QBE Shootout Announces 30th Anniversary Field

NAPLES, FL. (October 16, 2018) – Tournament host Greg Norman announced today 22 players currently committed to compete in the 2018 QBE Shootout. The tournament will be held December 5-9 and will celebrate its 30-year anniversary as the PGA TOUR returns to Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort for the 18th year.

Twelve of the top 50 players in the world will comprise this year’s field which includes a third consecutive appearance by Lexi Thompson, the highest ranked American player on the LPGA, as well as defending champions Sean O’Hair and Steve Stricker, a three-time winner in just seven starts on the PGA TOUR Champions this season.

The field includes eight players who combined to win 13 times during the last PGA TOUR season. That group is led by Bubba Watson and Bryson DeChambeau who both won three times this year and Patton Kizzire who won twice. Other current champions in the field are Billy Horschel, Andrew Landry, Pat Perez, Brandt Snedeker and Gary Woodland.

In addition to O’Hair and Stricker, past QBE Shootout champions returning this year are Davis Love III and Snedeker.

Six players will compete for the first time in the $3.4 million event—Emiliano Grillo, Kevin Na, Luke List, Kizzire, Landry and Harold Varner III. Kevin Chappell, Tony Finau, Kevin Kisner, Kyle Stanley, Charley Hoffman and Graeme McDowell, who have a combined 11 career TOUR victories, are among the 19 players returning to the QBE Shootout.

Representatives from this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team include DeChambeau, Finau and Watson as players along with Love III and Stricker as vice-captains. McDowell served as a vice-captain for the European team.

Two players in the field are past FedExCup champions. Snedeker won the season-long competition in 2012 and Horschel in 2014.

Friday’s first round will be broadcast live by Golf Channel from 1:30-4:30 p.m. On the weekend, the final two rounds will be live on Golf Channel from 1:00-2:00 p.m. and on NBC from 2:00-4:00 p.m.

“As we prepare to celebrate our 30th anniversary, I can’t help but get excited about the field we have assembled,” Tournament Host Greg Norman said. “When I started the QBE Shootout 30 years ago, I did it to create something different for my fellow professionals. Today, it is incredibly rewarding to see so many of the game’s best join me in Naples each December. This collection of world class players will offer QBE, our corporate partners, Southwest Florida fans and an international television audience the ultimate hospitality and viewing experience.”

"As the title sponsor for the QBE Shootout, we are thrilled that, once again, some of the most prominent names in golf have committed to this year’s tournament," said Russ Johnston, Chief Executive Officer of QBE North America. "The QBE Shootout is much more for us than a week of memorable golf and great sportsmanship. We strive to raise as much money as we can through the tournament for charity and are proud to be able to give back to our community in that way. I am excited about the 2018 event, which will be even bigger and better than ever!”

The two players to complete the 24-player field and the 12 two-person teams will be finalized in early November.

The criteria for players qualifying for the 24-person field was adjusted in 2017 to accurately reflect today’s PGA TOUR standards. The Shootout’s field is comprised of its defending champions playing as a team, the top 12 committed professionals from the final 2018 FedExCup standings and 10 special exemptions; a minimum of four which come from the top 40 on the PGA TOUR Career money list.

The QBE Shootout will once again feature a scramble format during the first round, a modified alternate shot format on Saturday and a final-round four-ball on Sunday.

CureSearch for Children’s Cancer is the tournament’s primary charitable beneficiary. Since 1989, the Shootout has raised more than $13 million for charitable causes.

The QBE Shootout fan experience will be significantly enhanced thanks to a partnership with Jasper Contractors, who will be sponsoring a new spectator bridge connecting the 1st hole and 9th hole at Tiburon Golf Club. The Jasper Contractors Spectator Bridge will allow fans to enjoy the 1st tee action and then efficiently move to the prime viewing area between holes 8, 9, 17 & 18.

Activities on the grounds include a new Family Fun Zone sponsored by Lee Health and the Golisano Children’s Hospital, a Friday night concert featuring the popular Ben Allen Band from 5-8 p.m. on the Tiburon clubhouse lawn and the Naples, Marco Island & Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau Family Golf Clinic which returns Saturday, December 9th immediately following play on the practice facility. Saturday morning will start with the QBE Shootout 5K presented by Greg Norman Estates at 7:00 a.m. followed by complimentary Yoga on the 18th fairway from 8:00-8:45 a.m.

Tickets are currently on sale with prices starting at $30 for grounds tickets. Popular hospitality venues, the Naples Beach Brew House and Greg Norman Estates Shark Club are available for $90 and $300, respectively.

For the latest QBE Shootout news and information, visit the official tournament website at www.qbeshootout.com, like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/qbeshootout and follow us on Instagram @QBEshootout.

The Field

About QBE

QBE North America is an integrated specialist insurer, which is part of QBE Insurance Group Limited, one of the largest insurers and reinsurers worldwide. QBE NA reported Gross Written Premiums in 2017 of $4.6 billion. QBE Insurance Group's 2017 results can be found at www.qbe.com/us.

Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, QBE operates out of 31 countries around the globe, with a presence in every key insurance market. The North America division, headquartered in New York, conducts business through its property and casualty insurance subsidiaries. QBE insurance companies are rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best and "A+" by Standard & Poor's. Additional information can be found at www.qbe.com/us, or follow QBE North America on Twitter.

About PGA TOUR The PGA TOUR is the leading global platform in professional golf, showcasing the highest expression of excellence, both on and off the course. 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 the communities in which it plays, grow and protect the game of golf and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.

The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China. Its members represent the world’s best players, hailing from 24 countries (86 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1.1 billion households in 227 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2016, tournaments across all Tours generated a record of more than $166 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.46 billion.

The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

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