Kite made his push with five birdies on the back nine, tying Simpson at -12 on the 14th hole with a birdie to Simpson’s par. He went on to take a one-shot lead on the next hole with another birdie and never again relinquished the lead.

The 2006 and 2008 champion also came from three shots behind in his first victory at the Boeing Classic, two years ago prevailing over Don Pooley.

HE’S IN THE MONEY
With today’s win, Kite has solidified his position as the top money winner in Boeing Classic history. The two-time winner has amassed $644,120 in the tournament’s four-year history, well ahead of the second-ranked money winner, 2005 Champion David Eger, who has earned $361,959.

PAST CHAMPIONS – HOW THEY FARED
The tournament’s previous three champions obviously have an affinity for the Boeing Classic and TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. 2007 Champion Denis Watson put pressure on the leaders on Sunday, shooting a 6-under 66 to move up 12 places, finishing tied for 5th (74-67-66). Inaugural Champion David Eger, who made it to the seven-man playoff last year, shot two-under on Sunday and finished tied for 19th (70-72-70).

HOLE 14 SUMMARY
In the final round of the Boeing Classic, 33 players out of 77 shot for the green, more than any other day of the tournament. Of those who went for it, scores resulted in 15 birdies, 12 pars, four bogeys, one double bogey, and one triple bogey. Massy Kuramoto had the shot of the day when he put his tee shot 15 feet from the pin. On the other hand, Mike San Filippo struggled on 14, putting his first two tee shots into the canyon before putting a ball in play; he ended up shooting a triple bogey.

TOURNAMENT ATTENDANCE
With clouds turning to scattered showers on Championship Sunday, the tournament’s crowd for the final day of play totaled 16,000. With estimated attendance at 15,000 on Friday, 15,000 on Saturday and 2,500 for the events leading up to the competition, the total attendance for the week was 48,500.

WITH OUR THANKS: OVER 900 VOLUNTEERS - THE LARGEST IN TOURNAMENT HISTORY – IS BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF THE BOEING CLASSIC
The 2008 Boeing Classic experienced its largest volunteer turnout in the tournament’s four-year history. With significant contributions from the employees of Boeing and Virginia Mason Medical Center , the tournament was assisted by over 900 volunteers.

DATES SET FOR 2009 BOEING CLASSIC
The 2009 Boeing Classic is slated for August 24-30, 2009, at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge.

This marks the first time in 80 career starts on the Champions Tour that Scott Simpson has held a lead going into the final round of an event. So far in 2008, 10 of 21 second/third-round leaders have gone on to win a Champions Tour event.

Scott Simpson has played near-perfect golf through two rounds. He has yet to make a bogey and going back to last week’s JELD-WEN Tradition, he has made just two bogeys in his last 104 holes.

Two years ago at this event, Simpson trailed 36-hole leader Don Pooley by one stroke after 36 holes before closing with a 3-under-par 69 which led to a T2 finish behind Tom Kite.

Here are second-round leader Scott Simpson’s statistics thru two rounds.

Fairways Hit – 24 of 28 (85.7%/T12)
Greens in Regulation – 29 of 36 (80.6%/T4)
Putts Per Round – 27.0/10
Driving Distance – 258.8/38

Keith Fergus continued his good fortune at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. In the 11th start in this tournament, Fergus has now posted 11 straight sub-par rounds after shooting a 2-under-par 70 on Saturday.

Following a 5-under-par 67, 2006 champion Tom Kite finds himself back in the hunt, just three strokes behind Scott Simpson. His 2006 victory here was the last of nine wins by Kite on the Champions Tour. This is his 57th start since that win in a playoff with Keith Fergus.

Bruce Fleisher, currently in fifth place, is seeking his first top-10 finish in a Champions Tour event since he was T6 in April, 2006 at the FedEx Kinko’s Classic in Austin.

Don Pooley has hit 27 of 28 fairways through two rounds to lead all players in that category, while Walter Hall’s 50 putts are the fewest in that category. David Edwards, Mike Reid and D.A. Weibring have each hit 30 of 36 greens in regulation.

One day after 24 players finished with rounds under par, 41 players accomplished the feat on Saturday and the scoring average dropped from 72.974 to 72.318. There were 21 rounds in the 60s compared to just 11 on Friday.

Phil Blackmar made the day’s biggest move, jumping from T48 on Friday to T13 after the conclusion of Saturday’s round. Blackmar shot a 6-under-par 66 on Saturday, shaving eight strokes off his effort on Friday.

