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WGC CADILLAC MATCH PLAY MEDIA DAYFebruary 16, 2015Mark BuellDan BurkeTom ClarkJason DayBrendan DiazEd LeePaul PolizzottoSam PrabakaranCHRIS REIMER: Welcome to TPC Harding Park home of the 2015 World Golf Championships Cadillac Match Play. I'm Chris Reimer, Director of Communications for the PGA TOUR. First, I'll start off by just recognizing some of our special guests here with us today. Tom Clark, our Executive Director of the Cadillac Match Play who we will be hearing from shortly. Welcome Mayor Ed Lee, Mayor of San Francisco, who also has shown great enthusiasm for this event, and we are so excited he could join us. I know Willie Brown will be joining us shortly. He's not quite here yet, but we'll welcome here when he arrives. Couldn't join us today, but Sandy Tatum, former USGA president and integral part of why the PGA TOUR and the Cadillac Match Play are here at Harding Park, who made every effort to bring this facility to where it is today. We have Greg McLaughlin, senior vice president for the PGA TOUR. Greg, thanks for joining us. Greg is a long‑time leader of the Tiger Woods Foundation, and nobody knows more about golf in the Bay Area than Greg. He really helped get this tournament off the ground and is available for comment. We also have with us Mark Buell, president of the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Commission; and Dan Burke, Executive Director of The First Tee of San Francisco who we will be hearing from also. And Sam Prabakaran, West Regional Marketing of Cadillac, who will have a special announcement today about some additional contributions. First off, I just want to talk about my excitement that's building here for the Cadillac Match Play. I'll be starting my 15th year at the PGA TOUR, and every tournament I go to, I get asked, "What's your favorite event on TOUR?" And I usually have to lie and say, well, you know, it's whatever‑whatever. But at this event, I don't have to do that. This is absolutely my favorite event on TOUR. It's one of the most exciting events that you come to. The players are thrilled to have kind of a different format in the match‑play format that we have at this tournament. Usually Wednesday is the opening round and we have 32 matches taking place. In a normal event, you have morning tee times and afternoon tee times and you catch up with three or four guy at the end of each of those waves to talk about their rounds, if they are leading and that's about all the media is interested in, give or take a couple folks who maybe didn't have a great day. At the Cadillac Match Play you have 32 people you have to go talk to, 32 winners and even four or five losers that you have to pull off the green. So the buzz in the air‑‑ Rory and Rickie are finishing up on 16; we have got to get over there and talk to those guys; oh my goodness, Phil and Ian Poulter are going into extra holes. It's really, really an exciting day. And now as Tom will speak to, our new group format, you're going to have three of those days with 32 matches with the best 64 players in the world that are going to be out there teeing it up. Just speaking to what the World Golf Championships are in terms of a PGA TOUR event, a typical PGA TOUR event has about 25 of the best 50 players in the world. The World Golf Championships which are actually a Federation event: They are official on The European Tour. They are official on the PGA TOUR. It's a group; all the different tours from around the world come together. This is going to have all 64 of the top players. So it's basically one step below from the way the players feel from a major championship. We'll talk to Jason Day here in a little bit, and we'll ask him what winning a World Golf Championship means, and almost to a tee, every players say: Boy, it means you've beat the best. It means you've beat the best players in the world. That's a really special message that you can help deliver to the market about what makes these events so great. I was here in 2009 for The Presidents Cup. What a spectacular venue, to a tee. Every player who came here and played talked about this facility, talked about the true test of golf that it is. It proves that you don't have to have 600‑yard par 5s to give a true test of golf. They love the fact that it's a public facility so that everyone can come out and put the ball down on the ground and say, well, this is where Phil Mickelson hit his drive; let's see how I can do. It's one of the rare sports where you can go test yourself on the exact same field that the world's best‑‑ I remember my dad, I love telling the story, but at THE PLAYERS Championship, I took my dad out to play TPC Sawgrass once. He's about 120, his normal score. So he hits a 5‑wood off of 120‑yard par 3, somehow manages to get it on the green, knocks in a 20‑foot birdie putt. And then sits there for the entire tournament and writes down every player that didn't birdie the hole: "I'm better than that guy! I'm better than that guy!" (Laughter). So you guys can all test yourselves against the best players in the world out here today. So for more of just what makes this tournament special, Tom Clark, Executive director of the Cadillac Match Play. Tom? TOM CLARK: Thanks, Chris. That's a great story. 