May 9, 2008
NEW YORK, NY — Golf Digest, in association with the USGA and NBC Sports, announced that John Atkinson from Omaha, Nebraska has won the inaugural Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge. Atkinson will try to break 100 at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), the site of the 2008 U.S. Open, with Matt Lauer, Tony Romo and Justin Timberlake a few days before the Championship in June.
A feature on Atkinson, written by Golf Digest senior writer Dave Kindred, can be found online. The piece will also run in the July issue of the magazine (on newsstands June 10).
Starting today and running through June 5, golf fans can vote for who out of the foursome they think will break 100. Voters can make one selection each day and are automatically entered for the chance to win a golf weekend for two at Torrey Pines including air fare, golf and lodging.
The Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge program will air on NBC from 2–3pm Eastern on Sunday, June 15 immediately before final–round coverage of the U.S. Open. The round will be played under strict USGA rules with Atkinson and the three celebrities counting every stroke.
Atkinson won the Challenge through online voting that was conducted between March 28 and April 30. A total of 117,331 votes were tallied with Atkinson receiving over 48,000 of them (42%). Finishing second through fifth were: Erik Norton (Boston, MA), Ross Troike (Memphis, TN), Matt Rice (Los Angeles, CA) and Phil Dembure (Atlanta, GA). The five finalists were selected out of more than 56,000 entrants who submitted essays earlier this year.
“This is unbelievable…the first time anyone picks up a golf club they dream about this kind of opportunity,” said Atkinson. “The amount of support behind me has been just amazing and I hope to make everyone who voted for me very proud when I get out on that course.”
Additional information about the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge can be found at www.golfdigest.com, www.usga.org and www.nbcsports.com.
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