New Orleans (March 29, 2005) – Joe Durant, Bernhard Langer and Chris Riley have committed to play in the 2005 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The Zurich Classic is scheduled for April 25 – May 1 at the Tournament Players Club of Louisiana.

Durant recently added a $320,000 paycheck to his earnings after a 5 th place finish at THE PLAYERS Championship. Durant is a three-time champion on the TOUR, including two victories in 2001 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the Genuity Championship. In 2004, he finished in the top-100 on the TOUR money list for the fifth time in his nine-year career. This will be Durant’s 8 th visit to the New Orleans tournament. His best finish here was T9 in 2000.

Langer has won three PGA TOUR events and 58 International victories since he turned professional in 1972. In 2004, he had four top-10 finishes. Langer is an 11-time member of the World Cup team and a 10-time member of the Ryder Cup team. He was the Captain of the winning European Ryder Cup team in 2004. Langer has not played the New Orleans event since 1986.

Riley has finished inside the top 125 on the PGA TOUR money list in all six of his years on TOUR. His first PGA TOUR win came at the 2002 Reno-Tahoe Open where he narrowly defeated 2003 Classic defending champion Steve Flesch. His finish at the 2004 PGA Championship enabled him to jump from 18 th to 10 th on the final Ryder Cup team points list and qualify for his first Ryder Cup squad. This will be Riley’s sixth visit to the New Orleans PGA TOUR event.

About the Fore!Kids Foundation: The Fore!Kids Foundation produces the annual stop on the PGA TOUR in New Orleans. The Foundation also hosts an annual American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) event at the Tournament Players Club of Louisiana, a summer Junior Golf Program, the Golf Ball (a black tie gala) as well as a series of events in which amateurs participate and the proceeds are distributed to a specific charity. In the last five years alone, the Foundation has been able to raise more than $5 million for area charities. Additionally, the Fore!Kids Foundation, through the PGA TOUR event, provides an estimated $24 million in annual economic impact to the City and State. The tournament is televised to an international audience, allowing millions of people to see some of the area's greatest attractions.

About Zurich Financial Services: Zurich Financial Services (www.zurich.com) is an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network that focuses its activities on its key markets in North America and Europe. Founded in 1872, Zurich is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Through its offices in more than 50 countries, 62,000 Zurich employees serve clients in more than 120 countries. In North America (www.zurichna.com), Zurich is a leading commercial property-casualty insurance provider serving the large global corporate, middle market and small business sectors.

Also a member of the Zurich global network in North America is the Farmers Insurance Group (www.farmers.com). Farmers is the third largest personal lines insurance group in the United States, providing auto, home, specialty, small business, life and investment products.