5‑wood, huh? Have to remember that. It's great to see everybody and it's great to be back in San Francisco. Gone for a couple years, but to be back and lead the team here has been a phenomenal charge, it really is. And to come back and see so many people down at Pebble that are here today, thanks for making the trip and making it back. I know it's not that easy. But Chris is right, the excitement here in San Francisco is really growing for the Match Play. The format, a lot of you have heard about it but it's going to be spectacular. We have somebody else that will tell us more about it and his thoughts on it. But I was also here for The Presidents Cup in 2009, and have worked on the Charles Schwab Cup. Those were great events. This is really something special. This is really going to be an event that‑‑ it is about the players and it is about beating the best. That's what the talk in the locker room is, who they beat. So when the 16 players make it Saturday, and then it turns into 16, especially Friday, with the playoff. International reach: Right now I think there are 19 countries, if we were to play right now would be represented in the field. With the rising stars out there‑‑ last year was the first year Tiger and Phil did not have a win, and would to have them, but at the same time we have 25‑year‑old No. 1 player in the world, and all the young guns, pretty exciting to watch those guys go at it. (Video played). When we talk about playing this golf course, this started with the AMEX, and then The Presidents Cup, all together, the players are looking forward to coming back. There's an awful lot of talk about it and I know there will be more clips coming from other players. The other side of it that we talked a little bit about was the Round Robin tournament. It's not one‑and‑done. Most tournaments you go to, everybody is guaranteed to play for at least two days. Here we will have the best players for three days, plus a Pro‑Am day. (Video played). Housekeeping items. There are some phenomenal ticket options, corporate hospitality, private hospitality and we are starting the process of selling sponsors here. The Escalade Lounge at No. 13 is going to be a great location watching everybody. To be successful, we need more of the fans and as every knows, we started this a little bit late. In Presidents Cup, I was here in 2007 for a 2009 event. We need the help and support of the fans and the corporate community‑‑ and also are still in need of some volunteers. We need about a thousand volunteers and we have about 600 volunteers. I'm sure we'll get to those numbers, because walking inside the ropes or being up close and personalis really special. To make this really successful, you need to have someone behind it that believe in the game and the charity it supports and a great golf course. Right now, I would like to introduce the Mayor of San Francisco, Mr.Ed Lee. MAYOR ED LEE: Thanks, Tom and Chris. I'm excited to be here for a number of reasons, but let me again thank sad lack for the sponsorship of this match play. It's incredible. I have been‑‑ as you know, that's my only exercise these days is playing golf. I love coming out here. Today I get to join the Director of Rec & Park, our president of our commission, and going to have a great day. But this course is a very personal course for me. When Mayor Willie Brown was Mayor, he directed in a very strong way, the construction of this very clubhouse in time to be then the World Golf Championships in 2005. And I happened to be the director of public works of San Francisco working under Willie and was very, very glad to do it. I think today, you're looking at a clubhouse that houses one of the top TPC restaurants in all of the United States and now, Golf Channel has declared it one of the best public courses in all of the TPC courses across the United States. That's a well‑earned, well‑deserved recognition. Our city is home to a lot of vibrant sports events. As many of you know, we are so proud to have three World Series Championships in the last five years.  