January 14, 2008

HILLIARD, OH — Greg Garrett, the winner of 3-straight Golden Rods, signed in early-December as the 19th golfer to play golf at the Open Championship. Garrett attends his 6th-straight tournament as the best putter in Spackler history with a few golfers almost in his legendary ball park.

"My putting has always been rock solid," said Garrett. "It has been great watching my talents get exposed in a national environment."

Greg Garrett lost the Golden Rod last year to Trent Cooper by a very narrow margin. He submitted his required paperwork with his traditional signature and putting motto. "Putts do break if you hit it hard enough."

Garrett history includes the 2002 Stroke Award, 2003 4-man Scramble, 2004 Skills Challenge, 2004-2006 Golden Rod, and 2007 Longest Drive. He also played in the final pairing in April 2002 and June 2005, but failed in both attempts to acquire a Golden Jacket.

As a member of the Captains Club, Greg Garrett joins Brian Long as Vice Pesident of Online Scoring. Both are expected to enter 250 scorecards and 4,500 scores. Garrett is the 25th best golfer in Spackler tournament history with a career best 5th place finish in Williamsburg.

"Garrett is one of our MVP's," said Jason Watson from his home in Texas. "It has been a pleasure to see the tournament grow with guys like him."

Greg Garrett, a.k.a. Double G, finished the 2007 Virtual Tournament with a tie for 18th position. He opens the golf season with a higher 16.1 stroke handicap.

Jason Ridgeway returns for his 5th straight year, but for the first time with a fiancee. The effects of the commitment are unknown. His signing continues to load up Ohio representation. "I know the history," said Ridgeway of Carl Spackler Open. "The Golden Jacket has resided in Ohio for 5 of the 7 years. It is just a shame that I did not win a 6th jacket for Ohio at Tanglewood Park."

Ridgeway, winner of the Dublin, OH city championship, signs as the 20th player and best stroke handicap in the field. Ridgeway enters the 2008 tournament as the 2nd best golfer in Spackler history. He also holds the 7th best putter in history.

"I have decided to enter the golf tournament for a 5th time to beat Kyle Marti yet again," said Ridgeway from his office. "Just like Ohio State beats Michigan, I plan to beat Kyle Marti and his improved (from extreme hacking to moderate hacking) swing. An added bonus is to watch him lose the Golden Rod award another time and take more putt points away from him. I look forward to this year's tournament and the venue that has been selected. It should be another great year of drinking, friends, golf and great stories to tell."

The 2008 Carl Spackler Open Championship begins on June 4 with the optional practice round. There are 57 participants signed for the 8th annual event.