March 28, 2008
NEW YORK, NY —Golf Digest, in association with the USGA and NBC Sports, announced today the names of the five finalists who will compete through online voting for the chance to try and break 100 on the 2008 U.S. Open course only days before the Championship this summer. The final five were selected out of more than 56,000 entrants who submitted essays earlier this year.
The winner will play 18 holes at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) under strict USGA rules with three celebrities in front of NBC Sports’ cameras. The round will air on NBC from 2–3pm Eastern on Sunday, June 15 immediately before final–round coverage of the U.S. Open.
Starting today and running through April 30, golf fans can visit www.gdopencontest.com to vote for who they think should win. Voters can make one selection each day and are automatically entered for the chance to win daily prizes and a grand prize of two tickets to the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage (Black) State Golf Course in New York.
The five finalists include: John Atkinson (Omaha, NB), Phil Dembure (Atlanta, GA), Erik Norton (Boston, MA), Matt Rice (Los Angeles, CA) and Ross Troike (Memphis, TN). Playing with the winner will be NBC’s “Today” show host Matt Lauer, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, and singer/actor Justin Timberlake.
“Our readers and golf fans around the country made the U.S. Open Challenge the most significant program we’ve ever done at Golf Digest when they sent in more than 56,000 essays,” said Jerry Tarde, Chairman and Editor–In–Chief of Golf Digest. “And now it’s up to them to decide which one of these men will have the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Profiles on the five finalists and additional information about the U.S. Open Challenge can be found in the May issue of Golf Digest (on newsstands April 8) and at www.golfdigest.com, www.usga.org and www.nbcsports.com.
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