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2007 USDGC's
Official Press Release
February 27, 2007 - Michelob Ultra Partners With National Championship
(St. Louis) St. Louis based Anheuser Busch and the Michelob Ultra brand have joined
the United States Deaf Golf Championships as the official hospitality sponsor for the 2007 tournament. "We are pleased to have the
'King of Beers' involved with the national championship," said tournament director Rob Strano. "To have the hometown support of a great
company like Anheuser Busch shows how committed they are to making this a great event for the players traveling to St. Louis. Michelob
Ultra joins other sponsors: The Tourism Bureau of Southwestern Illinois and Enterprise Rental Car. The Far Oaks Golf Club pavilion will
be the Michelob Ultra Hospitality Pavilion and be a place for players and fans to relax and watch the competition from a comfortable
location overlooking the beautiful water guarded 9th green. The St. Louis based brewery has a long history of involvement in major
sporting events including the Super Bowl. They have been a regular supporter of golf worldwide with Michelob Ultra the official sponsor
of PGA TOUR golfer Sergio Garcia and
LPGA Tour Ambassadors Natalie Gulbis, Grace Park and Lorie Kane and is the title sponsor of the LPGA Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill in
Williamsburg, Virginia.
February 7, 2007 - Tourism Bureau Joins Championships as Sponsor
(St. Louis) The Tourism Bureau of Southwestern Illinois has joined forces with the
United States Deaf Golf Championships as an official event sponsor. The bureau will support the players, staff and guests with local
information that will include lodging, dining, events and any other needs for those traveling to the tournament. "I am very pleased to
have the support of a great organization like this. They will bring so much to our event and be of great assistance to our tournament
staff and players," USDGA President Keith Worek said. Tournament Director Rob Strano added, "The Tourism Bureau is the first of some
exciting announcements for the championships regarding sponsors. There really is a buzz about this event nationally and as we make
some of these announcements people are going to really get excited about competing for the national championship."
The Tourism Bureau represents the 9 counties immediately adjacent to St. Louis. They
provide support for events and travelers to the region and have a specialized staff that includes individuals with experience in
servicing national sporting events like the United States Deaf Golf Championships.
Old Veterans Will Return Back to 2007 USDGC
Gerald Isobe, Susan Zupnik, Doren Granberry, Bill Roberts, Patty Sue Ploysa and Wally DeVe are a
few of the top players expected to travel to St. Louis to compete for the National Championship this July.
June 1, 2006 - New Golf Channel Hopes to Cover 2007 USDGC
(Washington, DC) Golfwebcast.tv welcome to the future of sports media event coverage. Recently, this new
media group has been covering USDGA events. They first did an interview with USDGA Executive Director Rob Strano at the PGA Merchandise Show
in Orlando this winter. That segment was well received in the Deaf Community as viewership for those 6 minutes with Mr. Strano caused
Golfwebcast.tv to commit more resources to cover the demand from Deaf individuals that wanted to watch the session live. Most recently, they
had a crew cover the first LPGA Championship Girls Deaf Golf Camp at Mountain Branch Golf Club, North of Baltimore. This event was for the
young ladies from the Maryland School for the Deaf. Several LPGA pros took time out of tournament preparation to give the girls a private
golf clinic then stayed for photos and autographs. This program will be available for viewing in the near future, watch for the USDGA to
announce when you can access it online.
Golfwebcast.tv is part of the TV Worldwide family of networks. This group has expressed interest in covering the
23rd United States Deaf Golf Championships on their golf channel. Negotiations continue and look favorable for the webcasting to
take place in a same day telecast from Far Oaks in St. Louis. There would also be a preview show from the practice round as well as a follow
up after the champions have been crowned. The coverage would be archived for one year, so it is available to be viewed more than one time.
The USDGA is excited at the opportunity to take the National Championship coverage worldwide, so that everyone
can see the best deaf golfers in the US, from the beautiful Far Oaks Golf Club. Stay tuned for more information.
