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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2014
PGA TOUR Announces Expansion of PGA TOUR Women’s Initiative
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (January 13, 2014) – Building upon the success of its initial year, the PGA TOUR is expanding its Women’s Initiative and renaming it PGA TOUR Woman. The objective is to unify and grow the TOUR’s community of female fans through shared attitudes and interests.
Encouraged by the 2013 response and growth of the onsite Executive Women’s Day program and Women’s Pavilion that are sponsored by Astellas, the TOUR will expand the concept by creating programs with new companies that embody the common ground among its diverse female fans in areas such as:
- golf passion and sports attraction
- healthy living and the pursuit of fitness and wellness
- travel experiences and leisure activities
- career development
- networking opportunities and business innovation
- philanthropy and giving back
According to Nielsen Media Research, nearly 83 million people tuned in to PGA TOUR telecasts for at least 15 minutes in 2013. Of those, 46 percent were female.
“PGA TOUR Woman is a platform created for our significant base of female PGA TOUR fans that celebrates their widely varied interests, activities, lifestyle and aspirations,” said Donna Fiedorowicz, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Tournament Activation and Outreach. “Based on the success we had in 2013 with Astellas as our Founding Partner, we are very excited about the potential PGA TOUR Woman has to connect our female fans in a variety of meaningful ways and expand our opportunity to reach sponsors that might be more female-centric and have not yet considered partnering with us.”
Astellas will remain the Exclusive National sponsor of the popular Executive Women’s Day events held on site at tournaments throughout the country.
The Valero Texas Open is proud to host its 2nd Annual Astellas presents Executive Women’s Day on March 25 at TPC San Antonio and JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort. The event will once again provide San Antonio area executive women the opportunity to create social and business relationships through an exclusive and advanced forum for more than 200 like-minded successful, professional women. The day-long event will cover the topics of corporate leadership, economic and career development, professional networking, and how to use golf as a business and relationship builder. To learn more about this event, visit: http://www.valerotexasopen.com/executivewomensday/.
Additionally, as the founding sponsor of PGA TOUR Woman, Astellas will join other female-focused companies with the rights to PGA TOUR Woman and on site activation at tournament sites. Open to all fans, the Astellas pavilion - to be named “The Experience” - will include interactive games and activities focused on health and well-being. It will be showcased at 20 tournaments this year including the Valero Texas Open from March 27-30.
The TOUR and Astellas Pharma US, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., announced in February 2013 a three-year agreement in which Astellas would champion the PGA TOUR’s commitment to a new Women’s Initiative.
"Astellas is excited to continue its relationship with the PGA TOUR as a sponsor of PGA TOUR Woman,” said Pamela Buford, Director, Consumer Marketing at Astellas. “Through our sponsorship, Astellas will offer fans a range of interactive activities on site at tournament events as well as local community efforts that empower female fans to prioritize their personal health and wellness by having open and honest conversations with their doctor."
ABOUT VALERO
Valero Energy Corporation, through its subsidiaries (collectively, Valero), is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products, and sells its products primarily in the United States (U.S.), Canada, the United Kingdom (U.K.), Ireland and Latin America. Valero owns 15 petroleum refineries located in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.2 million barrels per day. Valero is a joint venture member in Diamond Green Diesel Holdings LLC, which owns two renewable diesel plants located in the U.S. Gulf Coast region with a combined production capacity of approximately 1.2 billion gallons per year, and Valero owns 12 ethanol plants located in the U.S. Mid-Continent region with a combined production capacity of approximately 1.6 billion gallons per year. Valero manages its operations through its Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol segments. Please visit investorvalero.com for more information.
ABOUT VALERO IN THE COMMUNITY
Valero Energy Corporation, through its subsidiaries (collectively, Valero), and the Valero Energy Foundation are committed to improving the quality of life in communities where Valero has major operations. In 2023, Valero, its employees and the foundation collectively generated more than $77 million in charitable support through direct/in-kind donations, fundraising and volunteerism. Valero employees logged more than 127,000 volunteer hours in 2023 for hundreds of projects in their communities. Valero provides funding to a variety of nonprofit agencies for programs and services supporting education, basic needs, health care and civic initiatives. Through the overwhelming support of sponsors, the foundation’s signature programs, the Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children, generated more than $23 million raised in 2023 for charities across the United States.
ABOUT THE VALERO TEXAS OPEN
The Valero Texas Open is the sixth-oldest professional tournament in golf worldwide, the third-oldest on the PGA TOUR and the longest held in the same city. In 2022, the tournament celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Its list of champions includes some of the greatest names in golf history: Walter Hagen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Lee Trevino, Nick Price, Justin Leonard, Zach Johnson, Adam Scott, Jimmy Walker, Jordan Spieth and 2019, 2023 champion Corey Conners to name a few.
Since Valero became title sponsor in 2002, the tournament has become a leader in charitable fundraising among PGA TOUR events. The Valero Texas Open, together with its Benefit for Children and Champions fore Charity initiatives, has contributed more than $232 million to hundreds of worthy charities since inception. Please visit www.ValeroTexasOpen.com for more information.
Media Contacts
Stephanie Sage
Valero Texas Open
Director, Marketing & Community Relations
210.345.3839 office
Lee Patterson
Valero Texas Open
Director, Media Relations
704.913.1088 mobile
