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Fan Zone presented by C&L Ward returns to tournament week

GRAND BLANC, Mich. – Tournament officials announced today that The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren defending champion Jim Furyk joins Charles Schwab Cup leader and 2019 tournament winner Jerry Kelly and major champions Retief Goosen, Mark O’Meara and John Daly to highlight early commitments to the fourth edition of the official PGA TOUR Champions stop, scheduled for the week of August 23-29 at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Mich.

Furyk, 51, became the 19^th player in PGA TOUR Champions history to win his debut with his victory at the 2020 Ally Challenge. He went on to join Bruce Fleisher in September as the only players to win their first two starts on the senior circuit after his win at the PURE Insurance Championship. Phil Mickelson became a member of the exclusive fraternity a month later. Furyk grabbed his third, and most recent, PGA TOUR Champions title at the 2021 U.S. Senior Open Championship in July. The victory marked his first senior major and second overall, adding to his U.S. Open Championship win in 2003, the same year the Florida resident won the Buick Open at Warwick Hills. Furyk has finished inside the top-25 in all 17 starts of his PGA TOUR Champions career, including 10 top-10 outings. He currently ranks No. 2 on the Charles Schwab Cup Money List and his three wins this season rank No. 1 on TOUR.

Kelly has been a model of consistency and productivity since making his first PGA TOUR Champions start in 2017. He was selected as PGA TOUR Champions Rookie of the Year after an impressive first season that included two wins, 10 top-10 finishes over 20 starts, and setting a PGA TOUR Champions record with 16 consecutive rounds in the 60s, breaking Hale Irwin’s 18-year mark. The 54-year-old Wisconsin native’s win total now sits at eight, including The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren in 2019 and his first major title at the 2020 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. He has amassed 49 career top-10 finishes to go with $8,136,107 in prize money. Kelly currently sits atop the Charles Schwab Cup Money List and will be making his fourth start at The Ally Challenge. His scoring average at Warwick Hills is 68.44 with tournament earnings of $379,450.

Goosen, 52, enjoyed a stellar rookie PGA TOUR Champions season in 2019. His 12 top-10 finishes over 23 starts, including two runner-ups and his first senior title at the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, resulted in the Tour’s best scoring average (69.14) and Rookie of the Year honors. Goosen was the seventh player in Tour history to win the scoring title as a rookie. He has continued his impressive play during his sophomore campaign, adding another 12 top-10s, with three runner-ups and two third-place efforts. The South African is currently ranked No. 6 on the Charles Schwab Cup Money List and No. 1 in Driving Distance with a 297.5-yard average. Goosen will be making his third start at The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren. His best finish came in 2020 when he closed with a six-under 66 to finish the tournament tied for second with Brett Quigley at 12-under-par. The two-time U.S. Open Champion’s scoring average at The Ally Challenge is 68 and his earnings total $240,000.

O’Meara, 64, has recorded 16 PGA TOUR titles during his more than 40-year professional career, including two majors¾1998 Masters and 1998 The Open Championship¾and was the PGA TOUR player of the year in 1998. The World Golf Hall of Famer joined the PGA TOUR Champions in 2007 and has claimed three senior titles, his first two coming in 2010, including a major championship at the Senior Players. O’Meara captured his latest PGA TOUR Champions victory during the 2019 season at the Cologuard Classic, ending an eight-year win drought. This year will be O’Meara’s fourth appearance at The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren. His best finish came in the inaugural event in 2018 when he tied for third with Tom Lehman. His Warwick Hills scoring average is 69.89 and his tournament earning stand at $158,933.34.

A two-time major championship winner, Daly, is one of the most recognizable figures in golf. He has recorded five-career PGA TOUR titles and his major victories include the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 The Open Championship. The 55-year-old resident of Dardanelle, Arkansas has totaled more than $12 million in earnings during his more than 28 years as a professional. Daly had a breakthrough season in 2017 in just his second year on the PGA TOUR Champions circuit, capturing three top-10 finishes, including his first PGA TOUR Champions victory at the Insperity Invitational, the same tournament where he made his PGA TOUR Champions debut in May of 2016. He has consistently recorded three top-10 finishes each of the past three seasons, including a runner-up at the 2021 Insperity. Daly will be making his second start at this year’s Ally Challenge. He was forced to withdraw in 2018 due to an injury and finished T-58 last year. His scoring average at Warwick Hills is 72.

In additional news, the tournament is excited to announce the return of the Fan Zone presented by C&L Ward. This interactive fan destination is located next to the famed 17^th hole at Warwick Hills and is open Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Patrons visiting the Fan Zone will be treated to a number of available activities, including the popular island chip shot, newly renamed the Bucket Savings Challenge, compliments of the tournament’s title sponsor,Ally Financial. The Bucket Savings Challenge allows participants to target “saving” for a vacation, house or car and win prizes corresponding to that savings goal. Ally introduced the savings bucket tools to its online savings accounts last year.

The primary sponsor is also bringing back the Ally Deck at 17 to the Warwick Hills famed hole. The Deck is open to the public and will feature an upgraded viewing experience, photo ops and giveaways.

Also located in The Fan Zone is the McLaren Bunker Challenge. This activation offers golf fans of all ages a chance to test their skills as well as learn more about the statewide McLaren system. Fans can try to sink a shot out of a bunker onto a mini green that is screened in for safety. The Bunker Challenge will be hosted by McLaren volunteers and offer prizes for golf fans who sink the shot, with a chance to win a larger raffle prize at the end of the tournament. Displays along the waiting area for the bunker shot will highlight various McLaren services, including the McLarenNow telehealth service, which allows patients to virtually connect with a board-certified physician, 24/7, via their phone, laptop or computer with web cam. The McLaren Bunker Challenge is open during the hours of the Fan Zone, August 27-29.

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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