US OPEN Pickleball Championships Return to Naples
Fourth Annual Event Hosts Over Two Thousand Athletes

NOTE: See links below for Video B-Roll and Photos

Naples, Fla. (April 25, 2019)– The Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships returns to East Naples Community Park from April 27 through May 4 with a field of 2,161 players from 46 states and 15 countries. The field is a mixture of pickleball pro and amateur players. The oldest registered player is 86 and the youngest is 10.
Several well-known personalities from the world of sports are registered to play in this year’s tournament. They are golf coach Hank Haney, best-known for coaching Tiger Woods early in his career, and Rich Cho of the NBA. He was recently named V.P. of basketball strategy for the Memphis Grizzlies and previously served seven seasons as the General Manager of the Charlotte Hornets.

CBS Sports Network will film the Pro Finals on Saturday, May 4 for coverage that airs May 24 at 7 p.m. Thanks to returning title sponsor Minto and its growing list of Latitude Margaritaville retirement communities, SiriusXM’s Radio Margaritaville will broadcast live from the event on May 4.
Minto hosts its annual Margaritaville Party in the Park event on Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with live music, food, and free admission for the public watch pickleball pro players warming up through the day on the Zing Zang Championship Court.
Tickets for Championship Court matches are sold out, but all other matches throughout the tournament can be viewed for free on the park’s many pickleball courts. Spectators can also visit for free daily to enjoy the vendor village and free live music and party atmosphere every afternoon.
The event is sponsored in part by the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB), which views the tournament as a proven economic driver for the area.
“Having this event in Naples has made us the “Pickleball Capital of the World,” said Jack Wert, executive director of the CVB. “Last year’s event attracted over 2,000 players and 10,000 spectators and more are coming this year. The media exposure on CBS Sports Network and Radio Margaritaville will show Florida’s Paradise Coast as a great place to visit to huge audiences.”

East Naples Community Park, host site for the event, has 58 total pickleball courts with 54 of those configured for use in the tournament, plus the Zing Zang Championship Court where high-visibility matches are played. All courts were recently upgraded by Collier County Parks and Recreation and are ready to host the highest level of play.

For details on the daily schedule of tournament events and the afternoon entertainment schedule visit usopenpickleballchampionships.com.

Media Resources:
US OPEN Pickleball B-Roll & Photos: https://www.cleanpix.com/cleanpix/portal/W1WN7-Zk1-79K
Live Tournament Updates, Photos, Videos: www.usopenpickleball.info
Facebook Live Tournament Streaming: https://www.facebook.com/pickleballchannel/
Pickleball Press: Issued daily during tournament with highlighted stories, photos from previous day: www.usopenpickleball.info/daily-press.html