NBA legend Jerry West is new director at Riviera

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May. 28, 2009

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The PGA TOUR and Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce today announced an agreement whereby the TOUR's Championship Management division and the LAJCC will partner to accelerate the growth of the Northern Trust Open. As part of this partnership, Los Angeles sports icon Jerry West has been named executive director of the Northern Trust Open and will work to raise the profile and charitable impact of one of the most storied events on the PGA TOUR schedule.

"This is the beginning of something very special, for not only me, but more importantly, for the Northern Trust Open and the community of Los Angeles," said West. "My involvement with the Northern Trust Open is my way of giving back to the city that has given me so much. For more than 40 years, I have taken all of the love that Los Angeles has offered me -- this is my chance to do something for the community that has been so great to me.

"The Northern Trust Open is more than a golf tournament. It's an opportunity to bring all of L.A. together to make an impact on this great city, to grow the programs associated with the event -- those that help children across the city and those that are so desperately needed, especially in these economic times. It's an honor to become a part of the Northern Trust Open and work to make this event the absolute best in the world."

As the face of the Northern Trust Open, West will help to build out the tournament's "L.A. Legends Club," a group of Los Angeles-area leaders who will serve as ambassadors, helping to educate the community about the Northern Trust Open and all that it has done, and will do, for Los Angeles. West will work to further engage the community through public appearances and speaking engagements and drive leads, both in sales and in support. West's ultimate goal is to raise the profile of the Northern Trust Open in order to greater impact its charitable beneficiary, the LAJCC Charity Foundation.

"The Northern Trust Open has a long and storied history in Los Angeles, and all of the elements for a top-tier event already exist," said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. "Riviera is a great course, the city of Los Angeles offers one of the most dynamic, diverse communities in the world, and Northern Trust is an incredible title sponsor. Adding a legend like Jerry West to the mix -- someone who brings unlimited enthusiasm and love for the city of Los Angeles, the game of golf and local charitable programs -- will no doubt help us make the Northern Trust Open one of the best stops on the PGA TOUR, as well as one of the most impactful events on the community of Los Angeles."

"Jerry's passion for Los Angeles and his drive to give back to the community make him an excellent choice to lead the Northern Trust Open," said Rick Waddell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Northern Trust. "We are thrilled to welcome him into the role and look forward to working together to elevate the economic and charitable impact of this historic tournament."

One of the best shooting guards in professional basketball history, West went on to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to basketball dominance during the last quarter of the 20th century, first as head coach and later as general manager and executive vice president. After nearly four decades with the Lakers organization, West stepped down in 2000, but it did not take him long to get back to work. In October 2002, West was hired as president of the Memphis Grizzlies, a young organization that had not yet made it into the playoffs. Nicknamed "Mr. Clutch" for his reputation for saving the game with last-minute heroics, West is the model for the silhouetted figure who is the focal point of the NBA logo.

Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images

Jerry West's role as executive director of the Northern Trust Open will not be a ceremonial one.

As a player from 1960 through 1974, West became only the third player in NBA history to reach the 25,000-point plateau. He still holds the NBA record for the most free throws (840 in 1965-66) made in a single season. Only five years after leaving the game as a player, West was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 1979. As his biography on the NBA's Web site states, West brought to the game "a deadly jump shot, tenacious defense, obsessive perfectionism, unabashed confidence and an uncompromising will to win."

The TOUR's Championship Management division, which has extensive experience running tournaments in major markets, assisted the LAJCC with the 2009 tournament (Feb. 16-22) at Riviera Country Club. Moving forward, Championship Management will fully utilize its assets and management expertise to operate the tournament in conjunction with the LAJCC. The youth-oriented programs that the LAJCC oversees and supports will remain primary beneficiaries of the tournament.

"We have had extensive discussions with the LAJCC regarding its host role with the Northern Trust Open and its growing desire to concentrate on the critically important youth-oriented activities with which it is involved," said David Pillsbury, Executive Vice President of Championship Management. "Given the amount of time and manpower necessary to elevate a tournament the caliber of the Northern Trust Open, we agreed to assist the LAJCC through 2009 and take an even more active role in our partnership going forward. We have nothing but the highest regard and deepest appreciation for the many years of dedicated service the LAJCC have provided to the Northern Trust Open, dating back more than 80 years. Los Angeles obviously is a tremendous market, and we have a great sponsor and certainly, an outstanding, historic venue. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the LAJCC and extremely excited about the future and growth potential for the Northern Trust Open."

Championship Management currently runs 12 events on the Champions Tour and PGA TOUR, including THE PLAYERS Championship, two PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup events -- The Barclays in the New York City area and THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola in Atlanta -- four World Golf Championships events and The Presidents Cup, which will be played in San Francisco later this year.

"The LAJCCs will continue to be closely involved with the tournament in partnership with Championship management on operations, volunteerism and benefiting from its charitable proceeds," said Robert Yamamoto, Executive Director of the LAJCC. "We are extremely proud of the role we have played as the host organization for 83 years and growing its relevance in the Los Angeles community. At the same time, we recognize that partnering with the PGA TOUR and leveraging its worldwide assets would only positively impact the tournament. In an effort to maximize the future growth of the Northern Trust Open and the charitable impact it can have in the greater Los Angeles area, we are excited to partner with the PGA TOUR and call upon the TOUR's expertise in managing championships in major markets throughout the United States."

While West will serve as executive director, the TOUR announced that Mike Bone has been named general manager of the Northern Trust Open and will oversee strategic planning and day-to-day operations of the event in concert with the TOUR's Championship Management staff. Bone comes to this position from his own company, Spectrum Sports Management LLC, which he started in 2001. At Spectrum, Bone directed the marketing, sponsorship and advertising for the AT&T Champions Classic, part of the Champions Tour schedule. Bone also served as the race director for the OC Marathon, Disneyland Half Marathon, Surf City Run 5K, Redondo Beach Super Bowl Run 10K/5K and multiple smaller runs and charity golf tournaments. Bone is a graduate of UC Irvine. He has been involved in owning and operating sports marketing companies in Southern California for 20 years and is an acknowledged leader and expert in sponsorship packaging and sales for teams, organizations and individual athletes.

Tom Pulchinski will continue to direct the LAJCC's involvement with the Northern Trust Open.

What started as the Los Angeles Open in 1926 at Los Angeles Country Club is now one of the longest-running tournaments on the PGA TOUR. It 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.