Tucson, Ariz. (February 6, 2020) – Country music singer-songwriter Lee Brice and Major League Baseball pitching great Roger Clemens will play in the second annual Cologuard Classic “Celebrity Challenge” on Saturday, February 29th . Two additional celebrities will be announced a later date. Played during the second round of the PGA TOUR Champions event, the celebrity group will play 9 holes, teeing off on the back nine at approximately 2:30 p.m. The celebrities will compete for far more than pride and bragging rights, as a $50,000 donation will be made to colorectal cancer related charities on behalf of the celebrity group.
The inaugural Cologuard Classic Celebrity Challenge was played during the second round of the 2019 tournament with Oscar De La Hoya and Chuck Cecil (The Athletes) defeating Alfonso Ribeiro and Greg Kinnear (The Actors). Following the round, Exact Sciences, makers of Cologuard, made a donation in the name of De La Hoya and Cecil to the Colon Cancer Alliance. De La Hoya announced Golden Boy Promotions, his boxing and mixed martial arts promotions firm, would match the donation to the Colon Cancer Alliance.
Brice, a GRAMMY nominee, a CMA nominee and a double ACM award winner, will headline the Cologuard Classic’s Military Appreciation Concert the evening of Saturday, Feb. 29th on the practice range at Omni Tucson National Resort. Brice has taken five radio singles to No. 1: “A Woman Like You," “Hard To Love," “I Drive Your Truck," “I Don’t Dance," and “Drinking Class.” With more than 12 million in RIAA certified sales, Brice has achieved Gold and Platinum on every album and single released, with “A Woman Like You” reaching Double Platinum status. Garth Brooks, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and others have recorded his songs, and he's performed on TV shows including NBC's Today, ABC's The Bachelor, NBC's The Voice and FOX's Miss USA 2018. With well over 2 billion spins on Pandora, Lee Brice was inducted into the streaming service’s ‘Billionaires Club’ on June 8, 2018.
Clemens is considered one of the most dominant pitchers in Major League Baseball history. His start at Spring Woods High took him to San Jacinto Jr. College and onto a successful career as a University of Texas Longhorn. Clemens was the winning pitcher in the final game of the 1983 College World Series.
In 1983, Roger was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and one year later named Rookie of the Year. Clemens is a seven-time Cy Young Award winner and a twelve-time MLB All Star. He earned 354 wins, 4,672 strike outs and 2 World Championship rings during his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros.
Roger and his wife, Debbie, make their home in Houston, Texas. He remains very active in the community. Roger and Debbie Clemens established the Roger Clemens Foundation in 1992 which helps and supports children’s charities from all walks of life.
In addition to the celebrities competing in the Celebrity Challenge, many of the top names on the PGA TOUR Champions have committed to play in the 2020 Cologuard Classic, including defending champion Mark O’Meara, Scott McCarron, Jerry Kelly, Bernhard Langer, Retief Goosen and Miguel Angel Jiménez.
The 2020 tournament marks the third year of the Cologuard Classic, named after Wisconsin-based Exact Sciences’ noninvasive at-home colon cancer screening test for average-risk individuals 45 years or older, and the sixth year the Conquistadores have partnered with the PGA TOUR Champions. Tournament activities will take place February 23 – March 1 at Omni Tucson National Resort and will feature a 78- player field competing for a $1.7 million purse with $255,000 and 255 Charles Schwab Cup points for the winner. The no-cut format includes three days of competition (Friday-Sunday) with players participating in pro-am events on Wednesday and Thursday. Tournament proceeds benefit youth athletic programs in Southern Arizona and colorectal cancer research and advocacy. For more information or tournament tickets, visit www.cologuardclassic.com.
ABOUT COLOGUARD
Cologuard was approved by the FDA in August 2014, and results from Exact Sciences' prospective 90-site, point-in-time, 10,000-patient pivotal trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2014. Cologuard is included in the American Cancer Society's (2018) colorectal cancer screening guidelines and the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2016) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2016). Cologuard is indicated to screen adults 45 years of age and older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer by detecting certain DNA markers and blood in the stool. Do not use Cologuard if you have had precancer, have inflammatory bowel disease and certain hereditary syndromes, or have a personal or family history of colorectal cancer. Cologuard is not a replacement for colonoscopy in high risk patients. Cologuard performance in adults ages 45-49 is estimated based on a large clinical study of patients 50 and older. Cologuard performance in repeat testing has not been evaluated.
The Cologuard test result should be interpreted with caution. A positive test result does not confirm the presence of cancer. Patients with a positive test result should be referred for diagnostic colonoscopy. A negative test result does not confirm the absence of cancer. Patients with a negative test result should discuss with their doctor when they need to be tested again.
Medicare and most major insurers cover Cologuard. For more information about Cologuard, visit www.cologuardtest.com. Rx Only.
ABOUT PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS PGA TOUR
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 33 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. In 2020, the PGA TOUR Champions schedule includes 27 tournaments across the United States, Morocco, Japan, England and Canada, with purses totaling nearly $59 million. The Charles Schwab Cup, which includes the Regular Season and the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, is used to determine the season-long champion. All events are televised in the United States, with most receiving complete coverage on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Internationally, telecasts air in excess of 170 countries and territories, reaching more than 340 million potential households, and distributed in 15+ markets via GOLFTV. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions, on Twitter @ChampionsTour and on Instagram @pgatourchampions.
ABOUT THE TUCSON CONQUISTADORES
The Tucson Conquistadores are the tournament management team that oversees the operations and the sales arm of the PGA TOUR Champions’ Cologuard Classic. Since their inception in 1962, the Conquistadores have contributed more than $35 million to local and national charities. The Conquistadores comprise of up to 60 active business and professional members, and a total membership of 215 who represent a cross-section of the Tucson community. In addition to their involvement with professional golf, the group has established the Tucson Conquistadores Foundation. Key beneficiaries of the Conquistadores' fundraising efforts include southern Arizona youth athletic programs, The First Tee of Tucson and colon cancer advocacy organizations. Follow the Tucson Conquistadores online at www.tucsonconquistadores.com and www.Facebook.com/TucsonConquistadores.
Tournament Media Contact: Rob Myers, rob@rmprgroup.com, 602-317-6131
