2003 U.S. Senior Open Fact Sheet

June 26-29
Inverness Club
Toledo, Ohio

PAR AND YARDAGE – Inverness Club is set at 6,983 yards and par is 35-36--71.

THE ARCHITECT – Inverness Club was designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1903. Prior to U.S. Opens, Inverness called upon A.W. Tillinghast, Dick Wilson and Tom and George Fazio to make revisions. Club member Arthur Hills provided more revisions for the PGAs and the 2002 Senior Open.

DEFENDING CHAMPION – Don Pooley, with a 10-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole with Tom Watson, became the first Senior Open winner to come through sectional qualifying as he won the 2002 championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Baltimore, Md. Pooley, who shot a championship record 8-under-par 63 in the third round, staved off a late challenge by Watson to win his first Senior event. Both players finished 72 holes at 10-under-par 274.

2002 RECAP – Pooley shot a 1-under-par 70 on Sunday. He navigated a streak of 17 straight pars that included holes 5-18 in his final round, most notably three pressure-packed saves on holes 70, 71 and 72 as well as the first three playoff holes.

His steady play countered Watson’s barrage, which was marked by six birdies in the last 10 holes. The 3-hole aggregate playoff was the first into the event’s history. It was the fifth playoff in 23 years of the championship and the first since 1991.

Watson, who shot 4-under-par 67 in the final round, trailed by five shots with 10 holes remaining. His fourth birdie in six holes on the 15^th hole allowed him to catch Pooley at 10-under-par. Watson bogeyed 16 but birdied 17 to pull even again with one hole left.

"I did what I had to do to catch him," Watson said. "In the end, it wasn’t good enough."

Both players registered par 4s at the 72^nd hole and the three-hole playoff began on Caves Valley’s 430-yard downhill 16^th hole. Pooley and Watson parred the first two playoff holes – 16 with both making up and downs and 17, where Pooley hit a brilliant bunker shot to save par. On 18, Watson made a 12-foot putt to save par and Pooley missed his chance to win from eight feet.

They returned to the 18^th to begin sudden death. Both drained short birdies on No.18, first Pooley, then Watson.

Then for the fourth time together on Sunday, Pooley and Watson played the 456-yard, par 4 18^th hole. Pooley drove into the fairway. Watson’s drive found the left rough and his second shot was in thick rough on the back right of the green.

Pooley’s 7-iron shot second shot landed on the apron and rolled to 10 feet right of the hole. Watson’s chip was wide of the hole and set up Pooley for the winning putt.

QUOTING THE CHAMPION, DON POOLEY – "To win the U.S. Senior Open as my first senior event, it doesn’t get better than that," said Pooley. "That is the top."

TICKETS – A total of 22,500 tickets per day will be sold for the 2003 U.S. Senior open. Tickets of $250 and $125 per admission are available. For more information, please call the Championship Office at (419) 578-2003 or visit the Senior Open website at www.2003senioropen.com. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the 2003 Senior Open will be donated to 10 local charities.

MEDIA CONFERENCE WITH DON POOLEY – Defending champion Don Pooley will meet with all interested credentialed media at 2:30 p.m. (tentatively) on Tuesday, June 24, in the Media Center at Inverness Club. The complete schedule of pre-championship interviews will be published and distributed prior to championship week at the Media Center.

PAIRINGS AND STARTING TIMES – Pairings and starting times will be available approximately June 21 or June 22 after sectional qualifying has been completed. They will be posted on the USGA Internet site at www.usga.org.

USGA INTERVIEW HOTLINE – Listen to the USGA Interview Hotline for pre-championship interviews in broadcast quality. Hear Don Pooley and half dozen contenders by calling toll-free (888) 321-USGA in June. You can also access them over the USGA Internet site at www.usga.org.

WWW.USGA.ORG -- Log onto the USGA Internet www.usga.org for the latest U.S. Senior Open information during the Championship.

PURSE – The 2003 purse is $2.6 million, up from $2.5 million in 2002, and the winner receives $475,000.

