Local Team Pays $50,000 Entry Fee To Compete At The The Ultimate Game

Wisconsin natives Nick Gilliam and David Roesch will partner together to play The Ultimate Game at The PGA West Stadium Course, a unique event in which two-person teams pay $50,000 to enter and play a match-play, best-ball tournament for a $2.4 million purse - $1 million to the winning team - made up entirely of their own entry fees. (Credential application is attached)

The event will be played April 29-May 4 at The Stadium Golf Course at PGA WEST® at La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, Calif.

Gilliam (Green Bay) and Roesch (Germantown) team up to provide the Badger state one of the most formidable duos in this year's event.

Gilliam is a former NCAA individual champion (in 2001) at the golf factory that is the University of Florida. Roesch, who exploded onto the golf scene when he contended for three rounds at the 2004 U.S. Open, most recently came off a year working as a club professional to enter PGA TOUR Q-School and make the sought-after final stage, something few pros can do after years of practice and plugging away - even Gilliam has tried seven times, unsuccessfully.

"I'm excited to play with (Roesch)," said Gilliam, who partnered with Roesch to make it to the quarterfinals of the 2005 Big Stakes Match Play, this tournament's predecessor. "Dave is a solid guy. He's one of my golf buddies from a long time past. We've played a lot together. It's a good partnership. I'm excited for our chances."

And though his partner is undeniably talented - he's a former conditionally exempt Nationwide Tour player and Wisconsin State Open champion - Gilliam is no slouch. He also contended in a U.S. Open. The year after Roesch made his run in 2005, Gilliam qualified and got off to a fast start, getting some TV time for him and his dad, who was caddying for him.

"My rear end tightened up a bit," Gilliam recalled when he realized he was among the early leaders. He later missed the cut.

Since turning professional seven years ago, Gilliam has yet to win on the Hooters Tour. He is a top-15 finisher and, like his college career, is just waiting to break through - the NCAA Championship his senior year was his first collegiate win.

"I wouldn't say this is the way I painted the picture," Gilliam said, "but it's definitely a work in progress. I'm learning more about me under pressure....

"I intend to see myself as a winner on the PGA TOUR in the next five years."

As for Roesch, he's conditionally exempt again on the Nationwide Tour by virtue of his finish at last year's Q-School and is anxious to get back to playing competitive golf. During 2007, he worked up to 70-hour weeks at the golf course but played little - the modus operandi of any teaching professional.

"I'm actually just anxious to compete, because that's what I love to do," Roesch said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how my game holds up under pressure. That's why most of us play. That's what makes it so exciting."

Well, if the duo's impressive accolades weren't enough to make them a favorite, residual karma might help. Gilliam and Roesch are sponsored by Bob Kahan, a retired San Francisco broker who walked away with $1 million-plus for him and his conglomerate after sponsoring last year's winner. Kahan also knows how to pick 'em, as he sponsored PGA TOUR-winner Eric Axley and PGA TOUR full-time player Kevin Streelman.

Although Kahan knows smart investments, must these be big shoes to fill?

"That should be less pressure," Gilliam said of repeating for Kahan this year. "Besides, if you're worried about their money or the money you might lose or win, you're not going to play golf the way you need to play golf. I'm not worried."

There is still room for both player and player sponsors to sign up for The Ultimate Game at The PGA West Stadium Course.

Said Kahan, who is sponsoring one other team in addition to Gilliam and Roesch, "We go to a lot of events - I've been to four or five Masters, and I've been to Final Fours, and I've been to All-Star Games and the World Series - and this ranks up there with any one of them as the most exciting time.

"If you love golf, and if you love competition, it's an event you shouldn't miss."

For more information on The Ultimate Game at The PGA West Stadium Course, visit www.theultimategame.com or call Mike McGovern at 1-888-996-6244.