Mickelson commits
to Wachovia Championship

Joins 12 other major champions in the field

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 13, 2004) - Phil Mickelson, who captured the Masters in dramatic fashion and jumped into the hearts of millions last Sunday, has officially committed to play the Wachovia Championship and make his first visit to Quail Hollow Club.

Mickelson became only the fourth player in Masters Tournament history to win the title with a putt on the final hole and earned his first major championship. The victory capped a nine-tournament stretch in which the 33-year-old has two victories, a pair of third-place finishes and eight top-tens.

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Mickelson, who has 23 PGA TOUR career victories, will continue his spring stretch when he plays in the Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow Club, May 3-9.

"I get to play this great game for a living and most people do that for vacation," Mickelson said Sunday evening in Augusta. "I am just very lucky to be able to do what I do."

Much of Mickelson's success this season is a mixture of patience and hard work on swing changes.

"I think the biggest thing for me was this off-season, spending the number of hours and days with Rick Smith and Dave Pelz to give me direction," Mickelson said. "When I stand on tee boxes, I just know the ball is going in the fairway and I spent a lot of hours working on getting the yardages correct with wedges.

"I would say when you finally do achieve that goal, the harder the struggle is, the greater the reward."

The second edition of the Wachovia Championship will again offer a $5.6 million purse with $1,008,000 going to the champion. David Toms won the inaugural championship with a 10-under-par 278 total.

Mickelson will be joined at this year's Wachovia Championship by other major championship winners, including Toms, Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem, John Daly, Davis Love III, Mark Brooks, Corey Pavin, Nick Price, Justin Leonard, Lee Janzen, Bernhard Langer, and Curtis Strange.

Proceeds from all PGA TOUR events benefit charities selected by the tournament organization. The nationally known educational foundation Teach for America is the primary charitable recipient of the Wachovia Championship for 2004, in keeping with Wachovia's strong commitment to furthering education opportunities in local communities.

Daily tickets for Friday's second round and Saturday's third round of the Wachovia Championship are sold out. Fans are encouraged to purchase Tuesday - Thursday and Sunday tickets soon, as only a limited number are available. Daily tickets for the Wachovia Championship are priced from $10 to $40.

Weekly ticket books are still available and are priced at $120. A number of hospitality opportunities also remain. Tickets can be purchased online at www.wachoviachampionship.com or by calling 800-945-0777. For information, contact the tournament office at 704-554-8101

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.