Amateur Golfers Head to Austin for Chance to Face Leonard and Crenshaw in 2005 People vs. the Pros

Amateur Golfers Head to Austin for Chance to Face Leonard and Crenshaw in 2005 People vs. the Pros

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Amateur golfers from 26 states and Canada are headed to Austin, Texas this week to compete in the 2005 People vs. the Pros at Barton Creek Resort & Spa Presented by BASF, a unique reality television event being held Sept. 8-12, 2005.

The event will pit two amateurs against PGA Tour star Justin Leonard -- hot off his two PGA Tour victories in 2005 -- and popular PGA Champions player Ben Crenshaw in handicapped match play that will be televised nationally on ESPN on Monday, Sept. 19 from 9-11 p.m. ET. Total purse is $300,000, with $100,000 to each winner and $50,000 to the runners-up.

"Anyone who loves to play the game of golf has at one time envisioned themselves putting their skills to the ultimate test against the best in the sport," said tournament director Andy Batkin. "People vs. the Pros is where those dreams can be realized, and they don't get much better than Ben Crenshaw and Justin Leonard, the 'dream team' who gave us all the thrill of a lifetime in 1999 with Ben's 'good feeling about today' and Justin's stellar pressure putt that resulted in the most stunning comeback victory in Ryder Cup history. This pair of Texans has been magic together and we expect them to add a great deal of excitement to this year's People vs. the Pros."

Using their handicap, over 160 amateur golfers divided equally in two age categories, 18-49 and 50+, will play a three-day 54-hole stroke-play Finals competition at Barton Creek on Sept. 9-11. The winner of each age division in the Finals will advance to the Sept. 12 Grand Prize Match, an 18-hole match play tournament on Barton Creek's Fazio Foothills course, one of the top rated Resort courses in the U.S.

Full tournament details are on the event's web site, www.pvpgolf.com. Daily pairings and results can be found on the site in the online Press Room. For more information, contact Lynda Haschke at 972-740-3529 or LHaschke@pvpgolf.com.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050218/LAFRU4LOGO AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: People vs. the Pros

CONTACT: Lynda Haschke, +1-972-740-3529, or LHaschke@pvpgolf.com, for People vs. the Pros

Web site: http://www.pvpgolf.com/

------- Profile: Ent