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ST. JUDE CLASSIC MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 8, 2010

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Good afternoon and thank you for joining today's teleconference to help kick off the week at the 2010 St. Jude Classic presented by Smith & Nephew. We have several participants in today's teleconference, and a very compelling story that involves a former champion of the PGA TOUR's Memphis event and a former patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
I would like to start out by introducing Rick George, Chief of Operations for the PGA TOUR. Rick?
RICK GEORGE: Thanks, Joel, it's great to be here in Memphis. Actually, it's not balmy; the weather is great and we are looking for a great week.
But before I get started first I want to thank Smith & Nephew for their support of the St. Jude Classic this year. We are glad to have them on board and appreciate their support very much. I also want to thank FedEx for their continued involvement in St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for their partnership, which now spans right at 40 years.
We are excited about our partnership with St. Jude. As I mentioned the St. Jude Classic has been a fabric of the PGA TOUR for five decades now, spanning 52 years, and this event has given tremendous exposure and dollars to charity and the community over those five decades.
This event in my opinion embodies what the PGA TOUR is all about, community and charity. The way this community and the residents of Southwind have embraced this event is unique on TOUR. I know I have walked around the golf course this morning, and to see the banners on the homes, welcoming the players, remembering the Thomas family, St. Jude patients, saying thank you, it doesn't happen every week on the PGA TOUR and it's nice to see the way this community has embraced the event.
I also think the way the event weaves charity into the fabric of the event is outstanding. We are going to hear from Jim Gallagher in a minute on a story about that 15 years ago, the 15th anniversary of that, but what this event does from a charitable aspect is significant in the way they weaves the fabric of charity into the event.
The Little Eagles Program, for those of you that don't know is in its fourth year that starts tomorrow on the 11th tee, and it will allow St. Jude patients the opportunity to meet players on the 11th hole as caddies. I witnessed this last year, and it's really moving and really inspiring to have those patients out there interacting with our players and our players probably look forward to that as much as anything on Wednesday.
You will also see the caddie bibs that are made up of artwork from St. Jude patients, which, again, is unique on the PGA TOUR. And then tonight our player wives host a barbeque at the target house to engrain our player wives into what we do from a charitable aspect, and our wives probably do it as well as anybody. And as the PGA TOUR embarks on our initiative in charity, with "Together, anything's possible", this event, the St. Jude Classic presented by Smith & Nephew really embodies charity and embodies what the PGA TOUR is all about.
We have a great field this week. We anticipate a terrific, competitive week on the golf course, but we also anticipate a great week from the charitable aspect of the PGA TOUR. We are very thrilled that Smith & Nephew is our partner should year. We look forward to working with them throughout the course of the week to make sure that they and their guests have a great experience, and Phil Cannon and his team, the WPI Group, they have just done a tremendous job with the look and feel of the event. We are looking forward to an exciting week, and again, we appreciate everybody's involvement on this call, and look forward to a tremendous week in Memphis.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Our next guest is Joseph DeVivo, president of orthopaedic reconstruction and trauma with Smith & Nephew, the Presenting Sponsor of this week's St. Jude Classic.
JOSEPH DeVIVO: Good afternoon, I'm Joe DeVivo, president of Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics, which is one division of Smith & Nephew that's based here in Memphis. We make hip, knee and shoulder implants as well as the trauma products, nails and screws, all different types of devices to heal bones. On behalf of all the Smith & Nephew employees, 9,500 strong around the world, it's a privilege to be associated with this outstanding event and such a worthy institution.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Smith & Nephew have a lot in common. We are both global healthcare organizations. We drive innovation, and we are absolutely intently focused on restoring patients' lives. At Smith & Nephew, we work every day to deliver new devices to patients through each of our four divisions. Our endoscope business is a leader in sports medicine; so many of the pro athletes who go down are helped by Smith & Nephew, whether they are weekend warriors or existing athletes on TOUR or in the NFL, many of the doctors use Smith & Nephew to get them back together.
And now as arthritis progresses, our Orthopaedics division steps in. We have a new hip resurfacing product called the Birmingham Hip, as well as a new technology for knee replacements, LEGION (ph) which is exclusive through the fact that we have received a 30-year claim for our testing for the life of our knees. Our biologics division is highlighted by SUPARTZ, a nonpharmaceutical injection for arthritic knee pain and our advanced management division helps heel difficult wounds such as diabetic ulcers. It's an absolute honor to be associated with those two rounds, Smith & Nephew and St. Jude and to broadcast our shared message of restoration and healing throughout the tournament. Since the business is led and headquartered here in Memphis, we get to see firsthand the impact that St. Jude has on children and families. In fact, many of the Smith & Nephew employees have been touched by St. Jude either directly or their involvement with the mission. After our sponsorship was announced, we solicited many of the stories from our employees and asked them how they had been touched locally by St. Jude. And I was absolutely amazed at the number of people from Smith & Nephew in one way or another, whose family and friends have been healed by this absolutely extraordinary hospital; whether it's their own children or members of their extended family, countless children's lives have been saved.
In fact, I learned the woman working behind the scenes here for the company in our behalf with the TOUR tells an amazing story in her own family about St. Jude's power to heal children, with her nephew, Slate, at two years old, was diagnosed with a difficult form of childhood leukemia, a complicated treatment. Doctors also found a malignant tumor in his abdomen. This little boy who weighed just 28 pounds when he started his treatment, was immediately embraced by the St. Jude team and went through rounds of chemo and ultimately had a bone marrow transplant. Like so many of these patients before him and since, he not only survived and survives today; he's a happy healthy teenager who is a living example of the power of St. Jude and which Smith & Nephew chose to be sponsors of this year's event. Again, it's an honor and it's a privilege to be involved, we wish everyone involved with the event tremendous success during this week.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Our next guest is Tony Thomas, son of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital founder, Tony Thomas. I know you're very proud of the St. Jude legacy started by your father and now continued by you.
TONY THOMAS: Continued by me and my sister my sister, Mallory, and my sister, Terry and very dedicated employees. I cannot understate, overstate, I should say, how important this tournament is to us, and that's why I'm so grateful and of course to FedEx for their ongoing support of the tournament, they have just been wonderful.
You have to understand, the PGA TOUR is a major part of the beginnings of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In the early days the only national exposure we got was my father talking about St. Jude Children's Research Hospital around those days of the tournament, and because of that, it is very near and dear to the hearts of my sisters and I, because this is the birth of the national awareness of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
