Jan 13, 2004/FW/ --- If you have it, flaunt it… If you can swing, do it…

That was what seemed to be the mantra last Jan 7 – 11, at Paradise Island in the Bahamas when world- class athletes and celebrities from Wayne Gretzky and Pete Sampras to Marc Anthony and Paris Hilton showed their top form during the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament.

[Photo at left: Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter and Paris Hilton at the Havana Nights Gala during the 3rd Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004 at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort. (Photo: Tim Aylen/©Vision).]

Wayne Gretzky, Boris Becker, Brandi Chastain, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Charles Barkley and Julius Erving, legends in their specific sports were challenged by celebrity golfers, such as Bryant Gumbel, Angie Everhart, Beverly Johnson and two-time defending tournament champion Janet Jones.

The players competed for a total purse of $200,000, which will go the winners' charity of choice.

Up to $500,000 will be given to charity including $300,000 in charitable donations for the Ronald McDonald Houses of North Carolina and the James R. Jordan Foundation, as well as $25,000 for the Atlantis, Paradise Island HIV/AIDS Initiative.

[Photo at right: Two-time tournament champion Janet Jones kisses her husband Wayne Gretzky as she celebrates her birthday at the Havana Nights Gala. (Photo: Tim Aylen/©Vision).]

"I'm delighted to be back for our third tournament at One&Only Ocean Club for such worthy causes," said Michael Jordan in a statement. "The group of people who come out to support us year after year makes this a spectacular event."

Featuring more than 30 celebrity golfers from the worlds of sports, and entertainment, the event consisted of a two-day Celebrity-Amateur pairing, with one celebrity with three amateurs; and a two-day celebrity tournament.

Paris Hilton, star of “A Simple Life,” took her first golf lesson with boyfriend Nick Carter (of the Backstreet Boys) at the Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole Ocean Club Golf Course.

NBC-TV will air four-day charitable golf event on January 24, 2004 from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM EST.

Sponsors for the MJCI included presenting sponsor One&Only Resorts, as well as Jordan Brand, Gatorade, Golf Magazine, Icon International and The Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board.

Providing the venue for the tournament, One&Only Ocean Club, once the exclusive private estate of A&P heir Huntington Hartford, emerged in 2000 after a $100 million renaissance as one of the most elegant luxury resorts in the Americas.

Created exclusively for the luxury resort market, One&Only isset in some of the most beautiful locales in the world, each resort offers guests a distinctive style and personality born of its local culture, a genuine hospitality and a lively energy that is unrivaled.

The Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational has raised more than $2 million during the past 15 years for the Ronald McDonald Houses of North Carolina.

Additional tournament information can be found at www.MJCIGolf.com and for more resort information and reservations, visit www.oneandonlyresorts.com or call One&Only Ocean Club at 800-321-3000.