PGA TOUR MEDIA CONFERENCE

December 8, 1999

Roberto De Vicenzo

Tim Finchem

Jorge Ocampo

Mark Ward

COMMISSIONER FINCHEM: Well, let me just thank you, President Menem, for being with us today and for all of your support and bringing us to the point of this announcement. And President De Luca, of course, we appreciate your efforts to organize everything that got us to this point. I would like to -- before I begin, I would like to recognize Roberto De Vicenzo and to send him regards from the PGA TOUR and the PGA TOUR players. Today, we have a special announcement to announce sponsorship of EMC and the World Cup, and to announce the playing of the World Cup in Argentina in 2000. First of all, EMC is one of the leading companies globally and in the United States. It is a company of great energy and vision, and it will be a tremendous partner for the World Cup as we go forward, and we're delighted with their sponsorship. We're also delighted to be coming to Buenos Aires in the first year of the Federation's sanctioning of the World Cup and to play in the Buenos Aires Golf Club, for several reasons. First of all, Argentina has a great history in golf. It has developed so many wonderful players over the years, including Roberto De Vicenzo, Eduardo Romero and Vicente Fernandez, who is playing very well on our Senior TOUR now. Also, Argentina hosted and won the first World Cup in 1953, and, of course, it was played again in Argentina in 1962 and in 1970. So with that great and rich golf tradition, it is appropriate that we begin the new phase of the historical World Cup with EMC as the new sponsor in bringing the Cup to Argentina in 2000. EMC World Cup has been a forerunner in the development of and interest in the game of golf around the world. In fact, the most important thing historically about the EMC World Cup has been playing with great players around the world in and stimulating so much interest in the game of golf. If you look at the long list of players, great players who have won the EMC World Cup in prior years, you see names like Nicklaus, Player, Palmer, Snead, Hogan, De Vicenzo, Thomson, Ballesteros, Montgomerie, Couples, Love, O'Meara and Tiger Woods. A rich history in involving the greatest players to ever play the game since 1953. I would like to take a moment and recognize and thank the International Golf Association for their contribution to shepherding the World Cup over the years, before the Federation assumed management of the World Cup beginning next year. The International Golf Association will continue to serve as an advisory board in the International Federation of PGA Tours as we begin the era when the World Cup becomes part of the World Golf Championships. Now, starting next year, we will have a new format for this fine Championship. We will play two days of foursomes and two days of fourballs among two-man teams representing 24 different countries. We believe that this format will really bring home the team aspect of the competition. And as President De Luca mentioned a few moments ago, we will have a total prize of $3 million, with $1 million being awarded to the first team. We believe that the future of the EMC World Cup will be definitely enhanced by its affiliation with the International Federation of PGA Tours as a World Golf Championships event. And then in turn, the World Golf Championships will be enhanced because of the involvement going forward with the EMC World Cup. I want to thank EMC for sharing the vision of this event, for its commitment to taking the World Cup to another level, and for joining Andersen Consulting, NEC and American Express as one of the umbrella sponsors for the World Golf Championships beginning in 2000. And now, if I might, Mr. President, I'd like to introduce you to the Vice President of Global Marketing for the EMC Corporation, Mr. Mark Ward. Mark.

MARK WARD: Thank you, Commissioner Finchem. And thank you, President Menem for allowing us to spend some time in Argentina with you all this afternoon. It's a pleasure to be with you this evening. The year 2000 is going to bring many new opportunities to the world in forms of technology and golfing events. EMC is proud to join the International Federation of PGA Tours as the first ever sponsor of the EMC World Cup. The opportunity to bring the World Cup back to Buenos Aires for the first time since its 1962 playing is a great opportunity for EMC to bring its over 16,000 employees and its over 12,000 customers a chance to see the best of world golf played in a competitive format over a weekend of matches that will pair the best players in the world in a competitive opportunity. Golf has been a sport that has brought many countries together; in the Ryder Cup, which we at EMC were very proud to participate in in the Boston area over the past year. We believe that it is an opportunity for EMC to share with our customers and partners Anderson Consulting and NEC, to name two, more of the community and fun associated with world golf. For those of you who are not familiar with EMC, we are the world's leader in enterprise storage and information systems. And as you journey back from Argentina, where many of you are visiting today, you will perform your reservation systems transactions on EMC Technology. You will use your banking ATM cards to understand where your transactions are taking place, and information is at the core of that and EMC manages that. Our technology is used by companies throughout the world, and many in Argentina specifically. The same technology that will allow these global corporations to use information to be more competitive in the world is the information that we at EMC will bring to the EMC World Cup in the form of statistical analysis and all of the compilation of scoring and player statistics over the next years of the EMC World Cup. It's quite an honor for EMC to take this position in the marketplace, to be partnering with the PGA Tours worldwide, to have the opportunity to work with Commissioner Finchem and the rest of the PGA TOUR worldwide, as EMC marks a long relationship with world golf over the course of the year 2000 and for many years to come.

