ENDICOTT, N.Y. -- Broome County Community Charities Inc. announced Friday that it will host a Champions Tour event at the En-Joie Golf Course on July 9-15, 2007.

Senator Tom Libous and Dick’s Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) have provided significant funding for this event, which will be named the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open and will carry a purse of $1.6 million

Senator Libous has secured $500,000 in Senate Tourism and Economic Development money for the 2007 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

“Broome County Community Charities, Inc. would like to thank Dick’s Sporting Goods and Senator Libous for their support and contribution to our event,” said Alex Alexander, executive director of Broome Charities. “The enthusiasm and support to host a Champions Tour event has been tremendous. We are confident that the Champions Tour players will be impressed with this high quality tournament to be contested where many of them first visited us on the PGA TOUR.”

Broome County Community Charities, Inc. has been the cornerstone of professional golf in Central New York since the event was first held in 1971. As host of the PGA TOUR’s B.C. Open, Broome Charities has contributed over $8 million to numerous local charities. Primary charitable recipients are the Lourdes Hospital Foundation and United Health Services Foundation. Additionally, local service clubs such as Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions who assist in the operation of the tournament, have received substantial dollars for their charitable organizations. Broome County Community Charities recently contributed $100,000 to local flood relief following the devastating June floods.

"The great tradition of PGA TOUR golf in Broome County will continue next year with the Champions Tour and Dick's Sporting Goods Open and that is wonderful news," said Champions Tour president Rick George. "The roster of past champions at En-Joie includes the likes of Hubert Green, Gil Morgan, Tom Kite, Don Pooley, Jay Haas, Fred Funk, Craig Stadler and New York natives Wayne Levi and soon-to-be Champions Tour player Joey Sindelar.

All, no doubt, have fond memories of their wins and many years of visiting the area. Our hats go off to Alex Alexander and the many people in the community who played a role in making this happen. We are very happy to welcome Dick's Sporting Goods to the Champions Tour family of sponsors."

“We are very pleased to be able to participate in the Champions Tour event at En-Joie as the title sponsor,” said Jeffrey R. Hennion, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Dick’s Sporting Goods. “As the largest golf retailer in the U.S., we are passionate about the game, and there is no better way to demonstrate that fact to our customers than to be involved at the highest level of golf. We look forward to making the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open a premier event on the Champion’s Tour calendar and to host this event in the area where our company was originally founded.”

As a long-time supporter of the PGA TOUR’s B.C. Open, Libous was the driving force who brought New York State Senate funding forward as Presenting Sponsor of the B.C. Open in 2002. The Senator’s commitment and passion for this community event has been the catalyst as other local corporations have stepped forward to lend their support.

"I'm proud to be a part of keeping the tradition of professional golf in our community alive" said Libous. "I commend Alex Alexander and his staff for their hard work, and I look forward to having the Dick's Sporting Goods Open here in the Southern Tier.”

All three rounds of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open will be broadcast on The Golf Channel July 13-15.