PGA TOUR Players Supporting James E. Olson Foundation, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

Sports Editors/Golf Writers & Columnists

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BW SportsWire)--March 14, 2002

This week, PGA TOUR players are battling more than just the heavy Bermuda rough at Arnold Palmer's famed Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Fla. Several tour members have also signed on to help battle a deadly form of cancer that takes the lives of more than 50,000 Americans every year. As part of the third annual National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, members of the PGA TOUR have joined with the James E. Olson Foundation (JEO) to promote greater awareness of the "cancer that no one wants to talk about." The Foundation is named for James Olson, former chairman of the AT&T Corporation, who in 1988 died from colorectal cancer just four weeks after his diagnosis.

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem complimented the members of the TOUR who were joining the effort, "Again this year, the PGA TOUR is proud to be a part of the initiative to raise awareness for the prevention of colorectal cancer. We hope by using this forum more people will know about the strides medical research has made in its prevention and early detection and will be encouraged to undergo regular screenings."

Beginning with this week's Bay Hill Invitational and including all of their TOUR events throughout the month, many TOUR players will don the JEO Foundation's insignia, a blue and pink ribbon, to promote greater awareness of the disease. The Foundation has selected blue and pink, the colors of gender, as its insignia to make the public aware that colorectal cancer afflicts men and women with equal devastation.

During the month of March, the JEO Foundation will be airing several Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on The Golf Channel Cable network. The PSAs will feature several TOUR players wearing the JEO ribbon and encouraging everyone over the age of 50 to get screened annually for colorectal cancer.

Two players who are supporting this effort, Skip Kendall and Peter Jacobsen, first realized the importance of early detection when close family members were diagnosed with the disease. Skip Kendall's mother was diagnosed with colon cancer, but through early detection she was successfully treated. Peter Jacobsen's father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer; unfortunately it was not detected early enough to save his life. Jacobsen goes on to say, "After losing my father to colon cancer, I realized the seriousness of the disease and lack of awareness surrounding it. Organizations like JEO strive to save lives by creating awareness that previously has not existed."

Along with Kendall and Jacobsen, other PGA TOUR players supporting the Olson Foundation's efforts include: Duffy Waldorf, Briny Baird, Robin Freeman, Scott Dunlap and Fred Funk. More TOUR players are expected to join the effort in the days ahead.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will feature JEO President and Co-founder, Julie Olson Paterson, in a national public service campaign stressing the importance of being screened for colorectal cancer. The program, Screenings for Life, emphasizes that regular screenings are necessary for detecting early signs of the disease.

The CDC reports that each year colorectal cancer is diagnosed in approximately 130,000 Americans. More than 55,000 deaths are attributed to the disease annually, making it the second-leading cancer killer, behind only lung cancer. CDC reports that fully one-third of these deaths could be avoided through regular screening tests.

To arrange for an interview regarding the James E. Olson Foundation's efforts to promote awareness of colorectal cancer, contact Romano & Associates Inc. at 410/730-4133. More information about the James E. Olson Foundation can be found on the Internet at www.jeofoundation.org.