Stuart Deane Wins Trump Million Dollar Invitational in Playoff

Stuart Deane Wins Trump Million Dollar Invitational in Playoff

CANOUAN ISLAND, The Grenadines, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- It wasn't easy, but Stuart Deane, a 34-year-old Australian currently living in Arlington, Texas, is the lone survivor in the Trump Million Dollar Invitational, defeating Gibby Martens, 25, of Scottsdale, Ariz., on the first playoff hole. Deane earned $1 Million, the largest payday of his career.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060702/DASU001 )

"I was extremely impressed with the way these guys played," said Donald Trump, who was on hand to provide commentary for ESPN and to hand Deane the $1 Million check. "The U.S. Pro Golf Tour has some real talent and it showed in the way these players were able to conquer their fears and go for it when the big money was on the line."

On the final hole, Deane had a five-foot putt for the win, but the ball rolled all the way around the cup and refused to fall, giving Martens new life. Back on the 18th tee, Martens' drive landed in high rough off the right side of the fairway, and when his approach landed short of the green, Deane was solid on his million-dollar putt.

"This is unbelievable and I don't really know what to say," stammered Deane, who's a regular on the U.S. Pro Golf Tour, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Greens Worldwide, Inc., a publicly traded sports marketing and management company.

Deane was masterful at dodging million-dollar bullets the entire shootout round. On the first hole, he was involved in a putting skills challenge to determine which of the ten golfers would be eliminated. His putt fell well short of the hole, but when William McGirt's putt rolled slower than he thought, Deane advanced while McGirt went home in 10th place with $20,000.

"I was really hoping my gun wouldn't run out of bullets. I caught some breaks but I made some as well," Deane said. On 17, Deane was involved in another skills challenge from the greenside bunker. His ball landed eight feet from the hole and spun back 15 feet. While it looked like Deane was done, Anders Hultman's sand shot was shorter than Deane's and the Aussie moved on. Hultman settled for third and $90,000.

As for what he'll do with the money, Deane said, "What this will allow me to do is devote more time to becoming a better golfer and take the pressure off paying bills for awhile." But there is one indulgence set aside for the $1 Million winner: "I'm a big automobile nut, so I'm going out and buying a great new car." He'll probably pay cash.

The ten finalists in the Trump Million Dollar Invitational were all from the U.S. Pro Golf Tour. Finish and payout is as follows:

1. Stuart Deane, Arlington, Tex. -- $1,000,000
2. Gibby Martens, Scottsdale, Ariz. -- $150,000
3. Anders Hultman, Irving, Tex. -- $90,000
4. Steve Friesen, Lincoln, Neb. -- $65,000
5. Alex Rodger, Ft. Worth, Tex. -- $45,000
6. Joe Lanza, Lafayette, Calif. -- $40,000
7. Kevin Streelman, Winfield, Ill. -- $35,000
8. Chad Saladin, Gilbert, Ariz. -- $30,000
9. Chad Ginn, Alexandria, La.-- $25,000
10. William McGirt, Taylors, S.C.-- $20,000

The inaugural Trump Million Dollar Invitational was held at Trump International Golf Club at Raffles Resort Canouan Island. Donald Trump's first international venture, the course debuted in November 2004 with the opening of the luxurious Raffles Resort Canouan Island. It was named as Robb Report's "Best of the Best" in 2005.

Trump International's well-earned reputation as the most picturesque and challenging course in the Caribbean attracted several celebrities. Competitors included actor Dennis Quaid; Adrian Young, the drummer of No Doubt; Olympic medallist Edwin Moses; baseball great Jose Alvarez; and Cincinnati Bengals' celebrated kicker, Jim Breech. In total, 85 members of the U.S. Pro Golf Tour participated. The Trump Million Dollar Invitational is a Major Championship of the U.S. Pro Golf Tour.

The dramatic finish, along with all the action from the Trump Million Dollar Invitational, will re-air on ESPN2 on July 12, 2006, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET.

The Trump Million Dollar Invitational is a production of Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based Innovative Media Solutions and Winnercomm, Inc. Title sponsors of the Trump Million Dollar Invitational include The Trump Organization, Canouan Resorts Development and Raffles Resort-Canouan Island. Presenting sponsor is TaylorMade-adidas. Official sponsors include Golf Digest, Golfsmith, Laser Link Golf, Peak Vision Sports and St. Vincent & The Grenadines Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

The event's web site is http://www.trumpmilliondollar.com/ .

The U.S. Pro Golf Tour, International Golf Productions, LLC and IMS recently announced a five-year partnership with The Trump Organization. Beginning in 2007, four major championships of the USPGT will carry a total purse of $10.1 Million and will include the Trump World Match Play Challenge ($5 Million), the Trump Million Dollar Invitational ($1.6 Million), the Trump Celebrity Pro-Am ($1.5 Million) and the Trump Championship ($2 Million). Sites for the Trump Championships will be staged at four Trump golf courses, including Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, Florida; Trump National, Westchester, New York; Trump National, Los Angeles; and Trump International, Canouan Island, The Grenadines.

Media contact: Lynda Haschke at 972-740-3529 or LHaschke@winnercomm.com.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060702/DASU001
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Trump Million Dollar Invitational

CONTACT: Lynda Haschke, +1-972-740-3529, or LHaschke@winnercomm.com ,
for Trump Million Dollar Invitational

Web site: http://www.trumpmilliondollar.com/

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