GOLF ‘N DROP EVENT INCLUDES PRIZES FROM THE SKIES!
15th Annual Golf Classic & Chopper Drop to Benefit
Ocean Institute Education

The 15th Annual Golf Classic and Chopper Drop for Education, benefiting the Ocean Institute, gets underway Friday, September 25, 2009, at 11:00 am and promises to be an unforgettable golfing experience, including a helicopter drop with a Grand Prize of five nights in Paris. To add to the allure of the Classic, it is being held at the spectacular St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach Golf Links, with its challenging holes and sweeping Pacific Ocean views.

Bob McKnight, President and CEO of Quiksilver, Inc. serves as Honorary Chairman for the event. He has worked diligently over the years to increase awareness of the Ocean Institute, whose mission is to inspire all generations through education to become responsible stewards of our oceans. Quiksilver, Inc. has been a major sponsor of the Golf Classic for the past 14 years and McKnight is especially proud that each amateur foursome is paired with a member of the golf team from a local high school, giving students the opportunity to interact with business leaders in the community. Names of the winners will be placed on the perpetual Bob McKnight trophy.

Event Co-Chairmen Alan Deck, General Manager of Monarch Beach Golf Links and Harold Rapoza, General Manager of the Hilton Anaheim, announce the cost for an individual golfer is $1,000, which includes two tickets to the Chopper Drop for Education Cocktail Viewing Party, golfing, golf cart, tee package, lunch and on-course refreshments. The golfer also receives five chances to win a white ball prize.

Golf sponsorship opportunities are available:

Event Sponsor, $6,000 – Includes one room per golfer at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa for Friday, September 25th, eight tickets to the Chopper Drop for Education Cocktail Viewing Party, a full-page ad in the Tournament Book, golfing for four, golf cart, tee package, lunch, on-course refreshments and tee sponsor sign. Each golfer receives five chances to win a white ball prize.

Corporate Sponsor, $3,500 – Includes one room at the Hilton Anaheim or Doubletree Guest Suites, Doheny Beach for the check-writer anytime, eight tickets to the Chopper Drop for Education Cocktail Viewing Party, a full-page ad in the Tournament Book, golfing for four, golf cart, tee package, lunch, on-course refreshments and tee sponsor sign. Each golfer receives five chances to win a white ball prize.

Tee/Green Sponsor, $500 – Includes tee sponsor sign and half-page ad in Tournament Book.

The tournament will be immediately followed by the Chopper Drop for Education, hosted by the Sand Dollar Guild. The Guild, a fundraising arm of the Ocean Institute, has raised more than $1 million since it was formed 20 years ago.

The Chopper Drop is a spectacular happening in which a helicopter hovers, dropping golf balls to a hole, offering individuals a chance to win a myriad of prizes. Individuals may purchase a white golf ball for $20 or a colored golf ball for $100. Participants may win one of many prizes as their golf balls are dropped from the helicopter. Five or more white golf balls may be purchased at a reduced rate of $15 per ball, with an invitation to the Chopper Drop Viewing Cocktail Party, which follows the tournament at 4 pm. The evening also includes a silent and live auction, featuring more than 100 items including weekend getaways, golf packages, elegant dinners, surf and sports merchandise and much more.

The white ball prizes are as exciting as they are luxurious. The Grand Prize is Six Days/Five Nights for two in Paris, France. The winner will enjoy the many amazing sights and sounds of the City of Love. The prize includes round-trip airfare for two people on British Airways and five nights at the Four-Star Hotel Waldorf Trocadero. Second Prize is a Six Day/Five Night Tahiti Escape for Two that includes round-trip airfare for two people on Tahiti Nui and five nights in an ocean view room at the Five-Star Radisson Plaza Resort Tahiti. Third Prize consists of a Three Day/Two Night Stay for two at the Chumash Casino Hotel in the Santa Ynez Valley, complete with wine tasting at five local wineries.

For more information, to register for the tournament or to purchase Chopper Drop for Education tickets, please call 949.496.2274, ext. 412, email Ellen Meese at emeese@ocean-institute.org or visit the Ocean Institute website at www.ocean-institute.org.