Richard S. Johnson Set To Defend Title At The U.S. Bank Championship

Richard S. Johnson, winner of last year's U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, is set to defend his title at this year's event, Tournament Director Dan Croak announced today.

Johnson will attempt to become the first player to ever successfully defend his title at the tournament when he tees it up in July. Of the 34 events in the PGA TOUR's FedEx Cup Regular season that have been contested more than three times, the U.S. Bank Championship is one of only two tournaments in which a champion has not successfully defended his title. The other is THE PLAYERS Championship. Loren Roberts came the closest to repeating as champion in Milwaukee when he finished tied for 2nd in 1997 after winning the event in 1996. Loren finished one stroke behind Scott Hoch who eagled the 18th hole for the victory.

Richard captured the first PGA TOUR win of his career at last year's U.S. Bank Championship, becoming the sixth Swedish player to win on the PGA TOUR, joining countrymen Daniel Chopra, Jesper Parnevik, Gabriel Hjertstedt, Carl Pettersson and Henrik Stenson. Johnson posted rounds of 63-67-70-64 en route to a 16-under-par total of 264. He birdied three of his final four holes on Sunday to edge runner-up Ken Duke by one stroke in one of the more exciting final rounds in recent tournament history in which seven players, including Joe Ogilvie, Chad Campbell, Gavin Coles, Nick Flanagan and Troy Matteson, in addition to Johnson and Duke, either held or shared the lead. Johnson's final round 64 was the lowest final round for a PGA TOUR winner in 2008 and was the lowest final round score for the winner in the history of the U.S. Bank Championship.

Johnson carded a hole-in-one during his first round at the 188-yard par-3 14th becoming the first player since Jim Furyk, who accomplished the feat at the 2007 Canadian Open, to record an ace en route to victory on the PGA TOUR.

Richard is the tournament's second consecutive first-time winner. Joe Ogilvie earned the first win of his PGA TOUR career at the 2007 U.S. Bank Championship. Aside from Johnson and Ogilvie, though, Shigeki Maruyama, who bested Charles Howell III in a playoff in 2001, is the only other player to earn his first career win at the event since the tournament moved to Brown Deer Park in 1994. The tournament has had a total of ten first-time winners over the course of its 41-year run.

Johnson's win also added to the U.S. Bank Championship's recent international flavor.
The tournament has had winners from five of the six widely populated continents, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. Greg Norman from Australia in 1989, Richard Zokol from Canada in 1992, Carlos Franco from Paraguay in 1999 and 2004, Shigeki Maruyama from Japan in 2001 and Johnson from Sweden last year. Tim Clark in 2007 and Gary Player in 1969 both from South Africa have finished as runners-up at the event.

In addition to his victory at the U.S. Bank Championship last year, Richard has two international victories to his credit, winning the 1999 Neuchatel Open Golf Trophy on the European Challenge circuit and the 2002 ANZ Championship on the European Tour. Johnson earned his PGA TOUR card by finishing tied for 11th at the 2003 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. A member of the PGA TOUR in the six seasons since, 2009 marks his seventh consecutive year on the circuit. Richard has made 92 of 171 cuts in that span with 12 top-10 and 30 top-25 finishes. He has made eight cuts in twelve starts to date this season on the PGA TOUR and has one top-10 and four top-25 finishes. Johnson currently ranks 73rd on the FedExCup points list.

Johnson fired a 6-under-par 66, carding seven birdies against just one bogey, during the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship last week. He finished the event tied for 45th.

A native of Stockholm, Sweden, who currently resides in Jupiter, Florida, Richard, now 32 years old, was something of a daredevil sportsman as a teenager according to the PGA TOUR Media Guide. He played handball (known as Team Handball in the United States) at a high level in Sweden and was a tennis player from age 6. Johnson took up skateboarding and competed in the Swedish Championships. His grandfather is an American who married a Swede and settled in Sweden.

The U.S. Bank Championship - 'You've Never Seen Golf Like This'
The U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee is Wisconsin's premier golf event and the region's only permanent PGA TOUR stop. The tournament has something for everyone, offering businesses of all sizes unique, cost-effective opportunities to achieve multiple goals at a single event and individuals affordable access to a professional sports event that can be enjoyed with family and friends. With the help of its volunteers, the not-for-profit U.S. Bank Championship has contributed millions of dollars to Wisconsin charities over the course of its history. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is the tournament's major beneficiary this year. The 42nd annual U.S. Bank Championship is July 13-19 at Brown Deer Park Golf Course. Information on tickets and business packages is available by calling the tournament office at 414-431-GOLF or by visiting the U.S. Bank Championship web site at www.usbankchampionship.com.

About Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is rated Number 3 in the nation by Parents magazine and is recognized as one of America's Best Children's Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons. The hospital has been designated a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a national honor that recognizes nursing excellence. Because more children and families count on Children's Hospital each year, the hospital opened a 12-story, 425,000-square-foot expansion in the spring of this year. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children's Hospital is a state-of-the-art, Level III, 41-bed unit, where more than 600 infants with various health problems are cared for each year.

About U.S. Bank
U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $264 billion in assets, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the 6th largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 2,847 banking offices and 5,183 ATMs, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at www.usbank.com.