Associated Press
Wednesday, August 23

AKRON, Ohio -- Sahalee Country Club is quickly becoming a major venue in golf.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said Wednesday the tree-lined course outside Seattle will be site of the 2002 NEC Invitational, the World Golf Championship event for Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup players.

Sahalee held the PGA Championship in 1998, won by Vijay Singh, and will be get another PGA in 2010.

"One of our objectives is to play in Seattle," Finchem said.

It's also clear that the WGC series is looking for markets that don't get the highest level of golf every year. For example, the American Express Championship is moving from Valderrama in Spain to the Bellerive in St. Louis for 2001. The corporate packages for Bellerive are already sold.

Finchem said other U.S. cities under consideration include Boston, Portland and Minneapolis.

For the remainder of the current television contract, which runs through 2002, the only WGC event still lacking a home in the American Express in 2002. That likely will go to a course in Ireland.