Office Depot To Title
Sponsor LPGA Event,
April 9-14, at Wilshire C.C.
In Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 26, 2001) - Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), the world's largest seller of office products, has agreed to title sponsor the LPGA tournament to be played April 9-14, at Wilshire Country Club, it was announced. The tournament, "The Office Depot Hosted by Amy Alcott," will benefit the City of Hope, one of the world's leading research and treatment centers for cancer and other life-threatening diseases, including diabetes and HIV/AIDS. The final round will be played on a Saturday, April 14, a day before Easter Sunday.

City of Hope was the producer and charitable recipient of the Myrtle Beach, S.C. LPGA event last year. "The Office Depot Hosted by Amy Alcott" is expected to draw one of the strongest LPGA fields of the year because of the great course and the host, Alcott, a local favorite and a Hall of Fame member.

Grace Park is defending champion of the $800,000 tournament that pays $120,000 to the winner. Other early entries include Annika Sorenstam and Se Ri Pak.

"Office Depot is extremely pleased to be involved with this wonderful LPGA event in Los Angeles, and to support the City of Hope," said Bruce Nelson, CEO of Office Depot. "We have enjoyed a long-time relationship with the City of Hope, and we are delighted the proceeds from this tournament will benefit such an important and deserving organization."

"Office Depot has been a generous supporter of City of Hope, and having them as our title sponsor brings together many partners for this tournament's success," said Steve Solton, executive vice president of City of Hope. "Add Office Depot and the LPGA to our great city, along with long-time L.A. resident Amy Alcott, City of Hope and Wilshire Country Club, and you have all the ingredients for a spectacular event."

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"We are delighted Office Depot has decided to sponsor this wonderful event," said Ty M.Votaw, commissioner of the LPGA. "The LPGA has enjoyed a successful partnership with Office Depot through the years, and we are thrilled to be working with them in Los Angeles." "I'm truly pleased Office Depot has elected to join us to make this event one of the highlights of the LPGA season," Alcott said.

Practice rounds will be played at Wilshire on Monday, April 9 and Tuesday, April 10. The Pro-Am will be played on Wednesday, April 11. The first round of The Office Depot Hosted by Amy Alcott will be played Thursday, April 12 and the second and third rounds will be played Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14.

ESPN2 will cover all three rounds: Thursday, April 12 and Friday, April 13, from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m./ET, and Saturday, April 14 from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m./ET. The Office Depot Hosted by Amy Alcott is part of the State Farm LPGA Series, a television series that features coverage of 12 LPGA Tour events on ESPN and ESPN2 and a $250,000 bonus pool. Ticket information for the The Office Depot Hosted by Amy Alcott is available by calling TicketMaster at 213-480-3232 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Daily Passes are $12 per day or $25 for a weekly pass. Parking is available from Monday, April 9 through Saturday, April 14 at the Hollywood Bowl Odin Parking Lot, which is located at the corner of Highland and Odin.

Shuttle buses will be provided continuously to and from Wilshire Country Club. There is no parking at the golf course.

About Office Depot

As of February 15, 2001, excluding previously announced store closings on January 3, 2001, the Company operated 820 office supply superstores in the United States and Canada, in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 25 delivery centers, more than 60 local sales offices and eight regional call centers.

Furthermore, the Company had operations in 16 countries outside of the United States and Canada, including 23 office supply stores in France and seven in Japan that are owned and operated by the Company; and 97 additional office supply stores under joint venture and licensing agreements operating under the Office Depot name in five foreign countries.

The Company also operates an award-winning U.S. Office Depot brand Internet Web site at www.officedepot.com where customers can access Office Depot's low competitive prices seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.

About City of Hope

City of Hope Cancer Center is one of the world's leading research and treatment centers for cancer and other life-threatening diseases, including diabetes and HIV/AIDS.

A pioneer in bone marrow transplantation, City of Hope is a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information, visit: www.cityofhope.org. About LPGA

The LPGA, the longest-running women's professional sports association in the world, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2000. Founded by 13 women in 1950, the organization has grown from its roots as a playing tour into a non-profit organization involved in every facet of golf.

Featuring the world's best women golfers, the LPGA Tour in 2001 features 41 events, with an unprecedented number of televised hours for LPGA tournaments, and total prize money of more than $43.5 million. Since 1981, the LPGA and its tournaments have raised more than $117.5 million for charity.

The LPGA Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) Division boasts a membership of more than 1,150 women golf professionals who serve as teachers, golf professionals, club managers and coaches.

Through the LPGA T&CP Division, the LPGA is working to increase the involvement of women and youth in golf, as well as contribute to the growth of the sport overall. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla.