HARTFORD – Phil Mickelson is going to take another shot at the Greater Hartford Open.

Mickelson, two-time champion, has committed to play in the 2003 tournament at the TPC at River Highlands in Cromwell, according to the Greater Hartford Jaycees. Mickelson won the 2002 Canon Greater Hartford Open with a birdie on the 72nd hole (when Davis Love III and Jonathon Kaye, playing in the final two groups, missed their birdie putts, Mickelson became the first back-to-back GHO Champion in history).

Tickets for the tournament are now on-sale for the 2003 GHO via website, www.ghogolf.com, or by calling 877-GHO-2003.

“I have a very special place in my heart for the Greater Hartford Open,” said Mickelson, who is always a crowd favorite during the pro-am. “I love the support the community gives the event and the TPC at River Highlands. The course has great risk/reward possibilities, especially on the back-side, which often leads to exciting finishes.”

Last year, more than 320,000 people attended the GHO with a massive crowd perched around the 18th green on Sunday to see the dramatic finish. Mickelson has twice played in PGA Tour events where he had a chance to win three in a row. He captured the 1995 and 1996 Tucson Opens and finished tied for 13th with an 8-under par 280, five strokes behind winner Jeff Sluman. In 2000 and 2001, Mickelson won the Buick Invitational in San Diego and then missed the cut in the 2002 tournament.

Just this year, Mickelson has won almost $1 million on the PGA Tour, with five top 10 finishes in the seven events he has played in, including a third-place finish at the Masters. He has won 21 times on the PGA Tour in eight different states – Connecticut, California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Hawaii and Georgia.

In his career, Mickelson has also won more than $23 million, second highest ever. He and his wife, Amy, celebrated the birth of their third child, Evan, back on March 25. Evan joins sisters Amanda and Sophia.

The Greater Hartford Open is the sole fundraiser of the Greater Hartford Jaycees. The Jaycees channel those funds back into the community to improve the lives of those most in need by feeding the hungry, building affordable housing, helping children and much more. The Greater Hartford Jaycees is an organization of approximately 600 volunteers, ages 21-39, which promotes leadership training through community service. For more information about sponsorship opportunities or to become a volunteer for the 2003 GHO, please call the Tournament Office at 860-522-4171.