PRESIDENT MENEM: Ladies and gentlemen, dear golfers, you are all my friends. Nothing would give greater pleasure to this president, after only two days of transferring office, as a result of the election six months ago of the Argentine people, than to officially announce that the World Cup organizers here will be held in the year 2000 at the Buenos Aires Golf Club. I would like to thank the International Federation of PGA Tours for having been chosen for this world event, an event that will give us the occasion of seeing the best players in the Official World Golf Ranking and the players representing the best countries in the world, the great powers of golf, seeing their sport in our country. Golf is not easy. It was not easy to have this tournament held in Argentina when one of the most important golf tours in the world is having the most important one. This is a result of hard work and permanent contact with the authorities in other countries and the former officials of those countries. I had occasion of discussing this topic with the president of the United States, my friend, Bill Clinton. And when we decided to have this tournament held in Argentina, we called up our goodwill and friendship of President George Bush; so that he would act as a bridge, helping us to get in touch with the organizers of this important tournament so that it could be held in Argentina. It is no secret that this beautiful sport has become more popular in our country. It was a sport for a selected group of people, some of whom became professional. The number of golfers has grown lately but the most important thing is to see that many children all over Argentina are starting to practice golf. They are the future champions, perhaps champions here and perhaps champions abroad. To become a professional in this sport is a very difficult job. We are already seeing that with each tournament -- the prize will be $3 million and the winning tournament will receive $1 million.. And in the beginning we did not believe that this would have a happy ending. I am determined to show the best of wills so that we will have a strong ending, and we will continue to work hard so that this tournament may be held in Argentina every year. Unfortunately, we have already lost an international competition that after 14 years of hard work, we have been able to bring back to Argentina, and that was Formula I car racing. Unfortunately, we have lost that possibility, and we have also lost the world's championship of motorcycles, and this effort that we have now made I hope will continue so that Argentina will be present in millions of households all over the world. Moreover, this tournament will mean work for many people. We have listened to the words of Mr. Mark Ward who said he had 16,000 employees or workers who could be able to participate in the organization of this tournament. I believe that Argentina deserves it; that the Argentine people that have finally decided to take the road of democracy and freedom, deserve to receive back from these organizations, especially from this top organization for the sport. I have started to play golf and it has become a passion. I have been criticized from the beginning. I even said once that I had been lucky enough to make golf popular. But it is also true to say that we have done things that have given Argentina the possibility to grow and develop a huge potential, and that potential is not just economic and political; it is also social, cultural, and within our culture, we have golf that is a sport, and as a sport, a culture. Now there's not just football in Argentina. There are other sports, and golf is one of them. So my gratitude. I thank the PGA TOUR and those who represent this institution. I thank Mr. Tim Finchem. I thank Mr. Mark Ward, for he is VP of Operations, and I thank Mr. Mike Bodney who is here, present, for the official launching of the tournament. Congratulations to all of you who have also your responsibility. My gratitude will last forever, and you may be sure that even though I may no longer be the president, I will continue to play golf and I will no longer have a presidential handicap. Thank you very much. May God bless you. (Applause).

Q. The main golf stars, the great golfers we read of every day in the newspaper, will they be present? This question is addressed to anybody who would care to answer.

COMMISSIONER FINCHEM: I'd be happy to try to answer that question. We anticipate that the top players in the World Golf Rankings will be playing in the EMC World Cup. The combination of the quality of the format with foursomes and fourballs, and the quality of the purse and the historical importance of the EMC World Cup over the years, combined, we think will result in a very strong field. If you notice from the -- just from the United States perspective in the last five or six years, Davis Love, Fred Couples, Mark O'Meara, John Daly, Tiger Woods have played, and we anticipate that that level of player will continue to play in the EMC World Cup. Ernie Els typically plays, representing South Africa. All of the top players have played from time to time. 100% of them may not play in any one year, but we anticipate that the very best players will be representing these 24 countries when we come to Buenos Aires next year. And if I might, Mr. President, since you now have a little more time to practice your game, I look forward to 18 holes with you when we come down for the EMC World Cup next year.

PRESIDENT MENEM: I fully agree if you accept that I can keep my presidential handicap. I agree to play with you if you agree to respect my presidential handicap.

