“We are very happy to see that 27 of the top-30 are committed and we are still a month out,” said Tournament Director Jason Camp. “It shows that the players are eager to see the new course. I know that the word is spreading out on Tour about TPC Treviso Bay and all it has to offer. Every Champions Tour player I speak with all say they have heard great things and can’t wait to see it for themselves. As a tournament, we can’t wait to reveal the course to the public.”

2008 Charles Schwab Cup champion Haas leads the notables that will be competing. Last year, Haas won his second Cup with the help of two victories and 14 top-10 finishes in 21 events. He edged Fred Funk in the closest race in the Cup’s existence. Joining him are fellow top-5 finishers Sluman and Cook who each joined the Champions Tour in 2007. Sluman won twice in 2008 and earned 12 top-10s, while Cook had one title and 15 top-10s. They finished T6 and T35, respectively, in their only ACE Group Classic appearances last year.

Romero will return for his third ACE Group Classic. Last year, he won three times in only 18 starts and tied Bernhard Langer for the most wins in 2008. Romero has competed in The ACE Group Classic twice before, finishing T3 in 2007 and T16 in 2008.

World Golf Hall of Famers Kite and Price bring additional name recognition and accomplishments to Naples. Kite has won 19 PGA TOUR events and nine Champions Tour events, including last year’s Boeing Classic. He was a runner-up in Naples last year and finished 10th on the Official Money List. Price owns 18 PGA TOUR victories and was one of the most dominant golfers in the 1990s. He narrowly missed last year’s playoff in Naples and finished 12th on the Official Money List.

Fred Funk, who finished third on the 2008 Official Money List, is the only golfer from the top-10 missing. He is out of action indefinitely while recovering from a staph infection in his right knee. Scott Simpson, a top-30 player last year, had previously committed to the event but was forced to withdraw following a car accident that left him with a broken wrist. Tom Watson is also not expected to compete.