For Immediate Release                                                                                                                                    June 5, 2007

Bandon Dunes named 2008 Western Golf Alliance Open location
Premier golf destination promises to provide outstanding venue

BOTHELL, Washington.  The Western Golf Alliance today announced the selection of the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the Oregon Coast as the host for the 2008 Western Golf Alliance Open. Bandon Dunes was selected over other outstanding proposals from Las Vegas and Scottsdale to host the semi-annual golf championship of the WGA.

"Bandon Dunes is one of the two premier golf resorts on the west coast," said Brian Gray, WGA president. "Bandon Dunes clearly offers the best collection of golf courses in the United States. When they proposed to host the Open it became obvious that was the destination of choice."

"The Western Golf Alliance is a world-class organization, and Bandon Dunes is one of the best golf venues in the world. We couldn't be more excited about the 2008 event," continued Gray.

Along with the selection of Bandon Dunes, the WGA also announced final decisions about the dates of the Open. The event will be held August 7-10, 2008. As usual, August 7 willl be a travel day for preparation and for the biennial business meeting of the WGA. The championship will be played as 18 holes on the 8th, 36 holes on the 9th, and 18 holes the morning of the 10th.

"We are thrilled about this selection, and confident Bandon Dunes will produce an amazing tournament," added Peter McGarry, WGA competition committee chairman. "With three courses all in the top 10 public courses in the U.S., we know we can't go wrong here."

The Western Golf Alliance is known for holding its Open on elite, famous courses that represent the very best golf in the region. Over the last five years, Bandon Dunes has emerged as one of the greatest golf resorts in the United States. In December 2006, Golf Digest ranked Bandon Dunes as the #2 golf resort in the U.S., just ahead of Pebble Beach. Meanwhile, Golf Magazine's ranking of the "Top 100 You Can Play" for 2006-07 ranks the Pacific Dunes course as the #1 public course in the U.S., Bandon Dunes course as #5, and Bandon Trails #10. By comparison to the Pebble Beach Resort, the same Golf Magazine list ranks Pebble Beach Golf Links #2, Spyglass Hills Golf Course #9, and the Links at Spanish Bay #42.

While the WGA has not made a final determination on which courses will be used for the Open, it is likely they will spread the 72 hole event over all three resort courses - Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, and Bandon Trails - and then double up one of the courses.

The WGA expects this announcement to also spur interest in membership, and is prepared for such inquiries. All probationary members that join between now and June 2008 are eligible to enter the Western Golf Alliance Open and participate in regional qualifying.

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About the Western Golf Alliance: The Western Golf Alliance is the premier golf organization in the United States. The WGA exists to further the greatness of this grand sport of golf through the improvement of golf play by its members, the promotion of golf rules, etiquette, and tradition, and the ability to gather together from time to time for golf events and tournaments. The regional organization spans five western states, and is organized into nine geographic regions. Further information is available at http://www.westerngolf.org/.


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