KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP CELEBRITY PRO-AM ANNOUNCES EARLY CELEBRITY COMMITMENTS

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. (March 17, 2010) – Twelve new celebrities will take on the stars of the LPGA at the 2010 Kraft Nabisco Championship Celebrity Pro-Am, set for Tuesday, March 30, and Wednesday, March 31. Presented by Clemmy's Ice Cream, this year's Celebrity Pro-Am will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of playing spots to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

Topping the list of new Pro-Am celebrities are film and television star Joe Mantegna and former San Francisco 49ers defender Dwight Hicks. Mantegna's film and television credits include “House of Games,” “Searching for Bobby Fischer,” “Godfather III,” “The Rat Pack,” the voice of Fat Tony on “The Simpsons,” “Joan of Arcadia” and “The Starter Wife.” He currently stars as FBI Special Agent David Rossi in the hit CBS drama, “Criminal Minds.”

Hicks, the All-Pro cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers, is a two-time Super Bowl champion. He is now a successful actor in such movie hits as “Armageddon” and “The Rock” and appeared on television in “The OC” and “Nash Bridges.”

Also new to the Celebrity Pro-Am are Clifton Davis, Dillon Dixon, Michael Finney, Willie Gault, Scott Henry, Chris Jacobs, Beverly Johnson, Marc McClure, Todd Zeile and Julie Buehler, host of the “Sports Buzz” on Team 1010.

Returning celebrities include Graeme Baxter, Kimberlin Brown, Alice Cooper, Kassie DePaiva, Jamie Farr, Steve Garvey, Dennis Haysbert, Cheech Marin, Gary Mule Deer, Lisa Myers, Super Dave Osborne, Jim Plunkett, Brooks Robinson and “Da Coach” Rich Gilgallon, host of “Da Coach's Soap Box” and the 1st Tee announcer for the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Back for a return engagement is seven-year-old Kyle Lograsso, a second-grader from Murrieta, Calif., and a survivor of eye cancer. The pint-size player is a veteran of numerous television, magazine and radio interviews and has appeared on CBS News and the “Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Playing spots in the two-day Celebrity Pro-Am are open to the public and available at www.KNCGolf.com or by calling 760-641-3114. In addition to playing both rounds of the Pro-Am, participants will receive two practice rounds at Mission Hills Country Club, invitations to the Pairings Party and Awards Party, admittance to the exclusive Kraft Nabisco Hospitality Club from Sunday, March 28, through Wednesday, March 31, the Pro-Am gift package and other privileges. The Pro-Am spots are available for $6,500; $3,300 of the purchase is tax deductible. The cost for a three-person team is $5,000 per person.

The Celebrity Pro-Am will be held on both the Arnold Palmer Course and the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Spectators are encouraged to bring their cameras during both days of the Pro-Am. No cameras are allowed once championship play begins on Thursday, April 1.

The 2010 Kraft Nabisco Championship Tournament Week runs Monday, March 29, through Sunday, April 4, at Mission Hills Country Club. This year's tournament will feature more than 100 of the best women golfers in the world. Led by defending champion Brittany Lincicome, the field will also include Lorena Ochoa, Ai Miyazato, Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer.

For more information on the 2010 Kraft Nabisco Championship LPGA tournament or the Celebrity Pro-Am, call 760-324-4546 or go to www.KNCGOLF.com.

Kraft Nabisco Championship Celebrity Pro-Am Commitments

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