Glad to do that. I see a lot of golfers having the "World Championship" jerseys on today. We are also going to be hosting the Super Bowl, Super Bowl 50, not just any Super Bowl, but Super Bowl 50 will be here in 2016. And for us, not only is it going to be a great event, it's going to be ... (operator interruption). We are also making sure that our professional Golf Association continues to work close with the city to benefit what Sandy Tatum and so many others have done, which is support The First Tee Program which is very important to us, and very important. I also think (audio interruption) ... encourage even more youth to be out here, welcoming the best players in the world go at each other. And I love this format where you can see and meet the players even more for more days. I'm eager to celebrate the Cadillac Match Play right here, the first in this series of collaborations that are between our city, our Harding Park Public Course and the PGA TOUR and PGA of America. That's been a very significant collaboration that I have not seen for a long, long time. But I also want to make sure that I thank the very people that caused this to happen, my former boss, Willie Brown; and then, of course, the clubhouse is named appropriately after my good friend, Sandy Tatum. And he's been such a great, great sponsor, and he has been the connector to our First Tee Program historically, and now to lend his name to this great golf course. And one last fact. It isn't just because it's President's Day. But Chris, you mentioned earlier about the way people play here and how they watch. Well, my last hole‑in‑one was on hole No. 3. And you'll betcha that I'll be up there comparing myself to every player (laughter) saying: Did you make a hole‑in‑one on No. 3? Well, I did. (Laughter). Welcome, everybody, to this match play and glad to see everyone here, and we've got a little great work to do but I'm excited and excited for the city and certainly for what the impact is on all aspects of it. Again, thank you very much for being here. CHRIS REIMER: A lot of times when we have our key local politicians come on site, you're waiting for them to get here. I think Mayor Lee got here at 6:30 this morning. He's ready to go. He is fired up. (Laughter). So that's really exciting. Thank you for all your support and everything that you do. We have a good story coming up from Mark Buell. MARK BUELL: I was going to show you a picture: Four years ago in this room, I met Tim Finchem and we hit it off because we both have played and loved the course on a little island in Scotland called Islay, and the course is the Machrie, and the course, it's one of the most pristine places to play golf. They also have 12 distilleries on the island (laughter). But it was the course that bonded us, and then a little over two years ago, I was down at a Clinton Foundation meeting in the desert just before the Humana, and Tim was speaking and the President invited us out for a round of golf. And I was on the practice range, and Tim came up behind me and he said, "I want to talk to you about something. What do you think about the Match Play coming to San Francisco?" So I tried to not start drooling or get down on my needs and beg. I said: I'd love to continue the conversation." So he said, "Let's do that." So now, fast forward a couple of months, and the first day of the Match Play in Arizona, it got snowed out. It was the most extraordinary phenomena I've ever seen. The Mayor and I happened to be playing golf at Harding. I said to one of the guys in the group, "Take a picture of the two of us." So he did, and I've got it right here. Sun is shining, we're wearing short‑sleeve shirts, and we're having a great time. So I texted Tim with the photo. I said, "Tim, weather's perfect in San Francisco. Having a wonderful time, wish you were here." And within about an hour, I got a text back that said, "Wish I was, too. We'll talk." One thing led to another. The reality of this coming to San Francisco really is a greater testimony to the commitment of elected officials and Phil Ginsburg and the staff at the Recreation & Parks Department in really making this a world class facility. So we are thrilled we are having this event. We can't wait for it, and I hope you get Jason Day on the phone (laughter). Thank you. CHRIS REIMER: Thank you, that's a great story. I was actually on site when it started snowing. I was at college in Tucson, so I was all fired up to be back in Tucson again, and I'll just never‑‑ there's snow and then there's blizzards. Some of the images of the snow‑covered golf carts and cactus. I remember Golf Channel's Steve Sands got in a snowball fight with Roger Maltbie. He was taking it easy because he considers Roger Maltbie an old man, and Roger just beat the heck out of him on national television. So he was just getting killed about letting Roger Maltbie beat him in a snowball fight. At the PGA TOUR, one of the things we're very proud of, I try to tell this story the best I can, but there are no owners in golf. There's no Jerry Jones or whatever it might be. But at the end of the day, after the tournament ends, our events go back to the community. Over the course of the PGA TOUR's existence, we've given more than $2 billion to charity, more than all other sports combined. That's a story I try to tell at every event and for some reason, it doesn't quite get told. So every time I use those numbers, people are very surprised. The Cadillac Match Play since 1999 has generated more than $15 million for charity. The World Golf Championships have just hit their $50 million mark of giving back to local the charities. That's something that we are very proud of and we expect that number to grow here in the Bay Area. A great example of how PGA TOUR events can impact the