New York, NY -- Jack Nicklaus, Charles Howell III and Luke Donald - "Team RBS" - have joined forces with RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group) to announce today its partnership with The First Tee as a National Trustee. Through the partnership with The First Tee, a national organization that gives young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop through golf and character education, life-enhancing values, RBS will create groundbreaking new programs that will provide opportunities for hundreds of young people in the U.S. These programs are designed to use golf as a vehicle to increase the access that children have to opportunities that will enrich and improve their lives and help them realize their full potential.

Team RBS members will visit local Chapters of The First Tee as part of the RBS support of The First Tee.

"'Make It Happen' is central to the way RBS goes about both its business and its commitment to the local communities in which it operates. Over the past year, I've worked closely with RBS and I've seen this in action," said Jack Nicklaus.

Nicklaus went on to say, "I'm delighted that we're going to extend our involvement in such a practical way - using the very best of golf and some of the very best current golfers in the US to help the young golfers achieve their best. I know that Charles and Luke join me in welcoming this important partnership and we encourage The First Tee participants to make the most of this opportunity."

"Our support of golf goes back over 100 years, and working with Jack sits well with our Make It Happen philosophy. We know from our own experience that this form of practical help can make a real difference. We are heavily involved with the community through our Citizens Bank brand and as our business in the U.S. grows, so too will our commitment to the communities in which we do business," said Howard Moody, Group Director of Communications for RBS. "Our roots in Scotland, the home of golf, make this a logical extension of our golf partnership with Jack, Charles and Luke in the US."

The RBS Mentor Program will be launched in The First Tee Metropolitan New York Chapter in the fall and then extend to Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Chicago. The First Tee youth participating in the program will:

• be linked with a mentor in their local community to provide advice on school and life lessons, opportunities for work and camaraderie and to foster The First Tee Nine Core Values of honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, courtesy, perseverance, and judgment

• have the opportunity to go forward to the RBS Achievers of the Year Award which will provide two students who exemplify remarkable qualities a $10,000 Certificate of Deposit which can be used to fund future college education

• have the opportunity to meet Team RBS - Charles Howell III and Luke Donald, to learn from their experiences and to participate in a golf clinic through the Team RBS Visit Days

"We are excited about this partnership and grateful for RBS' contribution," said Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., Executive Director of The First Tee. "The programs that RBS are implementing will have an impact on both a national level and our local Chapter level. They align well with The First Tee values and fit well with The First Tee Life Skills Education programs already in place."

RBS has been a supporter of the game of golf for over 100 years, through its association with the Royal & Ancient and the Open Championship. Today's announcement furthers that commitment to the game. National Trustees of The First Tee include individuals, corporations and foundations, and is the most prominent level of sponsorship at The First Tee.

Initial RBS Programs for The First Tee

The RBS Mentor Program

The RBS Mentor Program will be an exciting new initiative that will launch in Fall of 2004 with the Metropolitan New York Chapter of The First Tee. The goals of the program are for young people to have access to an adult in their community who can provide opportunity to things they might not otherwise be exposed to - including camaraderie, opportunities for work, advice on school and life lessons.

The First Tee has opened over 152 golf-learning facilities and has introduced the game of golf to over 300,000 participants since 2000.

This program marks the first time ever that The First Tee will have a specific program in place to match young people with mentors who can serve as role models and impart The First Tee Nine Core Values of honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment. RBS and The First Tee will work with the National Mentoring Partnership to implement the program and plan to extend the program to other markets in future years.

RBS support of this program will enable The First Tee to build on The First Tee Life Skills Education programs to provide local Chapters with an additional tool to help The First Tee participants achieve their goals in life.

RBS values the mentoring relationship, as mirrored in Team RBS, with Jack Nicklaus acting as a mentor to Luke Donald and Charles Howell III. Luke and Charles are, in turn, acting as mentors to The First Tee participants by sharing their knowledge in the local Chapter visits (see below).

Team RBS Visit Days

Team RBS members will visit local Chapters of The First Tee as part of the RBS support of The First Tee. During these local Chapter visits, The First Tee participants will have the opportunity to talk with and ask questions of the players. In addition, they will conduct a golf clinic and meet with participants in The RBS Mentor Program.

As part of RBS' focus on mentoring, Team RBS hopes to impart some of the shared knowledge they've gained in both the game of golf and in how to be a true professional in the game through these Chapter visits. In 2004, Team RBS is tentatively scheduled to visit New York City, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Chicago.

RBS First Tee Achievers of the Year

RBS Achievers of the Year is an award that will be given to two high school students in The First Tee program who exemplifies remarkable qualities that show him or her to be an achiever in life. All participants of The First Tee nationwide are eligible for the award. The local Chapter will nominate one achiever from its Chapter who will then be eligible to receive a $10,000 Certificate of Deposit that can be used to fund future college tuition. A separate committee comprised of RBS and The First Tee executives will evaluate the nominees and choose recipients based on the nominee's commitment to community service and examples of how he or she displays The First Tee's nine core values of honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment in their daily life.

RBS Play for Charity

Team RBS Member Jack Nicklaus will establish this fund with a $25,000 contribution to the RBS Play for Charity Program. Fellow Team RBS Members Charles Howell III and Luke Donald of Team RBS will contribute at least $20,000 through their performance at PGA Tour events. The members of Team RBS will donate funds to The First Tee for posted eagles, birdies, and holes-in-one during the 2004 PGA Tour season. RBS will match the funds donated by Team RBS.

About The First Tee

The First Tee is an initiative of the World Golf Foundation. Since its inception in 1997, The First Tee has opened over 152 golf-learning facilities and has introduced the game of golf to over 300,000 participants since 2000. The focus is to give young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.

About RBS

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group ("RBS Group") is one of the world's leading financial services companies providing a range of retail and corporate banking, financial markets, consumer finance, insurance, wealth management and other finance-related activities. RBS had a market capitalization of $94.4 billion at 31 May 2004, making it the fifth largest bank in the world. For 2003, RBS posted total income of $31.44 billion and operating profit of $11.69 billion. RBS serves more than 20 million customers worldwide and employs approximately 122,000 people, including nearly 20,000 in the US. In the US, RBS owns Citizens Financial Group and Peoples Bank credit card business. Its New York-based Corporate Banking and Financial Markets North America business is a leading provider of financing solutions to corporate and institutional clients. RBS Greenwich Capital tailors debt capital market solutions to institutions worldwide and has a leading position in US treasuries and asset backed securities.