Presidents Cup generates $4.2 million for charity

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The PGA TOUR announced that $4.2 million proceeds from the 2009 Presidents Cup, a record-tying amount for the prestigious competition, will be distributed to charitable causes around the world.

Since the inception of The Presidents Cup in 1994, nearly $22 million from event proceeds have been raised for charity. In addition, The First Tee of San Francisco received $500,000 as part of the PGA TOUR's partnership agreement with the city of San Francisco; and in March, the PGA TOUR made a $100,000 donation on behalf of The Presidents Cup to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal, a fund organized following devastating fires in Victoria, Australia.

The Presidents Cup, a team match play competition featuring 24 of the world's top golfers -- 12 from the United States and 12 from around the world, excluding Europe -- is held every two years, and since 1996 has alternated between United States and international venues. This year, the U.S. Team retained the Cup from the Internationals at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, Oct. 6-11.

The Presidents Cup is a unique golf event in that there is no purse or prize money. Players are not personally paid for their participation, but each competitor allocates an equal portion of the funds generated to charities of his choice.

"We are extremely proud of the $4.2 million raised through The Presidents Cup 2009," PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "Thanks to the support of the San Francisco community, thousands of volunteers, two incredibly engaged and committed captains in Fred Couples and Greg Norman, as well as our Global Partner Citi, The Presidents Cup continues to make an impact on deserving charities across the globe.

"It's a special event in that 24 players of the world's best players -- plus the captains and captain's assistants -- compete in The Presidents Cup not only for the pride of their country and team, but also for the honor of selecting charitable causes close to their hearts to benefit from the net revenues. I'd like to thank each of them for putting on a stellar show at Harding Park in October and ensuring The Presidents Cup's success, which is felt long after the last putt drops."

To follow is a history of charitable contributions from The Presidents Cup proceeds:

1994 -- $750,000

1996 -- $800,000

1998 -- $2.9 million

2000 -- $2.8 million

2003 -- $2.8 million

2005 -- $3.5 million

2007 -- $4.2 million

2009 -- $4.2 million

Total: $21.95 million

While The Presidents Cup moves to Australia for the 2011 event, the PGA TOUR's impact in the Bay Area remains. In October 2010, the Champions Tour's season-ending event, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, will be played at Harding Park Golf Club. The Nationwide Tour's Stonebrae Classic at TPC San Francisco at Stonebrae is held in Hayward, Calif., in April, and the PGA TOUR's Frys.com Open is moving to San Martin, Calif., in 2010.

The Presidents Cup was developed to give the world's best non-European players an opportunity to compete in international team match-play competition. The U.S. Team has won six of the eight previous Presidents Cups, and the only outright win by the International Team came at the 1998 event in Melbourne. The 2003 Presidents Cup ended in a tie. The 2009 Presidents Cup marked the first time that both captains (Fred Couples and Greg Norman) and their captains' assistants (Jay Haas, U.S. Team; Frank Nobilo, International Team) were former participants in The Presidents Cup.