FORMAT – The championship is played at stroke play over 72 holes. There are 156 players in the championship field, comprised of those advancing from sectional qualifying, and those exempt from sectional qualifying. After 36 holes, the field is cut to the 60 lowest scorers and ties and anyone within 10 strokes of the leader.

PLAYOFF FORMAT – If a playoff is needed, the U.S. Senior Open will use a multiple-hole, aggregate score format. If there is a tie or ties at the end of 72 holes, a 3- or 4-hole playoff will follow immediately. If the playoff results in a tie, play will continue hole-by-hole until a champion is determined.

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY – First played in 1980, this is the 24th U.S. Senior Open Championship.

TELEVISION COVERAGE – A total of 14 hours of live television is slated for the 2003 U.S. Senior Open. All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Date	Network	Broadcast Hours (EDT)
June 25	ESPN	4:30-5 p.m. (preview show)
June 26	ESPN	2-6 p.m.
June 27	ESPN	2-6 p.m.
June 28	NBC	3-6 p.m.
June 29	NBC	3-6 p.m.

A playoff for the 2003 U.S. Senior Open would be played Sunday, June 29, starting immediately after the completion of 72 holes. NBC would broadcast the playoff in its entirety.

USGA AND INVERNESS – The Senior Open is making its first stop at Inverness in 2003. However, Inverness served as the site of the four U.S. Opens and the 1973 U.S. Amateur (won by Craig Stadler). The U.S. Opens at Inverness were 1920 (won by Edward Ray), 1931 (won by Billy Burke), 1957 (won by Dick Mayer) and 1979 (won by Hale Irwin). In fact, the 1931 Open was the longest playoff in history as Burke and George Von Elm took an extra 72 holes to decide the champion. The 1920 Open was the first for Bob Jones and Gene Sarazen and the 1957 championship was the first for Jack Nicklaus.

STEEPED IN HISTORY: Inverness Club celebrates its Centennial Year in 2003. Byron Nelson, the 1939 U.S. Open champion who also won four other Majors, was the club professional from 1940-45. In addition to the four U.S. Opens and the 1973 Amateur, the club has served as host of the 1986 and 1993 PGA Championships. One of the club’s founding members, S.P. Jermain, was credited with conceiving the idea for the Ryder Cup Matches after the 1920 U.S. Open.

MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS: In addition to five USGA championships, the Inverness Club has hosted the 1986 and 1993 PGA Championships, which both were won in dramatic fashion, both at the expense of Greg Norman. In 1986, Bob Tway holed a bunker shot on the 72^nd hole for birdie and a two-shot victory over the ‘Great White Shark.’ In 1993, Paul Azinger, birdied four the final seven holes to force a playoff with Norman, and then won the title on the second playoff hole.

THE CLOCK: In 1920, Inverness hosted the U.S. Open, which was the U.S. Open debut for both Bob Jones and Gene Sarazen. For the first time in golf history the professionals playing in the Championship were allowed access into the clubhouse. As a remembrance of this gesture, the players of the 1931 U.S. Open took up a collection and presented the Club with a huge cathedral chime clock on the final day of the tournament. The clock is still there today.

TOLEDO AND GOLF: The LPGA’s highly-successful Jamie Farr Kroger Classic has been contested in Toledo since 1984. Crowds of 12-15,000 attend during the weekend.

OHIO AND THE USGA: Ohio, which is celebrating its Bi-Centennial in 2003, will be host for its 33rd USGA championship and third Senior Open when the 2003 Senior Open arrives in Toledo. The most recent championship was the 1998 Mid-Amateur at NCR Club. The previous Senior Opens in the Buckeye State were in 1996 at Canterbury in Cleveland and Scioto C.C. in Columbus in 1986. The first USGA championship in Ohio was the 1907 U.S. Amateur at the Euclid Club in Cleveland and the first Amateur Public Links Championship was played in 1922 at Ottawa Park in Toledo.

REPEAT AND MULTIPLE WINNERS – Miller Barber (1984 and 1985) and Gary Player (1987 and 1988) are the only players with back–to–back Senior Open victories. Hale Irwin (1998 and 2000) and Jack Nicklaus (1991 and 1993), are the only other multiple winners.

