PGA TOUR's final charity total for 2009 hits $108 million

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The PGA TOUR announced Monday that its combined charitable contributions from tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour came to $108 million for 2009.

With this announcement, the TOUR's all-time total is approaching $1.5 billion. Despite the continued impact of a severely depressed economy, eight tournaments generated more than $4 million, two more than 2008 when the TOUR announced a record $124 million had been raised.

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Official PGA TOUR charity site

The Valero Texas Open led the way with $8 million, and both the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial topped $5 million. Those that raised more than $4 million were the Waste Management Phoenix Open (formerly FBR Open), HP Byron Nelson Championship, John Deere Classic, THE PLAYERS Championship and The Presidents Cup.

"Considering the economic circumstances, this is a remarkable achievement and a reflection of the drive, determination and creativity tournament organizations displayed on all three Tours to generate much needed revenue for over 3,000 deserving charities," PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "We're extremely proud of this accomplishment and congratulate our tournaments on their collective success in such trying times, which is when their beneficiaries need help more than ever."

The announcement comes as the PGA TOUR begins to activate an initiative to elevate its charity platform, called "Together, anything's possible." The goal is to broaden awareness of the outstanding charitable work of the tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, and to give the TOUR's fans and constituents a way to offer their support to these causes.

A new public service announcement will begin airing during this week's telecast of the Farmers Insurance Open in support of the campaign. A new charity Web site, pgatour.com/together, is being launched and will provide information on tournament and player causes and provide a means of contributing to them.

"The outstanding work that is done by our tournaments, players, volunteers and sponsors is an integral part of what the PGA TOUR is all about, and our 'Together, anything's possible' platform will enable us to tell that story in a more compelling way," Finchem said. "Their charitable efforts too often are underappreciated on a national scale, so we want to tell the stories of how they are changing people's lives and provide a means by which individuals can support their favorite causes through 'Together, anything's possible.'"