Media Availability: Thursday, February 10, 2005 1:30 p.m., TPC at Wakefield Plantation Contact: Melody Hunter-Pillion 784-4467 / 508-8044 (pager) Pam Yelverton 784-4538 / 505-6670 (pager)

REX HOSPITAL TO SPONSOR RALEIGH NATIONWIDE TOUR EVENT

The Nationwide Tour’s annual stop in Raleigh, NC, has a new title sponsor — Rex Hospital. The Raleigh-based facility has signed a three-year agreement to become the new title sponsor of The Rex Hospital Open, beginning with this May’s event.

The event will be played May 2-8 at the Tournament Players Club at Wakefield Plantation. This will be the 12th Annual playing of the tournament in Raleigh and, like all Nationwide Tour events, the net proceeds will go to support local charities. In this case, the net proceeds from The Rex Hospital Open will go to support Rex Hospital programs.

Rex Hospital has been the sponsor of the Rex Classic for the past 17 years and has generated four million dollars in net proceeds. Like the Rex Classic, this tournament will benefit Rex Hospital’s cancer and heart disease education and early detection programs, including the Rex Mobile Mammography unit that has brought life-saving services to the community.

“We are excited about the evolution of our community outreach programs, as well as our participation in the local golf scene. We’ve gone from hosting the Rex Classic, a one-day Pro-Am event, to title sponsorship in Raleigh’s Nationwide Tour event, The Rex Hospital Open. By becoming a part of the PGA TOUR’s Nationwide Tour event at TPC at Wakefield Plantation in May, The Rex Hospital Open has reached a whole new level of commitment to the health of our community,” says David Strong, president of Rex Healthcare. “Our goal is to increase cancer and heart disease education as well as early detection. The added

exposure will contribute to our efforts to save lives and enhance the quality of life for many in this area. Rex is an exceptional healthcare provider and committed to the community. This new association with the PGA TOUR will enrich that.”

Over the years, the Nationwide Tour stop in Raleigh has showcased a number of current PGA TOUR stars like recent major championship winners and Shaun Micheel. Others who played in Raleigh and have won recently on the TOUR are Mark Hensby, Vaughn Taylor, Steve Flesch, , , Chris DiMarco, , Brent Geiberger and Tommy Armour III.

“We are very pleased to have Rex Hospital joining the Nationwide Tour as a title sponsor,” said Bill Calfee, chief of operations for the Nationwide Tour. “The Triangle region is a very important marketplace for our Tour, and we are excited about the future prospects for this event with Rex Hospital’s support.”

The Rex Hospital Open will feature Pro-Ams on both Monday, May 2, and Wednesday, May 4, before the 72-hole professional tournament commences on Thursday, May 5.

While Rex Hospital is adding this sponsorship, it will continue to sponsor the Corporate Challenge in August at Prestonwood Country Club and the Rex Hospital Gala at North Ridge Country Club in October.

About Nationwide Tour

Owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Nationwide Tour is in its 16th season in 2005. Nationwide, one of the world’s largest insurance and financial services provider, is in its third year as the umbrella sponsor of the Tour. The 2005 season will consist of 31 events played in Canada, , New Zealand, Panama and 22 U.S. states. Purses will top $16 million this year. The Top-20 money winners on the season will automatically earn playing privileges on the 2006 PGA TOUR. The PGA TOUR is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and its website is www.pgatour.com.

About Nationwide

Nationwide is one of the world’s largest insurance and financial services providers and offers a broad range of personal and commercial insurance and retirement-savings products. It is the country’s fourth-largest homeowner insurer based on premiums written and the fifth-largest auto insurer based on premiums written. Nationwide is ranked 111th on the Fortune 500. The company is headquartered in Columbus, OH, and its website is www.nationwide.com.

About Rex

Rex Healthcare, a member of the UNC Health Care family, is a private, not-for-profit organization, located in Raleigh, . Rex Hospital is Wake County’s number one choice for healthcare. The West Raleigh campus includes, among other services, the 394-bed Rex Hospital, Rex Cancer Center, the first nationally accredited cancer center in North Carolina and Rex Heart & Vascular Center, which cares for more Wake County heart and vascular patients than any other hospital. In addition to facilities in Apex and Cary, Rex opened a new primary care practice in Wakefield in 2003 to serve the growing community, where The Rex Hospital Open will take place.