Today, thankfully, the world knows of us, we are the resource for this country in pediatric cancer, as much as we were just ranked the No. 1 children's cancer hospital by U.S. News and World Report, we very proud of that. The Harris poll just came out stating that the most trusted non-profit in America is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
So we have come a long way, from my dad finding any microphone he could find during the tournament and telling anybody about the hospital. But this will always be the roots and the beginning, and this will always be a tournament that we will just enjoy and want to create a lot of momentum around.
What many people now understand about St. Jude is that we are the world leader in pediatric cancer and that everything that we do here is shared with every pediatric oncologist in America and throughout the world and we are very proud of that. And because of the money raised through this tournament, which is now over $23 million dollars, we can continue that work.
So it's not only awareness of getting our name out there through the tournament, but it is the money that we raise and the goodwill that comes from all of this. So we are very, very pleased to be part of this, and as I said, my dad loves this tournament. He would leave to come here like he was going to Disneyland.
We love to hang out with Chi Chi Rodriguez and Sam Snead and Lee Trevino and Gary Player and come back and tell wonderful stories. Lee Trevino he adored. Lee Trevino was the first player who that I believe ever gave back some of his earnings to the hospital. As a matter of fact, when he would go to other tournaments, he would give -- he would announce that he was giving back some of his earnings to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. My father would say, "They mentioned our name again." And Jerry Ford after he left office had a hole-in-one here and they talked about us forever, and my dad just glowed because the PGA TOUR brought attention to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. And in those days, it was key that we got the word out.
I'm very proud and grateful to be associated with it and that Smith & Nephew has come on board to be the presenting sponsor, and I'll always be grateful to FedEx for their ongoing support.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Lastly we have two very special guests on the call, Jim Gallagher, Jr., who celebrates the 15th anniversary of his 1995 win of the St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind. Jim has a very special bond with Lindsey, who is also on the call. I'm not going to go into it; I'm going to let you two talk a little bit about your relationship, how it started and kind of what's gone on since 1995. It's a pretty incredible story.
JIM GALLAGHER: Thanks, first of all I played with Joe in the Pro-Am yesterday and we had a great time and we appreciate Smith & Nephew coming in and basically saving the tournament, because this is a community tournament, and with them being a Memphis-based company, it makes sense. St. Jude I live two hours from here and growing up, you've heard of St. Jude and all of the great things they did, and you never really, I guess, understood it, but it really touches you personally. You know the kids are sick, you see those things; but when you see the things they are to accomplish, it is amazing.
I remember the 1994 Presidents Cup, I don't know how much money it was, but we had a portion that we could give to charity and I chose St. Jude. You know, I couldn't think of a better place to go, just so close to home and being blessed that it's so close. We knew some people that had gone there, that were friends, not personal friends like Lindsey, but I have got four healthy kids. Until you see a story like Lindsey that touches your heart like that and so close to home that you really appreciate good health.
But lo and behold in '95, sitting on a porch at home and Lindsey was diagnosed with cancer and leukemia, it was just shocking to all of us; and being a personal friend and going to church with the family, it really hit home. It was hard to figure out what can you say to at that time a young girl, seven years old, that you know, try to keep your spirits up and then something came to me.
I said, "You know, the tournament is coming up and I'm going to try to win the golf tournament for you." Said it in passing. And time had gone by and I was playing really good the first couple of rounds. I kept it in mind, I didn't tell anybody but Lindsey and the family, and I didn't make a big deal of it and it was our little secret.
Going into the last day with a four-shot lead, making the turn, and then the oil started leaking and I made a double and bogey and couldn't get the car straightened out. And the thing that got me through the whole back nine was Lindsey. I'm going, "You promised this little girl you're going to win the golf tournament, and make it happen: I think that was part of the thing that helped me finish strong and go onto win.
So from that point, to see -- to win the tournament, I don't know if anyone at the awards ceremony understood why I was crying. I knew why I was but I was just kind of caught up in all of the emotions, but a neat story. As the year went on, Lindsey had gone through chemo and she can probably touch on that story.
We played at Disney, Disney World and Delta Air Lines and the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Productions flew their family down and we spent week down there. She had just been through a bunch of chemo, but she spent the week down there and we had a great time, and I think my daughter made the comment that it was the first time I've ever left them jump on the beds. So we had a great time with that, and now Lindsey is doing great and healthy and we are just so proud of her, a success story.
To believe that a hospital of that magnitude is only two hours from us; we were just so lucky it was there for Lindsey and the other kids. When you personally go down and visit the kids, you just thank the good Lord for your own health and your kids' health. And their attitude, I don't know if they understand what is going on, but they are always pretty much upbeat and you leave there actually feeling like they have actually touched you and inspired you. That's the cool part about it.
And to be able to play this week, might be my last one with turning 50 next year; so this is a close to home tournament for me. I graduated from UT, and it is; it's a community involvement. I've played here for over 20-some years and just have always loved coming back.
I'm just looking forward to a fun week and an enjoyable week and enjoying myself. And I know Lindsey is going to come up on the weekend so I have to get out and play late on Saturday so she can make my tee team.
LINDSEY GILMER: My name is Lindsey Gilmer, and when I was eight years old, May 3 of '95, I found out that I had acute lymphocyte leukemia. And with my parents, I walked into St. Jude and I was very tiny and very frail and very sick and I didn't know what was going on.
But I saw my family crying and they were all sad, and the only thing that I really remember was walking into St. Jude and filling out paperwork and I just remember my mom and my dad saying how thankful they were for St. Jude and now growing up, I finally realized how big of a part St. Jude has had on my life. If it weren't for St. Jude I wouldn't be here today.
They do so much and they give back, and I'm just so thankful for St. Jude and so thankful for all of the fund-raisers, and it's just a really big part, because when you walk into St. Jude, they don't ask you what kind of insurance you have, or, you know, if you have any. They just open their arms and they are so -- they are so cheerful all the time.
I went through chemo for 2 1/2 years and there was never a time that I walked into St. Jude to have my chemo that there weren't, you know, happy people greeting me and they are always just so friendly.
And I'm just very thankful for St. Jude and for this golf tournament, and what Jim Gallagher said and just his family growing up. And just this golf tournament in '95, winning that golf tournament for me, I was a very sick girl, but it made me so happy that there were people out there praying for me and thinking about me, and I'm just very glad to be here. And I'll be there on Saturday rooting everybody -- rooting for everybody, and I'm just really thankful to be here.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thank you, Jim and Lindsey, that was an amazing story. And Jim as you mentioned we have footage for a lot of the news crews from the broadcast and the awards ceremony and things like that, and it was obviously a very emotional time and rightly so.
At this time we can take some questions from members of the media that are on today's call.

