Northern Trust Open Transforms L.A. Into City-Wide Golf Course

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine a bunker stretching the length of a California beach.  Or a fairway as long as the 405.  Or a golf course the size of Los Angeles.  Next, throw in the world's best golfers, L.A. personalities and a drive for local charities, and you have Play for L.A., or PLAY.

PLAY is an 18-day, city-wide event led by Northern Trust Open Executive Director Jerry West and 18 golfers – including celebrities, golfers and notable Angelenos – putting, chipping and driving their way through iconic Los Angeles locations in a countdown to the PGA TOUR's Northern Trust Open.

Beginning Saturday, Jan. 16, at 12 p.m. on the Third Street Promenade, L.A. sports icon West will kick off the first PLAY event.

Locations and celebrity information for the next 17 events will be revealed daily on the Northern Trust Open Facebook and Twitter pages at www.facebook.com/northerntrustopen or followed via @ntrustopen or www.twitter.com/ntrustopen.

Los Angeles area residents are invited to attend the public events and vie for a chance to participate in challenges and win Northern Trust Open merchandise and tickets.

In addition, more than 2,000 PLAY golf balls will be scattered throughout area public golf courses, driving ranges and club houses.  Each ball provides free admission to the Northern Trust Open, to be held Feb. 2-7.

The final "18th hole" event will take place at the historic Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.  The course is home to the Northern Trust Open, the only Los Angeles stop on the 2010 PGA TOUR.  All proceeds raised from the sale of tournament tickets will benefit the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce Charity Foundation, which impacts the lives of more than 15,000 L.A. residents each  year.  Since its founding in 1926, the Northern Trust Open has generated more than $50 million for philanthropic programs in Southern California.

About the Northern Trust Open

What started as the Los Angeles Open is now the Northern Trust Open, one of the longest-running tournaments on the PGA TOUR. Debuting in 1926 at Los Angeles Country Club, the event had been staged at various courses throughout the Los Angeles area before permanently settling at Riviera Country Club in 1973. Outside of the major championships, the Northern Trust Open is the fourth-oldest event on TOUR, trailing only the BMW Championship, the Canadian Open and the Valero Texas Open. For ticket information, visit www.northerntrustopen.com.

About the PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR is the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour.

The PGA TOUR's mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.

In 2010, the three Tours collectively have tournaments in 34 states and in 12 countries outside of the U.S. PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 600 million households in 231 countries and 30 languages.

Virtually all tournaments are organized as nonprofit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2009, tournaments on the three Tours generated nearly $109 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR's all-time total of charitable contributions to nearly $1.5 billion.    

The PGA TOUR's website is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the company is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

SOURCE Northern Trust Open