IN THE NEWS
Jacksonville’s Jeff Klauk Announces He Will Return to Competition Next Month – Commits to Play Nationwide Tour’s Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by Planters
(Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – September 23, 2010) – PGA TOUR member and two-time Nationwide Tour winner Jeff Klauk, who has been idle since May due to a back injury, announced today he will return to competitive golf next month and the Nationwide Tour’s Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by Planters is the first event he has committed to play.
The inaugural Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by Planters will be played Oct. 18-24 on Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass, home of the PGA TOUR, where Klauk grew up playing golf.
“I can’t wait to return to tournament golf,” said Klauk. “It’s been a long summer dealing with my medical issues and all the rehab that goes along with it. I don’t know quite what to expect but I do know I’m really looking forward to playing in the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by Planters. I think it’s great that Winn-Dixie is bringing the Nationwide Tour to the home of the PGA TOUR for the very first time.
“I also think the tournament is a fabulous opportunity to showcase the Dye’s Valley Course,” he added. “I can’t tell you how many times I played it as a kid and how much all those rounds helped improve my golf game over the years. I understand they’ve done a number of things to enhance what is already a very challenging golf course. I think the Nationwide Tour players are going to enjoy their week at TPC Sawgrass very much.”
“We are thrilled to have Jeff Klauk in the field for this first-ever event,” said Jeff Sanders, Executive Director of the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by Planters. “His PGA TOUR experience and his local connections provide the community that much more incentive to come out and support the charities that benefit from the tournament.”
Klauk indicated he also hopes to play Nationwide Tour events in Chattanooga, Tenn. (Oct. 7-10) and Miami, Fla. (Oct. 14-17).
The 32-year-old Klauk played in 13 PGA TOUR events this year before being sidelined in May with a back injury. While recovering from back surgery, Klauk elected to have a procedure done to repair his left ankle which had been an issue for a few years. His last event was THE PLAYERS Championship in May.
The 2000 Florida Southern University graduate has received a Major Medical Exemption from the PGA TOUR for the 2011 season as a result of his back injury. To retain his PGA TOUR card, Klauk will have approximately 16 starts in 2011 on the PGA TOUR to earn the same amount of money or more than that earned by the player who finishes 125th on the final PGA TOUR money list of 2010. He is eligible to play in a maximum of five unofficial money events on the PGA TOUR and/or Nationwide Tour prior to the start of the 2011 season.
From 2002 to 2008, Klauk competed on the Nationwide Tour full time, playing in 177 tournaments. He won twice – in Wichita, Kan. in 2003 and again in 2008 in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Mitchellville, Md. In 2008 Klauk collected $407,418 to finish third on the Nationwide Tour and earn his PGA TOUR card for the first time.
“I owe a lot of my growth as a professional golfer to my experiences on the Nationwide Tour,” Klauk said. “It is a great tour with a very distinct personality where I met a lot of great people and made many friendships. The competition is incredibly tough. If you can do well on the Nationwide Tour, there is no reason you won’t do well on the PGA TOUR.”
Klauk has lived in north Florida since the mid-1980s when his father Fred Klauk was named superintendent at TPC Sawgrass, a position he held until his retirement in 2008. Having literally grown up at the course, Klauk should be as familiar with Dye’s Valley as any player in the 144-man Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by Planters field. As a youngster he played the course, practiced at the Club and worked on the maintenance staff.
Klauk currently resides at Palencia in St. Augustine with his wife, Shanna, a former Florida Southern golf star, and their young son, Jackson, and daughter, Bridget.
The Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presented by Planters will mark the first time the Nationwide Tour has played an event on the First Coast.
Tickets are on sale now at www.winndixiejacksonvilleopen.com, and 100% of all ticket sales go directly to local non-profits through the PepsiCo TICKETS Fore CHARITY™ program. The tournament is produced by Portland, Ore.-based Jeff Sanders Promotions, Inc.
Return to Winn-DixieJacksonvilleOpen.com