Q. Can you touch on what it's like working for an organization like the PGA TOUR that is so intent on giving back to charity to different groups, really willing to help out through title sponsorships and their marketing ploys, if you can give me a little touch on that.
JIM GALLAGHER: Well, I feel like a lot of the reason Corporate America loves to be involved is because of charity. We give more back to charity than all of the other sports combined.
. Like you talked about on the 11th hole, I remember in the Pro-Am in the past, now they are bringing it back, as you would walk by that house -- and we are able to see close and up front what the bottom line is; it's about the charity. We all play for a living and we all play for the trophies and all that, but sometimes that gets lost in the shuffle.
Until it actually touches you like it did me here, I don't know if you really appreciate the things that are out there. As you get older, you do. I'm 49 years old and I see a lot of things, and just the amazing things that all of the charitable dollars have done, throughout the country. Especially being home; I guess this is kind of our home hospital, and that's the special thing, being two hours away and to see someone like a Lindsey come back and like they said, save theirs lives. She's here because of that.
Just to know that I have that personal connection and it actually touched home, and that is the emotional thing. And just listening to her talk just a minute ago, it gives you chills to think that, you know, it gets lost in the whole thing. And then I think, you know, I'm just happy and proud to be part of an organization such as the TOUR, PGA TOUR that gives back to charity and appreciates the things that are out there.

