Tournament officials announced today that $750,000 in charitable funds has been generated from the 2020 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship which returns to Firestone Country Club this week, August 12-16. Combined with contributions raised at the major championship’s 2019 debut at Firestone Country Club, the tournament has generated over $1.5 million for deserving charities in Northeast Ohio to date.
“Professional golf in Northeast Ohio has always been about more than just golf, and in the face of a pandemic that mission stands true more than ever,” said Executive Director Don Padgett. “For decades professional golf has aided in developing a charitable footprint in our region that positively impacts worthy causes. Although the 2020 tournament looks and feels different with fans unable to attend, we are proud to continue making a difference that will be felt by each of the deserving non-profit organizations. Thank you to our title sponsor Bridgestone, Founding Partners Westfield and FirstEnergy and all tournament supporters for making this possible.”
Although the annual Ambassador of Golf Event presented by the FirstEnergy Foundation was not able to be held this year due to COVID-19, the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS continues to raise funds and awareness for charities including Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, Akron Children’s Hospital, The First Tee of Greater Akron, Summa Health System, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, United Way of Summit & Medina Counties and the Lebron James Family Foundation.
As a whole, the PGA TOUR and its tournaments have surpassed $3 billion in all-time charitable giving, including a record $204.3 million in 2019 alone. This includes donations made by tournaments across the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Series-China.
Contributing to the record-setting numbers is the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, with a combined $1,575,000 during its first two years as major championship on PGA TOUR Champions. Over $30 million has been generated by professional golf events held at Firestone Country Club since 1984.
For more information on the 2020 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS, fans are encouraged to visit BridgestoneSENIORPLAYERS.com.