community is here at The First Tee of San Francisco. The First Tee teaches life lessons and leadership through golf by teaching values like honesty, discipline, hard work and integrity. Here to talk a little more about The First Tee and introduce a special guest with us today is Dan Burke, Executive Director of The First Tee. DAN BURKE: Thank you, Chris. I think Jason may be is recounting his, what, 62 from Friday. What an awesome round. Hopefully the weather here will be just like the weather was down in Monterey the first week in May. As Chris alluded to, the TOUR has done a lot of things in local communities, and The First Tee of San Francisco is really no exception. Ten years ago, when The First Tee was really formed here in San Francisco from this great relationship between the City of San Francisco and the PGA TOUR, we've been able to do some phenomenal things over the last ten years. I wish Sandy was here to spec a little bit about it, but it's nice to speak for him. So first thing I want to do is thank the Mayor, hopefully you have another hole‑in‑one today, maybe No. 11. I want to thank the mayor for all the support you've given us, as well as Phil Ginsburg. It's been a great partnership and we look forward to it going on for decades helping out kids here in the city. I wanted to introduce one of our young‑‑ there are many of our first tee kids here today but I wanted to bring up a special guest, Brendan Diaz, and we are going to chat about the impacts that The First Tee has had on him. No need to be nervous. As I mentioned, we have been able to do some phenomenal things through the city and through the TOUR. Through this point, the TOUR has supported The First Tee in San Francisco in particular to the tune of about $1.8 million which has been able to do some great things and Brendan would be a perfect example of where those funds have gone. Brendan is a sophomore at Sacred Heart Cathedral in San Francisco. He came to us through our visitation facility in sixth grade. He's participated on the golf team at Sacred Heart and has a 3.5 GPA. Brendan, I just wanted you to tell folks, how has your interaction with The First Tee changed you since you started with us in the sixth grade. BRENDAN DIAZ: Well, it's given me a support group full of new coaches and new friends, a lot of life lessons, and it's been a great stress reliever on the course and off the course, a lot of support. DAN BURKE: And what are some of those lessons that you've learned over the years? BRENDAN DIAZ: Integrity and the importance on the course and off the course, and perseverance through the challenges that life has for you. DAN BURKE: That's great. And you've played some golf here at Harding Park. Do you have a favorite hole? BRENDAN DIAZ: 18. DAN BURKE: Why 18? BRENDAN DIAZ: Because of the preview from the tee box to the green and if you hit a great second shot, it will, like, make your day (laughter). DAN BURKE: I wish I could say I have done that, but I have not. And then any particular player you'd be looking forward to following during the tournament? BRENDAN DIAZ: Rory. (Operator interruption.) DAN BURKE: Brendan, we appreciate you coming up and saying a few things, and we look forward to following you the next few years, as well. I'm going to bring Chris back up. Thank you. CHRIS REIMER: Brendan, congratulations. Every market we go, The First Tee representatives, they are just incredible assets to the community and what these facilities do, and it really is a game that does teach these skills and to count your own score where you don't get to kick the ball out of the rough if you want and you call penalties on yourself, which is hard to believe that that happens. Never happens in any other sport but in golf that's a great lesson. I think we have Jason on the line with us. Jason, are you on the line with us. JASON DAY: Yes, I am, mate. CHRIS REIMER: Hey, Jason, how's it going? JASON DAY: I'm good, thanks. How are you? CHRIS REIMER: We're doing really well, and we are super excited to kind of kick off the fact that the tournament is just around the corner. But I feel you're probably super excited with the way your season has begun, a victory and then obviously great showing up the road a little bit at Pebble Beach this week. If you could start off with some comments about what a great way to start your year. JASON DAY: Yeah, it's obviously been a good start to the year. I've been working very, very hard over the off‑season just to get my health back to where it needs to be. But overall, I feel great about how things are progressing and the process of obviously just trying to work hard each and every week and then just the way it started, obviously it was a pretty successful Hawai'i/West Coast Swing for me. I'm back home in Ohio right now in the snow unfortunately. But I'm excited to get to the Match Play and defend my title this year. CHRIS REIMER: Talking about the Match Play, you've got a great record at this event, I think you're 16‑3, somewhere around there. Your victory last year in exciting