Latest News
January 9, 2018
PGA TOUR, Its Tournaments Surpass $180 Million Generated For Charity In 2017
Valero Texas Open Helps Lead the Way with $11 Million Raised
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR and its tournaments generated more than $180 million for charitable causes in 2017, surpassing last year’s record amount by approximately $14 million. This total includes donations made by tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR-China.
The announcement brings the all-time total generated for charity by the PGA TOUR to $2.65 billion. The TOUR surpassed $1 billion in 2005 and $2 billion at the beginning of 2014.
“The entire PGA TOUR family takes tremendous pride in the positive impact that we continue to make each year through the millions of dollars that are raised for very deserving charitable organizations,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “As we often note, beyond the sheer dollar amount, the real story is in the hundreds of thousands of lives that benefit from these contributions every year. Thank you to all of the tournaments, players, sponsors, volunteers and fans who make all of this possible.”
In 2017, five PGA TOUR events raised more than $10 million for charity – the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Valero Texas Open, DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, the John Deere Classic and the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
During Valero’s 16 years as title sponsor, more than $122 million has been raised for charity through the Valero Texas Open, with a tournament-record $11 million generated in 2017. This total includes money raised through the tournament, Birdies for Charity and the Valero Benefit for Children – a golf event coordinated by the Valero Energy Foundation and held the day after the tournament on 11 San Antonio-area golf courses, drawing approximately 2,500 participants each year.
Unlike other professional sports organizations, the PGA TOUR relies on more than 100,000 volunteers annually to run its tournaments, and the vast majority of its tournaments are structured as non-profit organizations designed to donate 100 percent of net proceeds to charity. Community beneficiaries include a broad range of organizations such as hospitals and shelters; youth development programs; food banks; groups that support the military and their families; organizations that support senior citizens; those that help abused women and children, and growth-of-the-game initiatives.
ABOUT PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the leading global platform in professional golf, showcasing the highest expression of excellence, both on and off the course. The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, grow and protect the game of golf and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR-China. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world’s best players, hailing from 25 countries (84 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 226 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2017, tournaments across all Tours generated a record of more than $180 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.65 billion.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
ABOUT 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 2012, the tournament celebrated its 90th 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, and 2017 Champion Kevin Chappell, to name a few.
Since Valero became title sponsor in 2002, the tournament has become an annual leader in charitable fundraising among PGA TOUR events. In 2015, we were proud yet humbled to become only the fourth PGA TOUR event to eclipse the $100 million milestone in funds raised for charity. The 2017 edition of the Valero Texas Open raised $11 million for charity, bringing the grand total to over $126 million in charitable giving since 1922.
For more information please visit www.ValeroTexasOpen.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Chris Smith
PGA TOUR
(904) 273-3379
csmith@pgatourhq.com
Stephanie Sage
Valero Texas Open
(210) 345-3839
Stephanie@ValeroTexasOpen.com