COMMISSIONER FINCHEM: You know, Mr. President, Sam Snead played with all of the American presidents over the years: President Bush, President Eisenhower, President Kennedy, President Nixon, President Clinton. And Sam Snead once said that he hated playing with presidents. And someone said, "Why is that?" And he said because their putts are always good. (Laughs.) (Applause.)

PRESIDENT MENEM: And he must have been right.

Q. For Roberto De Vicenzo, I would like to have a comment on this return of the tournament 30 years after the last time it was played, and 37 years after you won that tournament.

ROBERTO DE VICENZO: It's very simple. My comment is that they have insisted so much on this because President Menem and Mr. De Luca have worked hard in the world of golf. I participated in this tournament 17 times in different parts of the world. I have won three times. And each time I won, I won $2,500. The championship was played with another aim; it was played with the mentality that this was a tournament to establish international relations. But now, the world has changed. Now, international relations are important, but not so much. I am sure that we will be welcoming the best players in the world, because this is an important tournament, and there is a strong fight all year long to see who will qualify. There is no security that Tiger Woods or Els will come because they have to qualify to come here for $1 million. And the professionals will fight all year long to see whole be able to come. I am sure that we will have a great tournament here. When it was played in 1962, we had never seen before in a golf course the great number of people were there following. And when it was played in 1970, I believe we had more people watching and there were not so many golfers as there are now. I believe that the golf course at the Buenos Aires golf Club will be perhaps small for all of the people who would like to see the tournament. I would like to congratulate Mr. Menem and Mr. Jorge De Luca for having made this connection with the PGA TOUR, so as to have them play here in Argentina. You can be sure that we in Argentina will give them a pleasant surprise.

Q. Mr. Ocampo, I would like to know what will the tournament mean for golf in Argentina?

JORGE OCAMPO: This tournament more than a tournament is a very important championship worldwide. I believe this will give a great push to national golf. It happened in 1970 as Roberto has just said, I believe that by the year 2000, a World Golf Championship in Argentina will give a great momentum to golf that has already grown a lot.

JORGE OCAMPO: The golf course at the Jockey Club is not able to receive the number of people that Buenos Aires Golf Club will be able to have. This golf course has some holes that will give some possibility to the people present to move around. I suppose that on many of those holes, they will have to place sitting positions and information signs on many places. Now, the fans sit at a given place and they are informed of what is happening, hole by hole. I believe that will be the work to be done by Buenos Aires Golf Club so that the people present will be informed and will not have to walk all around to see what the players are doing.

JORGE OCAMPO: The golf courses has changed as life has changed. Today the golf courses of the 50s are no longer courses for championships because the greens and the fairways are not ready for that. The Buenos Aires Golf Club and Olivos Golf Club and many other golf courses are ready to have modern golfers. These are golf courses who have their own resources and will require the golfer to have his own strategy. The Buenos Aires Golf Club has greens that are very dangerous, with the flags placed at different positions so that the player will find each of his shots to be in danger. As to the qualification, it will always be a test of the two players representing their countries. That is national. That is not something the International Federation will decide, nor the Argentine organizers. That is decided by each country individually. They have their own ranking. They keep that ranking during the whole year. And by the end of the year, when the world tournament is held here, they will decide, each country will decide who will be their representative. That has always been a problem because the organizers, of course, we would like to have Tiger Woods here, but who can tell us if, perhaps, Tiger Woods will have a bad year and may not even qualify. It is very difficult to predict who will be coming, now. I believe months have to go by and the qualification has to be started. The people of the PGA Tours know that the two best representatives of each country will be sent, all of the best representatives only. Nobody knows that. Only the professional golfers who are keeping their own tally and who know if they are ready to win or not. Those who have the possibility of coming, nobody will take from them the possibility of coming here and playing for $1 million, even though national officials, government officials or international authorities may intervene. They will not lose the possibility of coming here and playing. It is very difficult to take the decision. The organization is one thing, and the decision of who will be the players, that's something completely different. At least, that's how it was in my time. I don't know if the International Federation today can take decisions and choose each one of the players. That's something they could answer, I can't.

COMMISSIONER FINCHEM: As I understand the question, the top-ranked player from each of the countries can select a partner. If that player, that top-ranked player, for whatever reason, cannot play or cannot schedule to play, the next top-ranked player would be in a position to select a partner. In that manner, we give the players some flexibility to form their team, which is important in team competition to be able to play with another player with whom you are compatible. We think also in that way it creates the most exciting format. As Roberto De Vicenzo has explained, the players, obviously, are not obligated to play. And as I mentioned earlier, not 100% of the players who are eligible might play. But that's not really important. The fact is that most of the great players who represent these fine countries will play. We're quite confident of that based on conversations can players, and we expect a very strong field in Buenos Aires next year for a very exciting World Cup.