fashion against Victor Dubuisson; the year before that, you played very well. What is it about the match‑play format that makes you thrive? JASON DAY: Yeah, I've always loved match play. I've always really enjoyed playing just one‑on‑one. The cool thing about the match play is it doesn't really matter how you play. So you can play some terrible golf within those 18 holes that you play and still come out on top because obviously you're just only losing one hole. So with that said, you can be super aggressive, which is kind of neat, because I kind of like to be a little bit more aggressive than most people. And you know, just when it's one‑on‑one and you're just grinding over certain shots, you know you have to hit the right shot; and that's what I like to feel and that's what I like to just really thrive under pressure that way. I've always liked match play since I was a junior, an amateur and now in the professional ranks. It just seems like the harder it gets, the more focused I get, and it's just‑‑ I don't know; it puts me into a mode where I feel calm, but I still am feeling all these feelings but I feel really calm with what's going on around myself. CHRIS REIMER: Last question and I'll open it up to the folks that are here with us. I took a guess‑‑ what's special about winning a World Golf Championships event? JASON DAY: Oh, there's so many great things about it. Obviously you get great World Ranking points. But the biggest thing about winning a World Golf Championships event is you're beating the best, most elite players in the world, because that's where they are going to be, all in one spot, the best players in the world all assembled into those tournaments and we play against the best players in the world. And it's the hardest, one of the hardest fields that we get all year when it comes to this. Winning a WGC, it looks great when you look back and think about your tournament wins. When you look back and see what you've won in the past and you've seen WGC wins, they are the big events that you want to win. That's why we get up every day; to try and go out there and win majors and WGC events. CHRIS REIMER: You answered it correctly, great job (laughter). Q. Curious your thoughts on the format change. There's always been a lot of scrutiny and debate about whether that should be changed and obviously has been changed this year. How do you think that will impact the event? JASON DAY: Yeah, you know what, it's obviously new to us. With the pods and how it works, I mean, it's going to be interesting. Obviously it's going to keep the bigger‑name guys and people that‑‑ obviously match play, it's tough, because in the old format, you lose, you're out. The good thing about this format is you're in a pod and you have to play against your own little group. You're at least there for a couple of days. So I understand that it keeps some of the guys that may have lost in the earlier rounds, give them a chance to get into the later rounds, which is neat. My mind‑set going into it is I still need to go and beat everyone that's there, regardless of who it is. That's just how I'm going to go about thinking when I get to the Match Play this year is I need to go in there and not get a loss. It's going to be interesting. Obviously this is kind of the start of a new event for us with the Match Play, but I'll let you know more when I actually get there and see how it goes, because if I get knocked out in the first few rounds, then I'll tell you I'm no good. CHRIS REIMER: You bring up a good point. If you win, you've got nothing to worry about. JASON DAY: Yeah, exactly. Q. How does it feel to be Top‑5 in the world breaking through all the challenges? JASON DAY: Yeah, I mean, there's been some ups and downs obviously. It's tough. It's very satisfying to know that the work has paid off and being No. 4 in the world right now, I've said it for a long time now that my goal has been to try and reach No. 1 in the world at some point in my career. I feel like I'm very motivated to get there. I guess people just don't really know behind the scenes how much sacrifice‑‑ if you're trying to reach that goal, a lot of sacrifice, dedication that you have to putt into the game. That's understandable, because that's why we are out there competing at the highest level against the best players in the world. You know, with all of it said and done, this is why I started playing golf and I wanted to compete and win, and I never really played in a team sport. So the only real thing I knew was golf, and really, we are kind of selfish that way and really just kind of think about ourselves. I have a really supporting, loving team around me that has supported me for a long time. My coach has been with me since I was 12; and my wife, I met her when I was 17; and my agent, when I was 16. So I have a good, solid team around me that's supported me the whole way. So it's been an amazing journey since I was a kid. And obviously losing my dad when I was young, and getting through that and going on and playing amateur golf and junior