March
30, 2006 - Drury Inn Selected as the Local Hotel for
Championships
 (St. Louis) The USDGA recently made the first of
many site visits for the upcoming 23rd United States Deaf Golf Championships. One of the major tasks of the team
representing the USDGA is the needs of the players, both on and off the course. With that in mind the USDGA has selected the Drury
Inn in Fairview Heights, Illinois as the host hotel for the tournament.
Located only minutes from Far Oaks Golf Club, the Drury is at the center of area commerce. There are many restaurants within walking
distance and many more only a few minutes drive away. Also, St. Clair Square shopping mall is within one mile and downtown St. Louis
is only 15 minutes away.
 One of the major reasons for the
selection of the Drury was their enthusiasm to host the players and staff as well as the donation of meeting space for the
tournament. The first floor meeting room is located just off the main atrium lobby. The room will be the hospitality center for the
tournament. Each day the players can go there to relax and watch television, have a snack, hang out with friends or call home on one
of several video phones (under negotiation). Local information will also be available from staff and volunteers working in the
hospitality center. This will also be the tournament headquarters. So for all competitive information including tee times and
scoring this will be the place for the players to check in when away from the course. There will also be a shuttle running to and
from Far Oaks for the players and families.
The USDGA is excited about the relationship established with our host hotel. This will be a great gathering place for players and
families during the tournament week. A definite first class facility for what is sure to be an exciting tournament week. For
reservation information click on the “Host Hotel” tab at the top of the page.
For more information on the Drury Inn visit their website:
http://www.druryhotels.com/properties/fairviewheights.cfm
May 1, 2006 - USDGA Announces Exemption Plan For 2007 Championships
(Washington, DC) With the competitive golf season well underway, the USDGA is
excited to make its first major announcement for the 2007 National Championships to be played in St.
Louis.
Following the examples of the USGA and the PGA Tour, the USDGA has implemented an exemption program for the
Championships. The goal of this plan is to make sure that the best deaf golfers are playing for the biggest prize on the 2007 schedule.
There are several categories that identify the exempt golfers. These are: Past Champions, Top 5 from 22nd Championship tournament
in Rochester, and the top 2 finishers in Regional and State Deaf Golf Championships from June 1st 2006 through June 1st
2007. The USDGA is currently negotiating with these Deaf Golf Associations to ensure that their players have the opportunity to gain the
exemptions. Also exempt are the Deaf Golf Champions from countries worldwide.
What the exemption allows is for the player to enter the Championships without having to pay the entry fee. In
the past that cost has been almost $400. The USDGA wants to see the “best of the best” in the Deaf Golf Community competing in St. Louis for
the men’s, women’s and senior titles.
For the current exempt players list select one of the categories below:
Men’s Women’s
Seniors
Look for future information and announcements here, the official home of the 23rd United States Deaf
Golf Championships!
Are you the Director of a Regional or State Deaf Tournament and interested in having your
players eligible for Exemptions into the 2007 United States Deaf Golf Championships?
January 13, 2006 - Far Oaks Golf Club to Host
2007 USDGC
Washington.
D.C. - Far Oaks Golf Club in Caseyville, Ill., near St. Louis, will host the 22nd national championship for the deaf the
USDGA has announced. The championship will be played from July 16-20, 2007.
The course designed by Belleville, Ill. native and local resident, 1968 Masters
Champion Bob Goalby, opened in 1999 and has a
rating of 73.3 and a slope of 141 from the back tees. For the championship, the zoyzia grass fairways and bent grass greens can be
stretched to 7,083 yards for the men and will test the best deaf
golfers from across the United States.
The championship will be contested over 72 holes and will determine the national
champion deaf golfer for Men, Women and Seniors. The defending Men’s champion is Doren Granberry from California, who won in a
playoff over Missouri native and 7 time National Champion Bill Roberts. Roberts was victorious the last time the event was held in
St. Louis, the 1997 championship, at the historic Normandie Park Golf Club.
Also, this event marks the final qualifying tournament for the 2008 World Deaf Golf
Championships. At the end of the competition the team for the 2008 WDGC in Australia will be selected and announced.
Prior to 2007, the previous two championships were played in Rochester, N.Y. and
Pinehurst, N.C.
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