PGA TOUR, its tournaments surpass $3 billion in all-time charitable giving
The catastrophic destruction left in by Typhoon Hagibis will continue for years to come in Japan.
Nearly 100 people were killed by the historic cyclone, which resulted in more than 85,000 homes damaged, thousands of hectares flooded, and countless landslides created in its wake.
The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP did its best to provide support to those affected by the typhoon in December, and it made a US$225,000 donation that was channeled toward each Cash Distribution Committee of the affected prefectures and Tokyo Metropolitan government through the Japanese Red Cross Society.
Backed by the aid provided by Japan’s first official PGA TOUR tournament, the TOUR announced this week that it and its tournaments have surpassed US$3 billion in all-time charitable giving.
The charitable total, which included a record $204.3 million in 2019 to bring the all-time total to $3.05 billion, includes donations made by tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Series-China.
“It’s truly a pleasure to thank our fans, sponsors, tournaments, players and volunteers for helping us generate over $3 billion for charity and positively impact millions of lives,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan.
“As remarkable as this milestone is, what really matters are the countless stories (of impact) that every tournament has. Together, we look forward to continuing to reach – and celebrate – millions more.”
In addition to focusing on relief and recovery efforts in Japan, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP also donated $25,000 to First Tee Japan for use toward its initiatives. The organization’s mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.
Megumi Hatakeyama, Vice President, Marketing Department, Golf Division, ZOZO Inc said: “We are delighted to provide financial assistance towards the affected people through the Japanese Red Cross Society which not only collects and transfer the cash grants to each Cash Distribution Committee of the affected local government, but also operates various type of disaster relief activities by themselves across the country. The amazing work that their staff and volunteers do brings tremendous relief for the people of Japan who were affected by the recent typhoons.
“It is also our privilege to extend our support towards First Tee Japan. Golf is an amazing sport as it teaches important life skills such as character education through programs conducted by professionally trained life coaches. We hope our assistance will greatly benefit the young people of Japan who are part of First Tee Japan.”
The PGA TOUR and its more than 100 tournaments across all Tours achieved the $3 billion mark just six years after surpassing $2 billion in 2014. The TOUR achieved the $1 billion mark in 2005. In addition, the record $204.3 million in 2019 bests the previous record of $190 million in 2018. The TOUR’s first charitable donation of $10,000 was at the 1938 Palm Beach Invitational.
Each PGA TOUR tournament provides individuals an opportunity to give back to the community in one of three ways – attending an event, volunteering, or donating money. Not-for-profit tournaments under the PGA TOUR umbrella donate their net proceeds to support local organizations, totaling more than $3 billion in donations to date. The impact these tournaments make throughout the year is possible thanks to the more than 100,000 volunteers who commit their time to ensure each event is a success.
To learn more about the PGA TOUR and the positive impact of its tournaments, volunteers, players, sponsors and fans, please visit PGATOUR.COM/IMPACT.
