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NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHAMPIONSHIP

September 23, 2015

Rich Foster

Columbus, Ohio

RICH FOSTER: Hello everyone, and welcome. We are pleased to announce today that the Nationwide Children's Hospital Golf Championship will remain here in Columbus and be played at the Scarlet Course at the Ohio State University for the next three years.

We've reached a sponsorship agreement that will extend the tournament to be played here for at least the next three years through 2018.

As the president of the Champions of the Community, I'm excited for two reasons: first, for golf fans in Central Ohio. This gives us an opportunity to see some really exciting golf at an amazing golf course.

In fact, you can actually see tomorrow's stars of the PGA TOUR. Three of the top 10 players in the world currently have played in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship in the last nine years.

Secondly, this is a great opportunity to shine the light on the great work that happens at Nationwide Children's Hospital. We have a lot of momentum with this tournament. This year we will surpass over $1 million in funds raised for Nationwide Children's Hospital.

In the last nine years we've surpassed over $4.5 million. All this wouldn't be possible without the help of three groups. First I would like to thank our sponsors, Nationwide, AEP, and Worthington Industries.

I would also like to thank our volunteers. We have over 600 volunteers, 300 of which are Nationwiders. They get here very early in the morning and stay way past dark to put this tournament on.

Last and certainly not least are the golf fans in Central Ohio. If you haven't had a chance to come out and experience the Nationwide Children's Hospital Golf, it's a perfect combination of great golf for a great cause.

Thank you, and we look forward to the next three years here at the Scarlet Course.

Q. Are the sponsors the same s you just enumerated there?
RICH FOSTER: They are. We have the same sponsors. We are very excited. We are in current discussions with many of our sponsors who have been very generous with both their money and their time to help put this tournament on.

Q. Why extend it here?
RICH FOSTER: We're excited to work with Web.com. In fact, we think we have best-in-class tournament. Not only from the standpoint that this is the third of a four finals event, so certainly is great golf.

But we know that the work that we do here for Nationwide Children's Hospital both from an awareness and fundraising standpoint is unmatched.

A lot of people don't know that Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of the top ranked pediatric children's care facilities in the United States.

But what most people really don't know is the great research that they're doing that's helping to change healthcare for children all over the world.

Last year they cared for over a million patients from all 50 states, and now they have reached over 40 countries. So the work that we do is not just for Central Ohio. It's helping children everywhere.

Q. Talk about this place is a launching pad for great careers. We see it year after year. What sort of feedback do you get from players about playing the Scarlet?
RICH FOSTER: This is an amazing opportunity for these PGA players and Web.com players. To see the livelihood on the line at a very difficult golf course is very special to watch.

As I mentioned, three of the top 10 players in the world: Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, and Dustin Johnson all came through the Nationwide Children's Hospital Golf Championship.

If you are look at last year's winner, Justin Thomas, he won in an overtime playoff. This year he's odds-on favorite to be rookie of the year.

Q. Give me the timeline of when this started it amp up again.
RICH FOSTER: So we started working with Web.com and the Scarlet Course after last year's tournament. We knew that we had a lot of momentum and a lot of success. Again, not just from the golf standpoint, but if you look at the work that it's done for Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, we said, We have a lot of momentum and we want to keep it going.

Web.com did as well. So we started last year right soon after we announced the $1 million donation that we provided to Nationwide Children's Hospital. So we've been working on it for a number of months and it's been a great relationship. We look forward to the next three years.

We also have an additional option for our tournament to extend if we so choose. We're really excited about the momentum that we have.

Q. Is that your option or the TOUR's option? How does that work?
RICH FOSTER: It's the option of the Champions of the Community, so it's the tournament's option.

Q. Do they say why they like it so much?
RICH FOSTER: Certainly the finals format. Being relatively new, this is the third year of being a finals format, so they really know that they have a good golf tournament and excitement for the golf fans.

But whenever you look at charitable component of this not just to raise awareness the top hospitals in the country for children, but the fundraising.

I'm really proud to work at Nationwide. We work very closely with a lot of the sponsors. They have been really supportive. Think about it this: for a one-week golf tournament here in Central Ohio we can raise over $1 million for the hospital.

It's really pretty amazing. Again, that wouldn't be possible without the sponsors Nationwide SEP, and Worthington Industries. You can see the board. There are many more that contribute. The volunteers, 600 volunteers, 300 of which are Nationwiders.

And then certainly golf fans. We're excited to try to build more momentum around attendance and have a lot of the Central Ohio golf fans come out and see tomorrow's PGA TOUR stars.

I think the charitable component is the really difference maker that we've seen with Web.com.

Q. The extension, now, is that TOUR with the course, tour with the sponsorship?
RICH FOSTER: So we actual have an agreement in place with Web.Com, so the PGA Tour, and then we also have an agreement in place with Ohio State University for Scarlet.

So we have a facilities agreement and then we have a tournament agreement with the tour.

Q. Both of those for the three...
RICH FOSTER: Yep, yep. So we've aligned those both to sync up in terms of 2008, too.

Q. Were other courses looked at as you went to renew this? What made this course attractive?
RICH FOSTER: We've had such great success here at Ohio State with the Scarlet Course that it really is a perfect combination of being the idea symbol of Central Ohio golf and really provides a challenge for these players.

I was fortunate enough to come off the 18th green, and it's a very, very difficult test for these players. I know it's is difficult test for me, but whenever there is so much on the line for these players, a chance to earn their TOUR card and to have a really difficult course like this that's absolutely beautiful, we thought we had so much positive momentum happening with the tournament as a whole that we really didn't entertain a lot of additional offers.

Q. I was talking with Jared (phonetic) earlier. He mentioned that some of the differences and similarities between the Memorial Tournament and here and just Nationwide's role and some of the sponsors and whatnot. What do you see as some good similarities for Central Ohio and golf?
RICH FOSTER: Certainly we couldn't do it without the golf fans of Central Ohio. At Nationwide we're proud that a number of our sports marketing sponsorships are contributing over $4 million to Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Whenever you add together the Memorial, we have the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, we have the Legends Luncheon in the spring, and then add in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Marathon, those events together are adding over $4 million of incremental contributions to the hospital every year.

It's pretty amazing combination that we're very proud of at Nationwide. Again, wouldn't be possible without some other sponsors and certainly the golf fans of Central Ohio.

Q. Is that local tie-in of having the tournament here in Columbus, is that a big...
RICH FOSTER: Absolutely. Nationwide is very committed to supporting our community in a which our associates and our members live and work. This is one of the ways we're really proud to help, not just bring a light on Nationwide Children's Hospital, but to have this great combination of golf for the Central Ohio golf fans for a great cause.

Doesn't get any better than this.

Q. Who was the third tour pro? Spieth, Day, and...
RICH FOSTER: Dustin Johnson.

Q. Think he'll make some waves this year.
RICH FOSTER: Absolutely. He will. He will. This is a chance to see tomorrow's stars here today.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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