EXEMPT PLAYERS – A total of 79 players are exempt into the 156-player Senior Open field.

WINNERS OF U.S. OPEN & U.S. SENIOR OPEN – With his victory at Riviera Country Club in 1998, Hale Irwin became the seventh man to win both the U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open. Here’s a table detailing these multiple winners:

Name	U.S. Open	U.S. Senior Open
Billy Casper	1959, 1966	1983
Hale Irwin	1974, 1979, 1990	1998, 2000
Orville Moody	1969	1989
Jack Nicklaus	1962, 1967, 1972, 1980	1991, 1993
Arnold Palmer	1960	1981
Gary Player	1965	1987, 1988
Lee Trevino	1968, 1971	1990

PAST CHAMPIONS – All 18 past champions are exempt for future Senior Opens.

Note: The champions in italics did not enter in 2002.

TWO TEES – Players start on both the first and 10^th tees during competition on Thursday and Friday, beginning at 7:15 a.m.

EXEMPT AMATEURS – Nine amateurs are exempt from qualifying for the 2003 Senior Open, including 2002 USGA Senior Amateur champion Greg Reynolds. Others who are exempt are: .Bob Clark of Murrietta, Calif. (low amateur at the 2002 Senior Open) and Kemp Richardson of Laguna Niguel, Calif., (2001 USGA Senior Amateur); George Zahringer III of New York, N.Y. (2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion); Bill Baloh of Herminie, Pa., Mark Bemoski of Mukwonago, Wisc. and Curt Madson of Mount Dora, Fla. (semifinalists from the 2002 USGA Senior Amateur) and 1986 U.S. Amateur champion Stewart ‘Buddy’ Alexander of Gainesville, Fla. Vinny Giles of Richmond, Va., the 1972 U.S. Amateur champion, was given a special exemption.

2003 ENTRIES – In 2003, the USGA accepted 2,788 entries. The record is 3,101 in 2002..

WHO CAN ENTER – The Senior Open is open to any professional or amateur with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 3.4 who turns 50 on or before June 26, 2003.

SECTIONAL QUALIFYING AT 45 SITES FROM JUNE 2-16: Sectional qualifying will be conducted at 42 sites from June 2-16. The closest local sites to Inverness are Belmont C.C. in Toledo on June 10, Wedgewood G.&C.C. in Columbus on June 12.

HOLE-BY-HOLE – Inverness Club will play at 6,983 yards, par 71.

Holes 1 - 9
Hole No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out
Yards	395	380	194	460	431	228	456	554	413	3,511
Par	4	4	3	4	4	3	4	5	4	35

Holes 10 - 18
Hole No.	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In
Yards	363	373	168	511	428	441	399	435	354	3,472
Par	4	4	3	5	4	4	4	4	4	336

FUTURE SENIOR OPENS -- The U.S. Senior Open will be played at Bellerive C.C. in St. Louis, Mo., July 29-August 1, 2004; at NCR Country Club in Dayton, Ohio, July 28-31, 2005, and at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore., August 3-6, 2006.

CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICE – The championship office address is: 2003 U.S. Senior Open, 4405 Dorr St., Toledo, Ohio 43607. Judd Silverman is the championship director. He can be reached at (419) 578-2003.

USGA MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACTS – For more information contact Pete Kowalski at 908-234-2300. The Media Center at The Inverness Club will be staffed as of June 19. The Media Center phone number is (419) 720-3700 and the Media Center fax number is (419) 720-3701.

Following is a list of players fully exempt for the 2003 U.S. Senior Open:

FULLY EXEMPT PLAYERS FOR THE 2003 U.S. SENIOR OPEN (79)

