Tournament Golf Foundation donates $775,000 to charities from 2004 Safeway Classic proceeds

Tom Maletis, President of Tournament Golf Foundation Inc. (TGFI), today announced that local children’s charities would benefit in the amount of $775,000 from proceeds from the 2004 Safeway Classic, presented by Pepsi.

The tournament is the second oldest event on the LPGA Tour. The 2005 Safeway Classic will mark the 34th consecutive year the LPGA tour event has been brought to Portland by TGFI. The event, originally called the Portland Classic, has now donated over $9 million to local children’s charities since its inception in 1972, with $4.9 million coming in the past eight years with Safeway as title sponsor.

The money will be given to the Safeway Foundation, which will disburse the funds to local organizations in Oregon. The main charities from the 2004 event include Easter Seals of Oregon, the Evans Scholars Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland, Trillium Family Services, Police Activities League, the Children’s Course and Oregon Junior Golf. In addition, many other local children’s charities will be impacted with supplemental distributions from the 2004 tournament.

“Our goal has been to donate at least half as much money to charity as we have in our purse each year. The success of the 2004 event allows us to more than meet that goal,” said Maletis. “As we enter our 34th year of operation, TGFI is proud to be able to bring this important event to Portland yet again,” said Maletis.

“Once again, we are pleased to host the Safeway Classic. The 2005 event will mark the 9th anniversary of Safeway as title sponsor, and this year promises to be even more exciting than in previous years,” said Safeway’s NW Regional President, Mr. Lyle Waterman. “In addition to being a great event for fans, the money that is raised for worthwhile children’s charities in Oregon makes it even more rewarding for us. We are proud to continue our support of such a great tournament.”

The 2005 edition of The Safeway Classic, presented by Pepsi, will be held at Columbia-Edgewater Country Club, August 15-21. This year will mark the first time that the tournament has been held in August. Maletis feels that the new dates will help with attendance and participation from many of the charity groups that benefit from tournament proceeds. The purse for the event for this year will be $1.4 million. The Golf Channel will again broadcast the event all three days of tournament play.

Hee-Won Han won the 2004 event, in a playoff with Lorie Kane. The field for the event in 2004 was one of the strongest on the LPGA tour last year, and Maletis anticipates that the 2005 edition will be no exception.

“Safeway has become the sponsor for two LPGA tournaments,” says Maletis, “here in Portland and the Safeway International in Phoenix in March. Safeway’s commitment to the LPGA tour and local charities in each market are a tribute to their company and to the growth in popularity of the LPGA tour.”

Tournament Golf Foundation Inc. is comprised of a local Portland area group of volunteers who donate their time and provide the primary operations for the annual event. Begun in 1972, the group is now comprised of 47 local individuals and couples. TGFI is also the owner and operator of the Safeway International.

Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America based on sales. The Company operates 1,815 stores in the United States and Western Canada, and has annual sales of $35.6 billion from continuing operations in 2003. The Company’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY. Safeway’s Portland division operates 121 stores in Oregon and Southwest Washington.