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March 31, 2005Couples, Mikelson return to lead Gaylord's Par-3 Shootout fieldMcCord, North join field; Tickets go on sale Friday Joining Couples is reigning Masters Champion Phil Mickelson and two Shootout rookies: Gary McCord and Andy North. The event will air same-day tape-delayed on ESPN2 June 27-28 from 10 p.m. to midnight. Roger Twibell and Charlie Rymer will provide commentary for the telecast in the booth, while Bill Kratzert will serve as the on-course reporter. The purse for the 18-hole tournament is $540,000 and an additional $1 million bonus is available for every hole-in-one - (won by Lee Trevino in 2001 when he aced the 138-yard 7th hole). Each hole is worth $20,000, with a $10,000 bonus for the player hitting his shot closest to the pin. If the hole is not won, the money carries over to the next hole. If the hole is won, the player doesn't get the money unless he validates it on the next hole by either winning or tying the low score. No validation is necessary on playoff holes. Tickets - priced at $50 for the two days or $30 for each day - will go on sale April 1 and may be purchased online at www.treetops.com or by calling (989) 732-6711, ext. 2499. "Fred and Phil always put on a great show, and when you add charismatic players like Gary McCord and Andy North, you can't help but have an entertaining round of golf," said Rick Smith, the owner and managing partner of Treetops Resort. "This is the foursome that every golfer would like to be a part of and we can't wait to see what happens when you put them together." Couples captured last year's Shootout in his now-trademark fashion - hanging around and hanging around some more, then sinking a long putt when it matters most. Coming into the 11th hole tied with Mickelson, Trevino and defending champion Fuzzy Zoeller, Couples drained a 36-foot birdie putt, then validated with an up-and-down par on the next hole to bank $220,000. "It was just a 40-footer or whatever it was with a lot of break. I was trying to two-putt and it went in. It was all guess and a lot of fun and it went in," Couples said. Mickelson and Trevino, who captured the final four holes with a birdie on the third playoff hole, tied for second with $130,000 each. Zoeller was blanked. With his victory, Couples became the first multiple winner of the ING Par-3 Shootout, adding a bookend to his 2002 title. His $770,000 in event career earnings is third, behind Trevino's $1,560,000 and Mickelson's $910,000. Despite playing a limited schedule due to his back problems, Couples still made 12 cuts in 16 events, posted three top-10s (including a tie for sixth at the Masters) and earned nearly $1.4 million. One of golf's most popular and consistent figures, Mickelson followed his landmark 2004 season where he won the Masters, finished second in the U.S. Open and third in the British Open by sprinting out of the gate in 2005. McCord owns a well-earned reputation as golf's clown prince, a reputation honed during a long career as a CBS golf analyst, writings in Golf Digest Magazine and three books: "Golf for Dummies," "Golf for Dummies II" and "Just a Range Ball in a Box of Titleists." McCord's perpetual laugh track, however, obscures a two-time winner on the Champions Tour. With his victories in 1978 at Cherry Hills in Denver and 1985 at Oakland Hills near Detroit, North is one of 19 players who own multiple U.S. Open titles. An analyst for ESPN and an on-course stalwart for ABC Sports' golf telecasts, North still manages to squeeze in a playing career on the Champions Tour.
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