ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Diamond Resorts™ announced today the initial group of world-class sports and entertainment celebrities confirmed to play in the inaugural Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions™, Jan. 17-20, 2019, at Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Resort Orlando in Florida.
Hall of Famers Ray Allen, Brian Urlacher, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, John Smoltz and Marcus Allen; six-time Cy YoungAward Winner Roger Clemens; Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester; Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander; former NASCAR champion Michael Waltrip; NHL star Jeremy Roenick; and actors Alfonso Ribeiro and Jack Wagner will be among the celebrities playing alongside LPGA winners from the past two seasons in the unique tournament.
To date, 34 LPGA professionals have qualified to play by virtue of being a tournament winner in 2017 and/or 2018, including Brittany Lincicome, Brooke Henderson, In-Kyung Kim, Michelle Wie, Shanshan Feng, Inbee Park and Sung Hyun Park. For the full list of qualified LPGA players, visit DiamondLPGA.com/players.
As an official LPGA Tour event and its 2019 season opener, the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions will feature two tournaments within one. The women will compete for $1.2 million in official prize money over 72 holes of stroke play with no cut, while the celebrities will compete for their own $500,000 purse utilizing a Modified Stableford scoring format. Threesomes may include a combination of LPGA professionals and sports and entertainment celebrities, and all LPGA players or all celebrities.
All four days will be nationally televised, with Thursday and Friday on Golf Channel, and Saturday and Sunday on NBC network.
Former top-ranked American tennis player Mardy Fish, who won Diamond's former tournament, the Diamond Resorts Invitational in 2016 and 2018, is one of the first 17 celebrities to have confirmed his participation. Joining him will be former MLB All-Star pitcher Mark Mulder, who won Diamond's previous tournament in 2017. Also playing are Mark Rypien, former Super Bowl MVP; Blair O'Neal, Golf Channel personality; Colt Ford, country music singer and songwriter; and Chad Pfeifer, Bush Institute Warrior Open Champion.
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