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The 2021 edition of the 9-hole exhibition match for charity features golf greats Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino, along with Michigan State Men’s Head Basketball Coach Tom Izzo

Celebrity Shootout Inside the Ropes Experience returns, including the chance to caddie for the celebrities during the event

GRAND BLANC, Mich. – The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren today announced the return of one   of the tournament’s fan-favorite events, the Celebrity Shootout. For 2021, this marquee competition will feature golf’s greatest champion Jack Nicklaus; fellow World Golf Hall-of-Famer Lee Trevino; and NCAA Men’s Basketball title-winning head coach Tom Izzo of Michigan State University. In the coming weeks, an additional celebrity will be added to create a powerhouse foursome that will play a 9-hole team scramble exhibition match to benefit charity.

The Celebrity Shootout will take place on Saturday, August 28¾following the last tournament pairing of round two¾and begin on Hole No. 10 at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club. Additional details, including celebrity pairings and charitable impact, will be announced soon.

No name is more synonymous with greatness in the sport of golf than the name Jack Nicklaus, and no single person has changed the face of the sport more than Jack Nicklaus – the player, the course designer, the businessman, the philanthropist, and the good-will ambassador.

Nicklaus’ competitive career spanned five decades, and his legend has been built with 120 professional tournament victories worldwide, including a record 18 major-championship titles (six Masters, five PGA Championships, four U.S. Opens, three British Opens). Known as the Golden Bear, Nicklaus’ legacy transcends his championship resumé, due to his global design work and licensing, and the commitment from Jack and wife Barbara to philanthropy, specifically efforts focused on pediatric care through the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. Using his success as a platform to benefit others has earned Nicklaus the designation as the only sportsperson—and fourth individual in history—to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Lincoln Medal.

“I look forward to returning to Michigan and the fans at Warwick Hills, and reconnecting with my friends at Ally,” Nicklaus said. “It’s been a couple of years since we did this, but I recall how kind and appreciative the galleries were. Most important, we raised significant money for charity, and hope to do so once again. I don’t play much golf these days, but I am certain we will have a lot of fun. And if I can negotiate eight shots from Lee for the nine holes, we will have even more fun!”

Trevino is arguably one of the best ball-strikers golf has ever seen. A natural performer, the Texas native shaped a very original path to the top of the sport. Entirely self-taught at first, Trevino eventually became the protégé of Hardy Greenwood, owner of Hardy’s Driving Range in Dallas. Working as a caddie and a green keeper to stay close to the game he loved, Trevino’s playing skills matured later than most Hall of Famers.  

After serving with the Marines from ages 17-21, Trevino became a golf professional in 1960, and took his first job working as an assistant in El Paso, TX, before joining the professional golf circuit in 1966. In 1967, Trevino was named Rookie of the Year. His first major championship victory came at the 1968 U.S. Open at the age of 28.

During his career, Trevino won 29 PGA TOUR titles, including six major championships: the U.S. Open twice (1968, 1971), back-to-back British Opens in 1971 and 1972, and the PGA Championship in 1974 and 1984, his final TOUR victory came at age 44. He also won 29 PGA TOUR Champions tournaments¾ranked third all-time¾four of them majors.

Winning the Vardon Trophy for low scoring average five times, Trevino was named PGA Player of the Year and the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated’s Athlete of the Year in 1971.

“I am thrilled to be coming back to Warwick Hills and joining my good friend, Jack Nicklaus. We are going to have a great day on Saturday, August 28^th, it will be fun to be with all the incredible Michigan golf fans.”

Izzo has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments in 26 seasons as head coach of the Michigan State men’s basketball program, including the 2000 NCAA National Championship, nine regular-season Big Ten Championships, six Big Ten Tournament titles, eight Final Four appearances, eight National Coach of the Year awards and a Big Ten-record 23 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. His career record encompasses 643 wins, which is fifth most by any coach in his first 26 seasons in the history of college basketball. In November 2009, he passed his mentor Jud Heathcote (340 wins) to become MSU’s all-time winningest coach.

A 1977 graduate of Northern Michigan, Izzo joined the Spartan program as an assistant coach in 1983. After 12 seasons as an assistant, the 1995-96 campaign marked his first season as head coach.

Izzo was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 9, 2016, cementing his status as one of the game’s all-time greats.

“It’s a great honor to be invited to play in the Celebrity Shootout at The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren with great names in golf like Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino, and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Izzo. “The Ally Challenge is a tremendous event in the state of Michigan that will raise funds for charities in the greater Flint area, which has always been close to my heart.”

In related news, the tournament today revealed the return of the Celebrity Shootout Inside the Ropes Experience. This program, featuring exclusive inside the ropes experiences, including the opportunity to caddie for the celebrities, is now open to the public by visiting https://theallychallenge.com/tournament-info/celebrity-shootout. All proceeds from the Celebrity Shootout Inside the Ropes Experience will benefit charities associated with the tournament.

The Ally Challenge will be one of the premier Regular Season events on PGA TOUR Champions in 2021, which will give way to the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs – a season-ending, three tournament series used to determine the TOUR’s season-long champion. Due to the circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, PGA TOUR Champions has combined its tournaments in 2020 and 2021 to form one season, and the next Charles Schwab Cup champion will be crowned in November 2021 at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

All three rounds of The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren will be broadcast on Golf Channel.

For more information about The Ally Challenge, please visit theallychallenge.com. For the latest Ally Challenge news and updates on social media follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram at @AllyChallenge and on Facebook at Facebook.com/AllyChallenge.

About The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren

The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren is an official event on the PGA TOUR Champions owned and operated by Tournaments for Charity, a Michigan non-profit corporation. This 54-hole stroke play golf tournament features 78 PGA TOUR Champions professionals competing for a $2 million purse at the historic Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan. The event is designed to showcase the best golf on the PGA TOUR Champions for the enjoyment of spectators and to benefit local charities in the greater Flint area. All three official rounds will be internationally televised on the Golf Channel.

For more information about The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren, please visit theallychallenge.com. For the latest Ally Challenge news and updates on social media follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram at @AllyChallenge and on Facebook at Facebook.com/AllyChallenge.

About Ally Financial

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a digital financial services company committed to its promise to "Do It Right" for its consumer, commercial and corporate customers. Ally is composed of an industry-leading independent auto finance and insurance operation, an award-winning digital direct bank (Ally Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender, which offers mortgage lending, point-of-sale personal lending, and a variety of deposit and other banking products), a corporate finance business for equity sponsors and middle-market companies, and securities brokerage and investment advisory services. A relentless ally for all things money, Ally helps people save well and earn well, so they can spend for what matters. For more information, please visit www.ally.com and follow @allyfinancial.

For more information and disclosures about Ally, visit https://www.ally.com/#disclosures.

For further images and news on Ally, please visit http://media.ally.com.

About McLaren Health Care

McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 15 hospitals in Michigan and Ohio, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 588,000 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S.  McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 90,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.  Learn more at www.mclaren.org.

About HNS Sports Group

HNS Sports Group is a Dublin, Ohio-based LLC founded in 2000. The company offers over 125-plus years of collective experience and is committed to providing professional, efficient and effective client representation in the categories of sponsorship consultation, event management, hospitality management, sales representation and tournament operations within the golf market. To learn more about HNS Sports Group, visit www.hnssports.com.

Media Contact

Thomas P. Sprouse

Director of Communications,

The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren               

E-Mail: tsprouse@hnssports.com           

Office: 614-889-6791                

Mobile: 614-519-1873

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