Jim Albus	16
Buddy Alexander (a)	22
Isao Aoki	9, 16,18
Bill Baloh (a)	12
Dave Barr	17, 18
Mark Bemoski (a)	12
John Bland	9, 15, 16
Jose Maria Canizares	9
Bob Clark (a)	11
Jim Colbert	16
Ben Crenshaw	4, 14, 16
Rodger Davis	15, 17, 18
Jim Dent	16
Ed Dougherty	9, 15, 16
Dale Douglass	1, 16
Allen Doyle	7, 9, 15-18
Seiji Ebihara	19
David Eger	17, 18
Dave Eichelberger	1, 16, 18
Vicente Fernandez	9, 16-18
Bruce Fleisher	1, 15-18
Raymond Floyd	7, 9, 14-16
Fred Gibson	9
Bob Gilder	9, 15-18
Vinny Giles (a)	23
Stewart Ginn	9, 15, 18
David Graham	16
Hubert Green	15, 16, 18
Walter Hall	9, 15, 18
Morris Hatalsky	9, 15, 18
Joe Inman	18
Hale Irwin	1, 7, 9, 15-18
John Jacobs	15, 16, 18
Tom Jenkins	15-18
Tom Kite	9, 14-18
Larry Laoretti	1
Wayne Levi	15
Bruce Lietzke	9, 15-18
Curt Madson (a)	12
Graham Marsh	1, 16
James Mason	18
Terry Mauney	9
Gary McCord	15
Mike McCullough	15, 16, 18
Mark McCumber	16
Gil Morgan	9, 15-18
Bob Murphy	16
Larry Nelson	9, 15-18
Jack Nicklaus	1, 16
Andy North	18
Christy O'Connor	18
Arnold Palmer	1
Gary Player	1, 16
Don Pooley	1, 9, 15, 18
Tom Purtzer	15, 17, 18
Dana Quigley	9, 15-18
Sammy Rachels	15, 18
Greg Reynolds (a)	12
Kemp Richardson (a)	12
Bill Rogers	22
John Schroeder	9, 18
Jay Sigel	9, 15, 16, 18
Des Smyth	17
J.C. Snead	15, 16, 18
Craig Stadler	22
Dave Stockon	1, 16, 18
Noboru Sugai	8
Bruce Summerhays	16
Doug Tewell	7, 9, 15, 16, 18
Leonard Thompson	16, 18
Jim Thorpe	9, 15, 17, 18
Steve Veriato	18
Bobby Wadkins	9, 15, 17
Lanny Wadkins	14-16, 18
Tom Wargo	7, 16, 18
Tom Watson	7, 9, 15-18
George Zahringer (a)	12
Fuzzy Zoeller	7, 15, 16, 18

(a) = amateur

Key to Player Exemptions --

1. Former winners of the U.S. Senior Open.
2. Winners of the U.S. Open in the last 10 years. (1994-2003)
3. Winners of the U.S. Amateur in the last 10 years. (1993-2002)
4. Winners of the Masters Tournament in the last 10 years (1994-2003)
5. Winners of the British Open in the last 10 years (1993-2002)
6. Winners of the PGA Championship in the last 10 years. (1993-2002)
7. Winners of the PGA Seniors Championship in the last 10 years. (1994-2003)
8. Winner of the 2002 British Senior Open Championship.
9. The 25 lowest scorers and ties from the 2002 U.S. Senior Open.
10. From the 2003 U.S. Open, any amateur returning a 72-hole score
11. The low amateur at the 2002 U.S. Senior Open.
12. From the U.S. Amateur Public Links, U.S. Mid-Amateur and USGA Senior Amateur, the winners from the last two years and the semifinalists from the most recent championships
13. Playing members of the 1999 and 2001 USA Walker Cup teams and 2000 and 2002 USA World Amateur Teams
14. Playing members of the U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams in the last 10 years. (1993-2002)
15. The top 30 money leaders from the 2002 Champions Tour money list.
16. The top 50 players on the Champions Tour all-time money list through May 14, 2003.
17. The top 20 money leaders on the 2003 Champions Tour money list through May 14, 2003.
18. Winners of Champions Tour events in the last three years (2000-2002) and the current calendar year.
19. The leading money winner from the 2002 Senior PGA European Tour Order of Merit
20. Any player in his first five years of age eligibility for U.S. Open winners
21. Any player turning 50 in the last calendar year who has won a U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, Masters Tournament, British Open, British Amateur, or PGA Championship (one-time exemption)
22. Special exemptions as selected by the USGA Executive Committee.