March 15, 2004

WINSTON-SALEM, NC — Matt Davis could have used emotional control Saturday as his life has been blessed yet again with one prestigious honor. The Captains Club announced a vote selecting Pokey as the 4th Honoree for the 2004 Carl Spackler Open in Winston-Salem, NC.

The announcement was made by the Captains Club, a group of authorities on the game of golf who advise on the constitution and conduct of the Carl Spackler Open and who are responsible for selecting its honoree each year. Kevin Long was named honoree in 2001 and was the last member of the Captains Club to be honored. Generally the Captains Club meets online and choose the honoree and this year was no exception.

"We believed it was important to honor Matt Davis for all he has achieved with his kitchen passes and his P.W.R.P. program. Taking everything into consideration, the Captains believed that its voting session was appropriate to immediately consider Matt Davis as our next honoree," the Captains Club statement said.  "A person as responsible as Pokey is a diamond in the rough.  There are not many people who would donate their hard earned cash to charity when they use profanity on the golf course.  These are the kind of behind the scene items that drew us to the obvious conclusion."

The CEO of the Captains Club, Jamie Myers made the formal announcement, "As an accomplished player, Pokey has been an important part of our game and a competitive factor even though he has not been a consistent supporter of the Carl Spackler Open. On a personal note, he has been a friend to so many of us, and I would not have been able to fully enjoy last year's honor if I did not know that Pokey would also be honored. I appreciate and support the Captains resolution of this issue by naming Matt Davis the Tournament Honoree for 2004."

He rushed through his speech so he wouldn't have to stop after every sentence and fight back tears. "My hope is that Carl Spackler will forever stand as representation for my love and respect for the game, and the Open for my passion for tournament golf," Davis said.