David Edwards sits two back from Simpson, having shot a 67 for today’s round. 2006 Champion Tom Kite and first round leader Mark Wiebe are both at -8. Kite, who posted his score before Wiebe, will play in the final group on Sunday.

TEE TIMES FOR SUNDAY’S FINAL ROUND MOVED UP TO 9AM; LEADERS TO START AT 11AM
Sunday’s tee times for the final round of the Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge have been moved up to an earlier start. The first groups will begin their round at 9:00a.m. and the leaders will tee off at 11:00a.m. The decision was made by Champions Tour officials in order to avoid a weather front moving through the area on Sunday afternoon.

SPORTS RADIO 950 KJR TO BROADCAST LIVE FROM ABOVE THE 18TH GREEN FOR SUNDAY’S FINAL ROUND
KJR’s Mike Gastineau will bring his show to TPC Snoqualmie Ridge on Sunday, broadcasting live from above the 18th Green as the Boeing Classic crowns a new Champion. “The Gas Man” will be on the air from 1-4pm, providing fans all the latest on the tournament’s final round, including interviews with players as soon as they come off the course, all from the best seat in the house.

HOLE 14: THE BIG PAYOFF
In the second round of the tournament 29 out of the 77 players went for the green on hole #14, compared to the 28 who went for it during Friday’s first round play. Players benefitted more today from going for the green with 19 of the 29 shooting birdie, six shooting par, and only four shooting bogey or worse. Kirk Hanefeld, Ken Green, and Vicente Fernandez all struggled to keep their first tee shots out of the canyon and they each scored double bogey. Fuzzy Zoeller kept the crowd interested when he put his tee shot within 15 feet of the pin, the closest shot of the day. Of the 77 players in the field, no one eagled the hole, but there were 35 birdies, 35 pars, and seven bogeys or worse.

ATTENDANCE
Saturday’s estimated attendance was 15,000, equaling the Saturday crowd from 2007.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES
Following today’s high of 78, clouds will be on the increase this evening as a storm system approaches the coast. This system is expected to produce rain over Western Washington Sunday, beginning early in the afternoon here at the golf course. It will be a little cooler tomorrow with all the cloud cover. Our highs will reach the lower 70’s and winds will increase from the southwest by the afternoon.

HOW THE PAST CHAMPIONS FARED
The Boeing Classic’s past champions showcased their feel for the course throughout the first round on Friday. 2006 Champion Tom Kite recorded the best score of the exclusive scoring, posting a three-under 69 whilethe tournament’s inaugural Champion David Eger is not far behind at two-under. Last year’s winner Denis Watson opened with a two-ver-par 74 and is currently T48.

HOLE 14: GO BIG OR LAY UP
TPC Snoqualmie Ridge’s 14th hole, better known as Bear’s Canyon, once again proved to be the “go for gold” hole as tournament play got underway. 28 of the 77 players in the field decided to be bold and shoot for the green hoping they would be rewarded; some were and some were not. Of the 28 players who went for it only one was greatly rewarded for his efforts, posting an eagle. Of the rest who went for the green 10 shot birdie, 14 shot par, and only 3 shot bogey or worse. Phil Blackmar wowed the crowd when he hit his tee shot 5 feet 2 inches from the pin and drained his put for eagle.

SATURDAY’S PAIRINGS SET; TEE TIMES MOVED UP TO 11AM
Pairings for the second round are set and available in their entirety on BoeingClassic.com. The first tee times of the day have been moved up to 11am due to the course’s wet conditions resulting in longer times for the round to be played. The leaders - Scott Simpson, Mark Wiebe and Gary Hallberg – will tee off from the first hole at 1:00pm. The 12:40pm pair features major winners Tom Kite and Hale Irwin along with sponsor exemption Ron Streck.

ATTENDANCE
Friday’s estimated attendance was 15,000, matching last year’s crowd for the first day of competition.

HOCH WITHDRAWS AFTER EIGHT HOLES DUE TO WRIST INJURY
Scott Hoch, currently ranked fourth on this year’s Champions Tour Money List, was forced to withdraw after eight holes due to a left wrist injury. He was one-under-par at the time.

WEATHER FORECAST
Saturday: Patchy morning fog, otherwise mostly sunny and warmer. High: 80, Low: 54
Sunday: Becoming mostly cloudy with a chance for rain in the afternoon. High: 74, Low: 58

Mark Wiebe, who shares the lead with Scott Simpson, had an opportunity to have the lead all to himself, but made a bogey at No. 18 which left him with a first-round total of 5-under-par 67. It was the only blemish on his scorecard.

