SIX CELEBRITIES COMMIT

FIRST SIX CELEBRITIES AGREE TO TEE IT UP AT THE TRAVELERS PRO-AM

CROMWELL, Conn., June 11, 2010– The Travelers Championship will not only include some of the world’s best golfers, but also some of the biggest stars at the Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am on Wednesday, June 23. Celebrities and sports personalities will tee it up alongside PGA TOUR professionals at TPC River Highlands. The event will feature Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Michael Bolton, Olympic gold medal skier Bode Miller, Academy Award-winning actor Joe Pesci, six-time National Sportscaster of the Year Chris Berman and Olympic gold medal gymnast Shannon Miller.

In addition to golf on Wednesday, the tournament will welcome WFAN Sports Talk Radio host Mike Francesa for a live on-course broadcast of his show Mike’d Up: Francesa on the FAN. The show will broadcast from the Clubhouse Patio from 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. and will also be shown simulcast on the YES Network.

“The Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am is a unique aspect of our tournament that we are proud to deliver to fans. When you bring entertainers like Michael Bolton and elite athletes like Bode Miller to compete alongside the world’s best PGA TOUR professionals, the result is a must-see event for fans, whether you’re a golfer or not,” said Tournament Director Nathan Grube. “A primary goal of the Travelers Championship is to raise funds and awareness for our designated charities, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and the Greater Hartford Jaycees. We look forward to welcoming these celebrities to Connecticut and we appreciate their time and enthusiasm to draw attention to our event and support the tournament’s charitable efforts.”

If you made a list of performers who have sold more than 53 million records, won multiple Grammys for Best Male Vocalist and countless other honors, earned a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, and sold out arenas worldwide, Michael Bolton would be on that list.  But if you tallied all the artists who’ve sung with Luciano Pavarotti and Ray Charles, written songs with Bob Dylan, Ne-Yo and Lady Gaga, penned hits for Barbra Streisand and KISS, played guitar with B.B. King and had his music recorded on a track by hip-hop superstar Kanye West (featuring megastar Jay-Z), Michael Bolton would be the only name on that list.  Born in New Haven, Conn., Michael Bolton established The Michael Bolton Foundation in 1993, now The Michael Bolton Charities, Inc. to provide assistance, education and shelter to children and women at risk from poverty, as well as physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

Olympic champion Bode Miller, a New England native, has won five Olympic medals, the most of any U.S. skier. Miller scored two silvers in Salt Lake City in 2002 and was the most successful skier in Vancouver this past February, when he took home a gold, silver and bronze medal. Miller also has tallied a United States-best 32 World Cup victories in his career. Twice, in 2005 and 2008, he won the overall World Cup.

Screen legend Joe Pesci has been nominated for dozens of film awards including two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes. He is known for diverse roles ranging from the entertaining thief in Home Alone to his iconic performance as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas, for which he earned the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Pesci will be seen next in The Love Ranch, a drama co-starring Helen Merrin, which will hit theatres this month.

Dynamic sportscaster Chris Berman has been a great enthusiast of Connecticut’s PGA TOUR event for years and is known for infusing his energy into the event. Berman has been on-air with ESPN since the station was founded in 1979 and is best known as the voice of NFL Sundays. He has been named Sportscaster of the Year six times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and was recently honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Shannon Miller is the most decorated American gymnast in history. Best known for her performances in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, Miller earned seven career Olympic Medals, including five medals (2 silver, 3 bronze) in ’92, the most medals won by a U.S. athlete in Barcelona. During her career, Miller won an astounding 58 international and 49 national competition medals, and led the “Magnificent Seven” to the first ever U.S. Women’s Team gold medal at the ’96 Atlanta Games. She is also the only female athlete to be inducted twice into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, as both an individual in 2006 and as a team member in 2008.

The Travelers Championship has generated more than $27 million to Connecticut charities since its inception. The tournament is proud to support the PGA TOUR’s Tradition of Giving Back by donating 100 percent of net proceeds to charity, as well as generating funds for local charities through special programs. Primary beneficiaries of the tournament are The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which provides spirit-strengthening programs for seriously ill children year-round at both the Camp and in hospitals, and the Greater Hartford Jaycees, a leadership development and community service organization.

Additional celebrity announcements will be made in the next few days. Tee times for the Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am will be between 6:50 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. and 11:50 a.m. – 1:50 p.m. The majority of celebrity guests will tee off mid-day, and exact tee times for each player will be announced closer to the event.

The Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am is just one featured event of a dynamic tournament week at the Travelers Championship, which will also feature Military Appreciation presented by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Farmington Bank Fan and Family Day, Golf Digest Junior Pro-Am, Women’s Day presented by Travelers, Michelob ULTRA 19th Hole Concert Series on Friday and Saturday night and the Subway Fan Zone,  which will feature the new Farmington Bank Kids Zone, Chalone wine garden, dining areas and more. Tickets are available now on TravelersChampionship.com.