golf and then having all these injuries as a professional, but then on top of it, being consistent and playing well in majors; it's just exciting. It really is exciting, and I've always been excited about this year, especially at the end of last year, because I few that if I could get healthy, I feel like I could have a good year, a great year, and give it a good nudge at maybe getting to No. 1 this year. Obviously there's a boatload of guys out there that are shooting for the same goal, and it's tough. But that's why we get up every day and do the stuff we need to do to try and reach the highest level. Q. Curious, the timing of the event has changed from the last few years to late April and May. How does that effect your preparations? JASON DAY: Yeah, I'm going to be playing Zurich this year, so I'm going to go Zurich, and then I'm going to the Match Play and then I'm going to be going back to THE PLAYERS. It's kind of a funky‑‑ it's in a weird position. But I am sure it's going to be changing next year and it will be an easier date. You know what, I've never played Harding Park. I'm looking forward to getting backup in the San Francisco area because I absolutely love northern California, great area to play golf in. But you know what, we are so blessed. I mean, to be honest, there's guys on The European TOUR traveling between countries, over to different continents, and sometimes we complain about flying two and a half hours. I'm very blessed and I'm happy to go wherever it is. To be honest, I enjoy playing the Match Play and that's why I'm going to go back every year because I really enjoy going to the Match Play. So I'm excited about it. Q. You just kind of touched on it, your excitement about coming back to northern California; what is it that excites you about playing Harding Park? JASON DAY: Like I said, I've never played it. I watched The Presidents Cup there on TV actually when they had The Presidents Cup back in‑‑ I'm not sure what year it was. I've heard a lot of good things about the course. I remember we played the U.S. Open at Olympic and obviously Pebble is not too far from San Francisco, and to be honest, I think every year that I start, I feel like I have a good West Coast. So I feel like when I go to the West Coast, whether it's the greens or the way the grass is, the bunkers are, for some reason, it just really suits my eye. I feel really good on the West Coast and that's kind of like if you look back on my past results, I kind of typically start really strong on the West Coast Swing. I'm excited for it to be back, obviously at Harding Park, because it's on the West Coast, even though I haven't played the course with the good feelings of it being on the West Coast; the great people out there and beautiful weather. I'm just really looking forward to getting back. Q. I know you said you haven't played Harding, but as you've probably heard, it's a much different kind of course than what the Match Play has been on in Arizona. You're going from a wide‑open desert course to an old‑style, tree‑lined course. How will that impact match play when you're trying a tighter track than you're used to in past match‑play events? JASON DAY: Yeah, obviously with Dove Mountain, I love that place. I could go out thereand just ‑‑ that was a true bomber's course, where you could get up and just rip driver where you could and you would seriously gain a massive advantage. Because if you were driving it straight and long that week, you would have three, four, five clubs shorter than some of the shorter guys that would be hitting into greens. So instead of your partner hitting 5‑iron, you'd be hitting 9‑iron, pitching wedge. At the end of the day, you know that's going to wear on a competitor. With old‑school kind of tree‑lined golf course such as Harding‑park, it's tough. Obviously I haven't seen the course but the majority of the time, I've seen how big the trees are that are there. I'm not sure if you can cut corners there. I'm pretty sure if it's old school, we are all going to kind of plot our way around and it's going to be a ball‑striker's course. Obviously you need to set yourself up, you need to leave yourself in the right places, and on top of it you have to have a good short game. It's funny, with match play, you're never out of the game. CHRIS REIMER: Thank you, Jason. We look forward to having you come and defend your title here April 27 through May 3, and appreciate you taking the time and congratulations on a great start to the season. JASON DAY: Thanks, guys, have a good day. CHRIS REIMER: Jason touched a little on it but he has a very interesting background. He did lose his father at an early age, and because of that, he really could have gone in the wrong direction. He got into some trouble, and he actually credits golf that pushed him in the right way. He read a book from Tiger Woods and that changed his life. By devoting himself to golf, you can see where he is today. That's just another great example, similar to what The First Tee in San Francisco does. So we have