PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Atlantis, Paradise Island, will play host to the 11th Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament (MD&F), May 25-27, 2012 at the 18-hole, par 72 championship Ocean Club Golf Course.

 

Co-hosting the tournament with Michael Douglas will be Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman, on behalf of PLAN!T NOW (P!N), the disaster preparedness non-profit which has granted over $100,000 in scholarships to students impacted by severe weather events.  Proceeds from the televised golf tournament featuring four teams of celebrity golfers will equally benefit P!N and The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), the leading Hollywood charity providing health, financial and social services to the entertainment community.  Kenny Chesney, longtime PLAN!T NOW advocate, will contribute to the fundraising efforts with a LIVE Benefit concert on Saturday, May 26 at Atlantis.  This special intimate performance will be before Chesney kicks off his summer tour in June 2012.  Since its inception, MD&F has raised over ten million dollars for MPTF.

 

“I am pleased to have my good friend Morgan co-hosting this year’s golf tournament,” says Michael Douglas. “We are looking forward to bringing our friends and colleagues to Atlantis, a resort where my family and I have enjoyed many great times. I am grateful to Atlantis for their hospitality and support of an event that is very important to me.  We look forward to raising significant funds for MPTF and P!N.”

 

Michael Douglas Photo: Glenn Francis

The MD&F Tournament will unfold on the resort’s Tom Weiskopf designed 18-hole championship course – Ocean Club Golf Course – a picturesque 72-par layout featuring breath taking views from signature holes and seaside greens and tees stretched over 7,100 yards of coastline.

 

“We are excited to host Michael Douglas & Friends to benefit MPTF and P!N this coming Memorial Day weekend,” says George Markantonis, President and Managing Director, Kerzner International Bahamas.  “We expect a significant impact for the tournament’s first year at Atlantis by having the event co-hosted by Morgan Freeman as well as a special performance by country star Kenny Chesney.  We know our amazing property and spectacular golf course will make a perfect home for this wonderful event.”

Since it's inception in 1999, the Michael Douglas & Friends celebrity golf tournament has attracted some the entertainment industry's biggest stars. The tournament has raised over $10 million, and benefits the Motion Picture & Television Fund. The event will be held May 2012.

This year, Michael Douglas & Friends has teamed up with long-time friend Morgan Freeman and his charity, Plan!t Now. After a two-year hiatus, this televised spectacular, promises to be bigger and better than ever!

“I continue to support and believe in the work of MPTF and the philosophy of “Taking Care of Our Own”. I want to thank my friends in the industry who played golf this weekend and donated their time to a wonderful cause. I also want to extend my gratitude to our corporate sponsors whose generosity made this event possible. - Michael Douglas, Michael Douglas & Friends 2008

Past Participants of the Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament

Don Cheadle Alice Cooper Kevin Costner Michael Douglas Josh Duhamel Clint Eastwood Kenny G. Andy Garcia Teri Hatcher Samuel L. Jackson Catherine Zeta-Jones Greg Kinnear

Matt Lauer Heather Locklear Kyle MacLachlan Matthew McConaughey Jack Nicholson Adam Sandler Sylvester Stallone Will Smith Robert Wagner Mark Wahlberg Luke Wilson James Woods

Past Sponsors of Michael Douglas & Friends Golf Tournament

• AARP
• Dr. Pepper
• Dockers
• Lexus
• MGM Grand at Foxwoods
• Northern Trust

About the Motion Picture & Television Fund

For 90 years, the MPTF has served as a beacon of hope for entertainment industry members in their time of need. As a charitable organization, the MPTF provides financial assistance and services essential to the wellbeing of the community and is a leader in the development and implementation of services and programs for seniors and those who care for them. The charity is supported by the generosity of corporate donors and fellow entertainment industry members who contribute their time and money knowing if they were ever in a tight spot, the MPTF would be there for them too. For more information, visit www.mptvfund.org.

About PLAN!T NOW

PLAN!T NOW (P!N) is an international disaster preparedness non-profit co-founded by Morgan Freeman in 2004 after a hurricane devastated the island nation of Grenada.  Today, P!N’s cutting-edge program portfolio includes scholarships and public awareness campaigns that help individuals and communities in the United States and Caribbean prepare for natural and human-made disasters.  P!N’s hallmark public education initiative, The Young Meteorologist Program (youngmeteorologist.org), uses a free online computer game to educate children in grades K-8 about severe-weather science and safety.  The project is carried out in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service (NWS), the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and the National Education Association (NEA). Learn more at planitnow.org.