Jim Rice to Serve as Celebrity Host for 28th Annual Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open, Sept. 7-10

COOPERSTOWN, NY – A year ago, Jim Rice lived his dream when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

This fall, Rice returns to Cooperstown to help support the dreams of some very special residents of Central New York.

Rice, the former Boston Red Sox left fielder who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009, will be the celebrity host at the 28^th Annual Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open and Pro-Am Golf Tournament Sept. 7-10 at the Leatherstocking Golf Course in Cooperstown.

Rice, the 1978 American League Most Valuable Player and an eight-time All-Star, will serve as host of the Pro-Am Sept. 7 and play during the tournament, as well as speak at the evening dinner following the event. The Pro-Am teams feature four amateurs and one professional in a two-man, best-ball format that begins with an 11:30 a.m. shotgun start. For more information on the Pro-Am, please visit www.pathfindervillage.org .

The presenting sponsors for the 2010 tournament are NBT Bank, Coca-Cola Enterprises and Strategic Financial Services, LLC, of Utica.

“Jim Rice has been a huge favorite of fans around the country, and we are so grateful that he will be in Cooperstown to support this wonderful event,” said Dan Spooner, Leatherstocking’s host golf professional and co-chair of the event, along with Daryl Forsythe, chairman of NBT Bancorp, Inc. “The Seniors Open attracts many of the top senior PGA club professionals from throughout the country, and we are thrilled that Jim Rice will be a part of the action.”

The three-day 2010 Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open runs Wednesday, Sept. 8 through Friday, Sept. 10. The Seniors Open is one of the country’s top non-PGA tournaments, featuring nearly 100 pros. Overlooking picturesque Otsego Lake, the Otesaga Hotel’s Leatherstocking Golf Course is considered one of the East’s most scenic and historic par-72 layouts.  Designed by the legendary Devereux Emmet in 1909, Leatherstocking has been rated “four stars” by Golf Digest’s “Places to Play.”

Proceeds from this event benefit Pathfinder Village, located in nearby Edmeston, a residential community dedicated to children and adults with Down syndrome. Annually, the Seniors Open raises more than $50,000 for scholarships for Pathfinder Village and directly helps the Village’s 80-plus residents. Over $1.3 million has been raised for Pathfinder Village through the years.

Proceeds also benefit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum educational programs, which enable the world-famous Museum to fulfill its educational mission and care for its collections.

In 2009, Jeff Roth of Flushing, Mich., won the Seniors Open with a three-day total of 207. The complete list of former champions: 2008: Jerry Tucker; 2007: Scott Spence; 2006: Bobby Heins; 2005: Darrell Kestner; 2004: John Gentile; 2003: Lonnie Nielsen; 2002: Dan Wood; 2001: John Traub; 2000: Paul Parjeckas; 1999: Marty Bohen; 1998: Tony Perla; 1997: John Gentile; 1996: Austin Straub; 1995: Tom Joyce; 1994: Tom Joyce; 1993: Ray Montgomery; 1992: Dave Philo; 1991: Tom Joyce; 1990: Jim Albus; 1989: Dick Sarta; 1988: Pete Hessemer; 1987: Doug Dalziel; 1986: Bob Bruno; 1985: Richard Howell; 1984: Rolland Stafford; 1983: Donald Hoenig.