Lake Buena Vista, Fla., December 3, 1996 - Len Mattiace of Ponte Vedra, Florida, took home the $250,000 first prize and the World's Best Putter title today at the Compaq World Putting Championship Final by Dave Pelz.
Mattiace, a PGA TOUR pro, finished the special 36-hole putting at the Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge golf courses at the Walt Disney World Resort with a score of 73. Taylor Smith, also on the PGA TOUR, came in second with a score of 75 while Brian Fogt, a PGA Teaching Professional finished with 76.
"It has finally hit me now that it is all over," Mattiace said. "This is a tremendous feeling to be the World's Best Putter. I was trying not to think about my score, and when I finished the last nine holes, they tallied up my scores and I was the winner."
Mattiace was one of 61 qualifiers who advanced to the second and final round today to compete against the 21 seeded professionals, which included Payne Stewart, Lee Janzen, Beth Daniel, Brad Faxon and Tom Kite.
"I'm thrilled," said Dave Pelz, master of the short game and founder of the Compaq WPC. "It's very gratifying to watch the world's best putters, amateurs and professionals, men and women, seniors and juniors, all competing on a level playing field. My congratulations to Len Mattiace, the 1996 Compaq World Putting Champion."
The lowest State Amateur Champion was Billy Bomar of Anchorage, Alaska, who is a teaching pro. He finished eighth.
"Compaq is proud to be the title sponsor of the premier World Putting Championship in which both the amateur and professional competitors have demonstrated tremendous putting skills as well as incredible sportsmanship and camaraderie throughout the tournament," said Jim Garrity, Vice President of Communications, Compaq Computer Corporation. "This competition parallels Compaq's commitment to provide businesses and individuals with tools that make them more competitive, and we are pleased to be a member of this great event."
The Compaq World Putting Championship by Dave Pelz, a competition to determine the World's Best Putter, is also being sponsored by Titleist, USA TODAY, ESPN, GOLFWEEK, GOLF Magazine, and the Dave Pelz Short Game School. It has been officially sanctioned by the PGA TOUR, Senior PGA TOUR and the LPGA Tour.
This event marks Compaq's commitment to target a broad-based consumer and business audience and to increase its brand awareness through vehicles that complement its advertising program. According to a recent study by the PGA of America, more than 50 percent of golfers own a PC, making the Compaq WPC an ideal target audience. The number of golfers in the year 2000 is expected to double to 50 million, and -- according to Dataquest -- the worldwide compounded annual growth rate for PC shipments is forecast to be 21 percent.
As this long-term growth continues to expand in both industries, and the demand for sports information increases, Compaq's technology provides new opportunities to connect people to people and people with information, such as up-to-the-minute sports scores, tournaments and current news.
Company Background
Compaq Computer Corporation, a Fortune 100 company, is the fifth largest computer company in the world and the largest global supplier of personal computers, delivering useful innovation through products that connect people with people and people with information. The company is an industry leader in environmentally friendly programs and business practices. Compaq is strategically organized to meet the current and future needs of its customers, offering Internet and enterprise computing solutions, networking products, commercial PC products and consumer PCs. As the leader in distributed enterprise solutions, Compaq has shipped more than 1 million servers. In 1995, the company reported worldwide sales of $14.8 billion. Compaq products are sold and supported in more than 100 countries through a network of authorized Compaq marketing partners. Customer support and information about Compaq and its products can be found at Compaq Online or by calling 1-800-OK-COMPAQ. Product information and reseller locations can be obtained by calling 1-800-345-1518.
Compaq, Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Contacts:
Wendy Spander, Alan Taylor Comm., 212/714-1280
Charlie Ricks, Compaq WPC, Inc., 561/367-0369
Rebecca Nahas, Compaq Computer Corp., 281/514-0484
Erin Farrell, Miller/Shandwick Tech, 800-719-5105
© Copyright 1996 Compaq Computer Corporation.
Revised: 04 December 1996