Bob Gilder made his 115th consecutive start on the Champions Tour on Friday, a streak that began at the 2004 JELD-WEN Tradition. It is the longest current streak on Tour.

Scott Hoch withdrew after eight holes with a left wrist injury. Hoch was 1-under-par at the time.

Keith Fergus ran his string of sub-par rounds in this event to 10 when he fired a 1-under-par 71 on Friday. He was runner-up to Tom Kite in 2006, was T14 last year and T20 in the inaugural event.

The most difficult hole on Friday was No. 4 with an average score of 4.468 (+.468). No. 3 was the second hardest at 4.325 (+.325). The easiest hole was No. 14 at 3.727 (-.273).

Speaking of difficulty, the stretch from holes 3-6 is one of the most difficult on the course. That stretch ranked 2nd, 1st, 4th and 5th in overall difficulty. The field averaged 37.091 on the front nine on Friday and 35.883 on the back nine.

Massy Kuramoto saw his streak of consecutive holes without a three-putt come to an end at 310 when he three putted No. 3 on Friday. That was the best streak on the Champions Tour in 2008.

Defending champion Denis Watson opened with a 2-over-par 74 and is currently T48.

There was just one eagle on the famed 14th hole, a 424-yard par 4. Players choosing to go for the pin off the tee must carry a 278-yard gully and Friday’s pin was 295 yards from the tee. A total of 28 choose to go for the green and that resulted in 10 birdies and the eagle. Phil Blackmar made the lone eagle and it couldn’t have come at a better time. He had made a triple bogey on his previous hole. In addition to Blackmar’s eagle, there were 24 birdies and only four players in the 77-player field made bogey or worse.

A total of 24 players finished with rounds under par and the field averaged 72.974, the highest first-round average in the tournament’s brief history. Here are the previous first-round scoring averages.

PLAYERS MAKE ANNUAL VISIT TO FT. LEWIS, MADIGAN VETERANS HOSPITAL
Since the inception of the Boeing Classic, Ed Dougherty has led a contingent of Champions Tour players including Jim Thorpe, Dana Quigley, Allen Doyle and Lonnie Nielsen down to
Ft. Lewis and Madigan Veterans Hospital. He’ll do the same again this year, making the drive down I-5 on Tuesday, August 19th. Dougherty was stationed at Ft. Lewis at the start of his career in the Army.

SEAHAWKS PRO-AM TAKES PLACE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY; NEW SEAHAWKS CUP TO AWARD FIRST PLACE FINISHERS A TRIP TO THE SUPERBOWL
An exciting addition to this year’s Pro-Am with the Seahawks as the new Title Sponsor, the team with the lowest net score over the two-day competition will receive the Seahawks Cup, which also includes a trip to this year’s SuperBowl in Tampa, FL.

BOEING FLYOVER SIGNALS START OF COMPETITION
When the pros hit the course for the 2008  Boeing Classic, the start of the region’s only PGA Champions Tour event won’t be signaled by a shotgun blast, but rather by the sound and appearance of a Boeing 777 jetliner. On Friday, Aug. 22, at about 11:25 a.m., a Boeing 777 will salute Classic fans and players as it circles the course at TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge, lines up with the 18th fairway, and flies up and over the clubhouse to start the event.

The airplane, provided courtesy of The Boeing Company and Emirates airline, will be flying at about 1,000 feet over the area, and pilots will operate the airplane under strict flight rules, and with the full support and permission of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Safety Authority (TSA).

FIELD FINALIZED AS FOUR PLAYERS WITHDRAW, 11 PLAYERS ADDED FROM MONDAY QUALIFIER
Easy come, easy go. Four players withdrew today from the Boeing Classic while eleven players were added from the qualifying tournament at Druids Glen. Those who withdrew include Bernhard Langer, Peter Jacobsen, Jim Colbert and alternate Larry Ziegler. As a result, Don Bies, Jimmy Powell and Danny Edwards all earned spots in the field. Also earning spots in the field, the 11 qualifiers. They are: Mike Smith (66), Kirk Hanefeld (68), John Morse (69), Mike San Filippo (69), James Mason (69), Jack Ferenz (69), Dave Rummells (69), Mark Johnson (70), Kenny Knox (70), Mike Donald (70) and Tim Conley (70).

