The Sunset Hills NGA Classic
Sunset Hills Country Club
May 11-17, 2009
$200,000 Purse

N. Myrtle Beach, SC… The National Golf Association's Hooters Professional Golf Tour, presented by Hooters of America and Naturally Fresh Foods, is coming to Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville, Illinois for The Sunset Hills NGA Classic May 11-17, 2009 presented by the city of Edwardsville, Illinois.

A portion of the proceeds from The Sunset Hills NGA Classic will go to benefit a local charity.

The Sunset Hills NGA Classic has a purse of $200,000 with $33,566 going to the winner.

“We are excited to bring the Hooters Tour back to the St. Louis area and a challenging course like Sunset Hills,” said NGA/Hooters Tour President Robin L. Waters. “The players are going to love the golf course and I expect it to be a first class event on a first class golf course.”

“On behalf of the members of Sunset Hills Country Club and the communities of Edwardsville and Glen Carbon, we proudly bring the inaugural Sunset Hills Country Club NGA Hooters Classic to Southern Illinois,” stated Jay Blanquart, the Sunset Hills Tournament Chairman. “This is a first for our club and the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area. We are very excited to bring this professional tour to our golf course. “

“We are proud to host the Sunset Hills Country Club NGA Hooters Classic. The talented professionals that make up the Hooters Tour will be challenged by the lightning fast and undulating greens, and the sloping terrain that typifies Sunset Hills Country Club,” said Jon DePriest, the Director of Golf at the Sunset Hills Country Club. “We look forward to working with the Hooters Tour staff and the many volunteers from Southern Illinois University @Edwardsville and the Edwardsville/ Glen Carbon area.”

There will be a Junior Clinic held Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 4:30 for junior golfers interested in learning the fundamentals of golf as well as Pro-Am on Wednesday that gives amateurs the chance to play with the future stars of the PGA TOUR.

The NGA/Hooters Tour is the 3^rd largest men's 72-hole professional golf tour in the country behind the PGA and Nationwide Tours, and boasts alumni like 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson, 2003 PGA Champion Shaun Micheel, 2003 British Open winner Ben Curtis, 2003 US Open winner Jim Furyk, two time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen, British Open and PGA Champion John Daly, as well as British Open winner Tom Lehman, PGA Champion David Toms, 2003 Tour Championship Winner Chad Campbell, 2004 & 2005 Reno Tahoe Open winner Vaughn Taylor and TPC winner Craig Perks to name just a few. All told, the NGA/Hooters Tour's alumni have an incredible 10 “Majors” to their credit. The NGA/Hooters Tour has helped more than 100 professionals acquire their PGA, Senior PGA, and Nationwide Tour cards. In fact, 42% of the players that earned their 2008 PGA Tour card, and 47% of the players that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour started their careers on the NGA/Hooters Tour.

For more information about the NGA/Hooters Tour, please visit our web site, www.NGAHOOTERSTOUR.com. If you have any questions about sponsorship opportunities or interview requests before or during tournament week please contact Regional Tournament Director Ryan Waters at (803) 348.3045 the NGA/Hooters Tour office at 843-281-TOUR (8687).