September 20, 2002

COLUMBUS, OH — The Founding Father Eric Kaniecki is ready for this week's 2nd major of 2002.  That major in West Virginia is Golfapalooza.  "We have been talking about 2001 for a year and feel like it was yesterday," he told in a conference call on Friday. "As time progressed, and yesterday watching Brian Flanagan hitting balls on the range, it has just reinforced that is excited."

Golfapalooza 2002, which takes place at Alpine Lake Golf Resort from Sept 26-28, is golf's 2nd major championship of the year.  Kaniecki insists, however, that the excitement level for Golfapalooza will be just as high as the Carl Spackler Open.

"From a media standpoint it has been a little quieter -- there's been no qualifying and no founding father picks which are usually exciting," he said. "But Rick Dosky, Jason Watson, Greg Long, Brian Flanagan, Greg Garrett and Don McFarland have been waiting a year for this and the have been excited for a year."

"I am hoping to stay out of the emergency room this year", said Greg Long.  Greg escorted a player to the local hospital last year from alcohol poisoning.  "As a precaution, we have proactively obtained wristbands with player social security numbers.  Hopefully that will simplify things at the hospital."

Flanagan said he was not going to talk to the field about scene at the hospital last year, but will remind them that they will be more "under the microscope" than ever.  "It means more now, we have become larger as a group," he said. "You can't help but get a sense of strippers, alcohol and porn," he said.  "Oh...  and don't forget about golf."

Tee times for Round 1 have been published on the Golfapalooza portion of the website.  Live scoring will begin Thursday evening through Saturday evening.