The Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, a key part of the PGA’s Web.com Tour, is showing its enormous strength yet again by gifting more than $905,000 to 45 Ozarks children’s charities.
President and Executive Director Jerald Andrews announced the gifting during the Celebration of Sharing presented by The McQueary Family on Tuesday at Highland Springs Country Club. The total distributed from this past summer’s event is $905,339, the second-highest total in the tournament’s 27-year history, and boosts the tournament’s overall total to $13,712,247.
“The Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper is a community-wide effort, and we applaud everyone who is helping us reach our children here in the Ozarks,” Andrews said. “We thank so many individuals and sponsors, including the Hammons Foundation, the Web.com Tour and Price Cutter Supermarkets, for making the tournament a huge force in the Ozarks.”
In attendance Tuesday were Hammons Foundation President and CEO Jacquie Dowdy and new Web.com Tour President Dan Glod. The Hammons Foundation has held the Web.com Tour contract since the tournament’s inception in 1990 and pays the tournament purse every year. As the title sponsor of the Tour, Web.com is in the fourth year of a 10-year agreement with the PGA Tour.
“This tournament is the gold standard on the Web.com Tour,” Glod told the crowd. “Thank you to everyone here and in the community, the mission of the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour is to deliver as much money as we can to charities. And you are the leaders in the clubhouse.”
The PCCC is one of only four original Web.com Tour stops dating to the tour’s inaugural 1990 season, and the tournament continues to reach milestones. For instance, Price Cutter Supermarkets recently exercised its 2017 option as a presenting sponsor. The tournament and Price Cutter Supermarkets are in talks for a new contract that will take the PCCC itself to a 30th year. Of the monies gifted to charities in PCCC history, 90.5 percent has been given since Price Cutter Supermarkets joined the effort.
“We are honored and very blessed to be able to do this,” said Rob Marsh, Vice President of Sales and Merchandising for Price Cutter Supermarkets. “We love how it gives back to the community. We love how the money stays local and benefits the children’s charities around the area. We thank everyone for their participation.”
A total of 429 individuals or entities were involved in some level of sponsorship this year.
“We are proud to be a longtime partner with the Price Cutter Charity Championship,” said Mark Stahlman, General Manager of Highland Springs Country Club. “We especially take pride in the fact that we are one of only two courses that has hosted the tour for all 27 years of its existence.”
“At Great Southern Bank, we firmly believe we are only as strong as the community we serve,” said Christi Gibson, Community Development and Relations Manager. “The Price Cutter Charity Championship is a win-win for our community and we are pleased to continue our support. We look forward to another fun, successful event in 2017!”
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The teamwork of local businesses is a key factor in the PCCC’s success, said Russ Marquart, President and CEO of Central Bank/Central Trust. “Without this cooperative spirit, the tournament would not be as fun or successful for all involved – this is what makes this tournament stand out in the Web.com Tour,” Marquart said. “As the event has grown, so has our corporate donation and support. But we feel it is not just a donation but an investment in the community and children’s lives. They are our future and are much deserving of this investment.”
Directors of charities expressed appreciation for the PCCC’s efforts and monies.
“The impact that the Price Cutter Charity Championship has had on our organization is one that we will forever be grateful for,” said Mary Beth Hankins, Family Services Officer for the H.O.P.E Foundation, which covers monthly home bills for families whose infants and children suddenly require hospital emergencies. “Our mission is to help families by giving them hope when they need it the most. We have increased our ability to help these families by 75% since our involvement with the tournament. That means that there are less families stressing over utility bills and mortgage payments, and more families focusing on helping their children heal. There is no real way for us to say thank you enough for that.”
The Springfield-Greene County Park Board also offered a thank-you. Since 2008, it has used tournament monies for more than 6,000 scholarships for county youths.
“The Springfield-Greene County Park Board has been involved with the Price Cutter Charity Championship for over 16 years,” said Anne-Mary McGrath of the Springfield-Greene County Park Board. “The Park Board offers scholarships for youth to participate in sports, summer camp and other programs designed to build skills and confidence while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”
This year marked the 17th that Ambassadors for Children has teamed with the PCCC.
“The impact this tournament has made on our program has been immeasurable,” said Denee Fay, Director of Ambassadors for Children. We anticipate setting our ninth consecutive overall service record at the end of this calendar year. As we consider our agency growth year after year, we recognize this growth was made possible through the support and awareness we receive from the Price Cutter Charity Championship.”
Tournament Announcements
- Janet Sterling was named the Judy Weekley Volunteer of the Year. The award is named in honor of a longtime PCCC volunteer. Janet, who has worked with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for years, is in charge of recruiting, scheduling and supervising the Environmental Services Committee, which handles the thankless job of trash disposal all over Highland Springs Country Club.
- Andrews announced next year’s tournament dates & theme. Activities begin August 4, with the pros playing August 10-13 at Highland Springs Country Club. Next year’s tournament will be patriotic in red, white and blue, with a theme of this:
United
We Stand For Kids
Charity. Community. PGA Web.com Tour
- The PCCC’s 2016 champion, Mackenzie Hughes, already is off to great start on the PGA Tour. He won the RCM Classic last week in Sea Island, Ga. He was among 30 Web.com Tour players who competed in our tournament in August and later earned a PGA Tour card for next season.
- Advertising Plus will be a lead sponsor in 2017. The company supported the tournament for years under the ownership of Michele Kiser, who passed away in 2015, and continues to do so under the direction of her husband, Marc.