a special announcement about The First Tee here and with that, I'd like to bring up Paul Polizzotto, president and founder of CBS EcoMedia. PAUL POLIZZOTTO: Thank you very much. It is an absolute honor to be partnering with the PGA TOUR and to be part of a world‑class tournament and a world‑class organization like The First Tee. I'm here because of the Western Region Cadillac Dealer Association who is supporting EcoMedia. Although I'm the president and founder of a company called EcoMedia, and there's "media" in our name, I'm not from the media business or advertising business, but rather, the public private partnership world and non‑profit world. For 27 years, I have been trying to figure out how to help communities improve the environment, health and education; and saw the hundreds of billions of dollars spent advertising to the American public and thought, perhaps there's a way that we can harness those dollars that are spent with brands communicating to consumers, and leverage those dollars to fund projects in local communities that improve the qualities of people's lives. And we are doing that. And we are doing that with Cadillac all over the country. And I'm honored to say that the work that we are doing with Cadillac is affecting the lives of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of young people. I listened to Brendan's story, and I'm inspired by your story. We all know that when we invest in young people and we invest in the life skills of integrity and education and perseverance, discipline, your entire life trajectory will be different and that of your children and grandchildren will be different. So to be able to partner with The First Tee because of our work with Cadillac is a tremendous opportunity and it's great to see Phil Ginsburg because every time I see him, it means something special is happening in San Francisco. EcoMedia has the good fortune to do quite a lot of work in San Francisco and it's great to be back here. I'm going to let Sam Prabakaran talk a little more about what we are doing here but I just want to say thank you to the Western Region Cadillac dealers for believing in the idea that we can harness the communications between brands and consumers to fundamentally improve the qualities of people lives; and if it were not for the Western Region Cadillac Dealers, I wouldn't be here. And I look forward to the project that we are doing touching the lives of these young people in this room, young people that will follow you, Brendan, out there on the 18th fairway. And I'd love to see your shot into that pin placement out there today. With that, I want to introduce Sam Prabakaran who is here from Western Region Cadillac dealers today to talk more about the EcoMedia Cadillac association. Thank you so much. Appreciate you having us. Thank you. SAM PRABAKARAN: Thanks, Paul. If I'm the last guy here and keeping you from this wonderful day and a round of golf here ‑‑ I'll keep my remarks short here. Thank you for coming here and thank you for spreading the word of a great tournament. Like to recognize two people, Mr.Ken Ross, our dealer operator at team Cadillac in Vallejo. Ken is our dealer group president and he represents the nine Bay Area Cadillac dealers, so thank you for being here. And a colleague for being here, Chuck MacGregor, who is our Cadillac zone manager. There's a new spirit at Cadillac and we are expanding and elevating our product portfolio and our brand appeal through new products and great associations and our partnership here with the World Golf Championships. We look forward to this great opportunity and sharing our brand and brand story with the people in the Bay Area and a worldwide audience that watches this great tournament. You can see there's a great synergy between our sport at Cadillac, EcoMedia and the Cadillac Match Play and the PGA TOUR's support of The First Tee. Dan, we didn't get to talk a little bit more about our concept, but our funds working with EcoMedia are going towards a micro classroom. It's going to be an opportunity to showcase golf for our youth, and we look forward to that completion. Following this conference, we are going to present Dan and his team a check to help with that. Thanks everyone for being here, thanks for your time. Please spread the word and with that, I'll turn it back to Chris. CHRIS REIMER: Congratulations. A little more information, the micro classroom is at Golden Gate Park, over $40,000 that Cadillac and EcoMedia will be donating to The First Tee of San Francisco. And that's outside of what the tournament is already going to do for The First Tee and of the PGA TOUR and all of the events that we've had here have been a big part of what The First Tee of San Francisco has been able to accomplish, one of the largest contributors to The First Tee. A great connection between all of the different folks who are part of this event. Thank you to all of our speakers for joining us. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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