Q. Could you share what you remember of spending the time at Disney with the Gallagher family, and also if you could share a little bit about what you're doing with your life today?
LINDSEY GILMER: I remember that we went down to Disney World, it was during October, and I had just had a really rough time and was not feeling really well, because I had just gone through chemo. And chemo just really kind of -- really makes you tired and really makes you sick.
We flew down to Florida and I just remember spending time with Jim and his family and getting pushed around in a stroller when I was nine years old with his two kids. It was just an amazing trip. It was amazing to get away from actually being sick and to actually be able to play as a little kid. It was just a really fun time with his family and my family.
Where I am today, I'm at Oxford and I work. I graduated from culinary school in May of last year. I work at a bakery now Monday through Friday, and I pay my own bills and I'm just -- I'm a working girl and it's hard, but I'm just so thankful to be alive.

Q. Did you always like to bake?
LINDSEY GILMER: Yes, I grew up with my grandmother. We always cooked and I just always really had a passion for food.

Q. And when was the last time that you've been to this tournament?
LINDSEY GILMER: I think it was back, maybe like -- I know I was a patient there, so I would say back in like '98 or so.

Q. And what are you looking forward to this weekend?
LINDSEY GILMER: Seeing all that's going on. I just love St. Jude and it's such a huge part of my life. Just all of the excitement and seeing some patients that are out there and maybe talk to them and their families, and all of the players.

Q. Are there some doctors that you still know there or that you kept in touch with?
LINDSEY GILMER: There's a few. I had a nurse when I first started. She started my first IV. Every once in awhile when I go and visit, I always look her up. And my doctor, I think he's gone back overseas now. But there are a few nurses and doctors there.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We would like to thank everybody for their participation today. Jim, we wish you the best of luck this week, and weekend and Lindsey, we look forward to seeing you at TPC Southwind and we appreciate everybody's help and good luck this week.

End of FastScripts

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