The Boeing Company, Virginia Mason Medical Center and the Champions Tour have announced that the Boeing Classic will continue under the existing operating agreement through 2012. In its three-year history, the event has raised more than $2.3 million for The Heart Institute at Virginia Mason Medical Center.
The Boeing Classic has established itself as one of the top stops on the senior circuit for sponsor and spectator attendance, player experiences and charitable dollars raised. In 2007, the event drew 60,000 spectators and set a single-day attendance mark when 27,000 fans. Denis Watson prevailed in the historic seven-man playoff to capture his second Champions Tour title.
The 2008 Boeing Classic will be held August 18-24 at the Jack Nicklaus-designed TPC Snoqualmie Ridge in Snoqualmie, Wash. The event will feature Watson, voted by his peers as the 2007 Champions Tour Rookie of the Year, and 77 other players. Some of the most recognizable names in golf are now on the Champions Tour, including Mark O'Meara, Craig Stadler, Ben Crenshaw, Peter Jacobsen, Tom Kite and Fuzzy Zoeller, all of whom have competed in the Boeing Classic.
More than the title sponsor, The Boeing Company and its employees are an integral part of the planning, execution and ultimate success of the tournament. "The Boeing Classic is a signature sporting event for the Puget Sound region, and one more way to showcase what makes our communities so special," said Scott Carson, president and CEO for Boeing Commercial Airplanes and tournament co-chair. "Since its inaugural year, the tournament has had a tremendous charitable impact on the area. Hundreds of people generously volunteer their time and talents each year to make this stop on the PGA Champions Tour exciting for fans and players alike. The Boeing Classic is an example of the good things that happen when people come together for a common purpose, and bringing people together is what Boeing Commercial Airplanes is all about. We are pleased to announce that we intend to continue as title sponsor, and have reached agreement with Virginia Mason and the Champions Tour to extend our support for another four years."
The driving force behind bringing the golf event to the region, Tod Leiweke and the Seattle Seahawks organization have galvanized business leaders in support of the Boeing Classic. "I can think of no better way to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the Boeing Classic than by announcing this extension through 2012," said the CEO of the Seattle Seahawks and Tournament Co-Chair. "The tournament has been a catalyst for bringing community and civic leaders together not only to bring professional golf to Seattle area golf fans each year, but also to demonstrate how area businesses and fans can raise substantial charitable dollars for The Heart Institute at Virginia Mason."
"The Boeing Classic now lists three past champions - David Eger in 2005, World Golf Hall of Fame Member Tom Kite in 2006, and Denis Watson last year. But all of us associated with The Heart Institute at Virginia Mason are gratified to acknowledge that charity and our patients are also big winners each year," said Chairman and CEO Virginia Mason Medical Center, and Tournament Co-Chair Gary Kaplan, M.D.
The Champions Tour has seen tremendous growth, having set new marks for television ratings and attendance as the strength of the field and player popularity continues to improve. "The Boeing Classic has quickly established itself as a one of our premier events, largely because The Boeing Company has supported this tournament in the same first-class manner they have long demonstrated to the customers and communities they serve," said Champions Tour President Rick George. "Our players and their families look forward to visiting the Pacific Northwest each year and in partnership with Boeing and Virginia Mason we are proud to continue to present our great product to sports fans in the Greater Seattle area.
"This agreement also marks the first of what we anticipate to be more extension announcements with some of our other events later this spring and summer, further demonstrating the robust health the Champions Tour is enjoying coming off another banner season in 2007."
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