NW FORD STORES NFL ALUMNI RUMBLE AT THE RIDGE KICKS OFF TOURNAMENT WEEK WITH A BLAST – A LIGHTNING BLAST!
The Ridge truly rumbled and players were forced off the course after only two holes due to severe weather today in Snoqualmie, but after a one-hour delay, the tournament resumed play under partly cloudy skies and Dave Krieg (First Place, GHIN Division) and Charle Young (First Place, Non-GHIN Division) prevailed with their teams in the annual kick-off event of the Boeing Classic.

The tournament featured a tremendous field of Seahawks Ring of Honor players, Hall of Famers and local NFL Alumni including Steve Largent, Krieg, Jacob Green, Curt Warner, Mike Haynes, Kellen Winslow, Sam Cunningham and more.

One of the most dominant players on the PGA Tour in the 80’s with two US Open Championships and three years atop the tour money list, Strange became the first person since Ben Hogan in 1950 and 1951 to win consecutive U.S. Open titles when he won it in both 1988 and 1989. His success on the Tour in 1989 earned him the honor of becoming the first player to win over a million dollars in a single season.

A native of Virginia Beach, VA, Strange won the Virginia Junior Championship and later earned the Arnold Palmer Scholarship to play golf at Wake Forest University.  At Wake Forest, Strange was part of what some consider the best collegiate golf team in history. With teammate Jay Haas, currently ranked second on the money list and in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, Strange led Wake Forest to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1974 and 1975 and won the individual collegiate crown in 1974.

A television analyst from 1997 to 2004, Strange ended his broadcasting career when he began playing on the Champions Tour in 2005. For the 2008 season, Strange currently ranks 58th on the money list and his best finish was a 6^th place tie at the Toshiba Classic.

The tournament field for the 2008 Boeing Classic is now set, with 67 players committed and 11 more who will earn their place in the field through Monday’s qualifier at Druids Glen.

Other players who have already committed to this year’s tournament include past champions Denis Watson (2007), Tom Kite (2006), David Eger (2005) as well as Fred Funk, Bernhard Langer, Fuzzy Zoeller, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Fuzzy Zoeller and Jeff Sluman.

By Ryan Piersol

Last year’s Boeing Classic wasn’t decided until a record six golfers had endured a sudden-death playoff.Still, peaking at the lineup for this year’s event, it seems possible that even less separates the field in 2008.

More than half of the top 20 golfers in the Charles Schwab Cup points standings have agreed to play in the event, scheduled for Aug. 22-24 at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. Practice rounds for the tournament begin Aug. 18.

A long list of touted veterans are in the tournament field, but so are a solid group of high-profile rookies.

Defending champion Dennis Watson - who defeated those other five playoff opponents and everyone else with a 9-under 279 last year - had surgery on a damaged knee this summer, but is expected to try and defend his title. Watson has three PGA tour victories in his career and won the FedEx Kinko’s Classic earlier this year.

Perhaps the most decorated player in the field is Ben Crenshaw, a golfer who has 19 PGA Tour victories to his credit and the honor of being the captain of the 1999 Ryder Cup team. Crenshaw won the Masters in both 1984 and 1985.

Tom Kite is another former Boeing Classic champ with a long list of wins. The 2006 Boeing Classic champ is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame after a PGA Tour career that included 19 victories.
Curtis Strange, the 1989 U.S. Open winner, has 17 PGA victories among his credentials. Other veterans include Scott Hoch (11 PGA tour victories), Mark O’Meara (16 PGA tour victories) and Craig Stadler (13 PGA tour victories).

Just last week, Fred Funk added his name to the commitment list. Currently seventh in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, Funk has eight career PGA Tour victories and was the 2005 winner of The Players Championship.

Some of the high-profile new players on the tour include Nick Price, Jeff Sluman, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle and John Cook.

Price, playing in his 28th Champions Tour event, has 18 career PGA Tour wins. Sluman is looking for his fifth top-five finish since starting on the Champions Tour late last year. Langer won the Ginn Championship and was runner-up at the Senior PGA Championship earlier this year.

Lyle is playing in his 11th Champions Tour event after a PGA Tour career that included six victories. Cook, who won 11 PGA Tour events, began his Champions Tour career last year.

In all, a field of 78 golfers will chase after a purse of $1.7 million in the 54-hole tournament with no cut. The tournament will be shown live on The Golf Channel.

This is the fourth year for the Boeing Classic, which has raised more than $2.4 million for local charities.

The airplane, provided courtesy of The Boeing Company and Emirates airline, will be flying at about 1,000 feet over the area, and pilots will operate the airplane under strict flight rules, and with the full support and permission of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Safety Authority (TSA).