing in this year's event include Kevin Costner and his wife Christine, Catherine Bell, Kurt Russell, former Vice President Dan Quayle, Brad Daugherty, Kevin Sorbo, Cheech Marin, John O'Hurley and his wife Lisa Mesloh, Steve Spurrier, Lou Holtz, George Rogers, Brian Griese, Steve Bartkowski, Chris Chandler, Don Edwards, Ben Wright, Jennifer Mills, and Steve Nicklaus. Famed international golfer and Grand Slam winner Gary Player will also participate. Play begins at approximately 8:30 AM each morning at all courses. Celebrities will play the following course rotations:
Thursday, Walnut Cove; Friday, Keowee Vineyards; Saturday, Cliffs Valley:
Player tee times can be found on the tournament's web site at www.bmwcharitygolf.com. The professional winner of the overall 72-hole event will take home $112,500 from the total purse of $625,000, which is one of the largest purses on the Nationwide Tour. Amateurs and celebrities will compete for individual prizes and cash donations to the charity of their choice out of the beneficiaries selected by South Carolina Charities, Inc. Last spring's events raised a record $763,646 for 31 Upstate and Western North Carolina charities. The first four tournaments have raised more than $2.4 million for area charities. General Admission tickets for the 2005 BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs can be purchased for $25 through one of the 28 selected charities or by calling 864-297-1660. Children 14 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. For more information on the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs golf tournament, please call 864-297-1660 or visit the tournament's web site at www.bmwcharitygolf.com. Owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Nationwide Tour is in its 16th season in 2005. Nationwide, one of the world's largest insurance and financial services providers, is in its third year as the umbrella sponsor of the Tour. The 2005 season will consist of 31 events played in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Panama, and 22 US states. Purses will top $16 million this year. The Top 20 money winners on the season will automatically earn playing privileges on the 2006 PGA TOUR. The PGA TOUR is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and its web site is www.pgatour.com. (Photos provided by BMW Manufacturing.)
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