Matthew Wolff eagles 72nd hole for win at 3M

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - The PGA TOUR announced today that Women of Color Golf & Girls on the Green Tee, a Tampa-based non-profit beneficiary of the Valspar Championship, has been named the 2020 PGA TOUR Charity of the Year. With a mission of promoting and facilitating the inclusion of minority women and girls in the game of golf, Women of Color Golf (WOCG) seeks to create interest and boost participation with organized clinics, recreational events, business networking and mentoring opportunities. Girls on the Green Tee (GOTGT) is a golf and mentoring program designed by WOCG for 9- to 17-year-old girls. Over a five-week training period, girls are introduced to the game, develop friendships with their peers and are mentored by a caring and professional group of female leaders in the community, providing the girls opportunities they may not otherwise have. "Copperhead Charities and the Valspar Championship were honored to nominate Women of Color Golf and the Girls on the Green Tee initiative to be the 2020 PGA TOUR Charity of the Year," said Tracy West, President, Copperhead Charities and Tournament Director, Valspar Championship. "Their vision of bringing the game of golf to girls in underserved communities will make a positive impact for years to come. Golf not only reinforces great values such as sportsmanship, perseverance and integrity, it is a game that can be played for life. We are humbled that the TOUR chose to support Women of Color Golf and our Tampa Bay community, and we look forward to hosting the girls as our guests at our Valspar Championship next April." The award comes with a $30,000 grant from the PGA TOUR to assist WOCG & GOTGT in expanding their footprint. Over the last four years, the GOTGT program has operated at The Center 4 Girls in Tampa, Florida, and will now make plans for expansion in two elementary schools in the Hillsborough County Public Schools system - Clemmie Ross James Elementary and Doris Ross Reddick Elementary. The schools, which provide limited options for girls' sports programs, are in under-served communities and with predominantly low-income students. The students at James Elementary are primarily African American (77.36 percent), while the students at Reddick are primarily Hispanic (78.95 percent). "On behalf of the Women of Color Golf and Girls on the Green Tee, we are grateful to the PGA TOUR for the Charity of the Year Award," said Clemmie C. Perry, Founder & Executive Director, Women of Color Golf (WOCG) & Girls on the Green Tee (GOTGT). "Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the future success of the golf industry. We are proud that the PGA TOUR is dedicated to make golf more accessible to under-represented communities, equally and inclusively." Backed by its network of volunteers, the PGA TOUR and its tournaments generated a record $204.3 million for local and national charitable organizations in 2019, bringing the all-time total to more than $3 billion. The 2020 Valspar Championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a new date and headlined by two-time defending champion Paul Casey, the 2021 Valspar Championship will be held April 26-May 2 at Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead).

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The global swing of the PGA TOUR continues at the inaugural CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES this week in Jeju Island South Korea. The new event promises to be the “bridge to realization� for one player who dreams large and brings their A game. The 72-hole stroke-play tournament features a 78-player field, with no cut, made up of players from three sanctioning bodies: the PGA TOUR, the Asian Tour and the KPGA. FedExCup champion and PGA TOUR Player of the Year Justin Thomas headlines a strong field that also includes TOUR Championship winner and Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele, Arnold Palmer Invitational and BMW Championship winner Marc Leishman and CIMB Classic winner Pat Perez. Leishman cut his teeth playing the Korean Tour in 2006. “The course is very good. It’s different to a lot of other Korean courses I’ve played. It’s a lot more generous off the tee, a lot wider,� the Australian says. “Greens are very good, it’s important to get it on the right section of the green. It’s a beautiful golf course, I think it’s going to hold up really well for the tournament.� It will also be the first start of the season for the likes of Jason Day, Daniel Berger and Adam Scott. PLAYERS champion Si Woo Kim will look to lead a strong local contingent of 17 Koreans. Here are the featured groups. Korea is 11 hours ahead. All tee times are Eastern Time. Justin Thomas, Pat Perez, Sangmoon Bae: Thomas was unable to make it three in a row last week at the CIMB Classic but the FedExCup champion promises to be dangerous this week after a bit of competitive rust was blown off in Malaysia. He’s joined by the man who did win last week in Perez and by a local favorite in former International Team Presidents Cupper Sangmoon Bae. Bae is returning to TOUR life having fulfilled his two-year military obligations in Korea, hungry for quick success. Tee times: Wednesday 7:30 p.m. (ET) off 10 tee; Thursday 8:30 p.m. off 1st tee Si Woo Kim, Jason Day, Adam Scott: The PLAYERS champion draws a pair of Aussies making their first start of the new season. Kim leads the young breed of Korean players and will be heavily supported and heavily motivated to succeed. Day and Scott are in rebound mode after last season was the first time since 2012 that at least one of them hadn’t had a victory. They know this could kick start something big. Tee times: Wednesday 7:40 p.m. (ET) off 10 tee; Thursday 8:40 p.m. off 1st tee Marc Leishman, Xander Schauffele, Daniel Berger: Two former and one current Rookie of the Year get together here. Leishman won the award in 2009 but is coming off a breakthrough season where he won twice. He once played a year on the Korean Tour. Berger claimed the honor in 2015 and has won in each of the last two seasons. Schauffele’s name is still warm on the inscription of the 2017 trophy and he comes in off a T3 finish last week.  Tee times: Wednesday 8:30 p.m. off 1st tee; Thursday 7:20 p.m. off 10th tee K.J. Choi, Jhonattan Vegas, Patrick Reed: The godfather of Korean men’s golf will draw the masses. Choi might not have won since his PLAYERS triumph in 2011 and hasn’t had a top-10 since February of 2016 but the local faithful will be willing him forward. Recent Presidents Cup rookie Vegas will be looking to build on his T39 in Malaysia while Reed is looking to open his season account in style. Tee times: Wednesday 8:40 p.m. off 1st tee; Thursday 7:30 p.m. off 10th tee

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