FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2010

Valero Texas Open receives “Best Of” award at
PGA TOUR Tournament Advisory Council Meetings

PGA TOUR event honored for “Best Charity Integration”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL — The Valero Texas Open (San Antonio, TX) was honored by the PGA TOUR at the TOUR’s Tournament Advisory Council (TAC) Meetings this week.

The Valero Texas Open earned “Best Charity Integration” honors for 2010 for integrating its charity messaging into the event’s marketing efforts, both on-site and into tournament programming.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, I am pleased to acknowledge and congratulate the outstanding job and special recognition the Valero Texas Open has earned for its efforts,” said PGA TOUR EVP and Chief of Operations Andy Pazder. “The tournament committee should be extremely proud for being acknowledged as the best among its peers on TOUR.”

Among the Valero Texas Open’s many charitable accolades include the raising and donating of more than $58 million since the event’s inception. In 2010 alone, the event raised $8 million for charity. Part of that came from the tournament’s “Birdies for Charity” and “Chip in for Schools” programs. In 2010, 139 charities participated in “Birdies for Charity” and raised $1.1 million. The “Chip In for Schools” program sold discounted tickets to local schools, with 100 percent of all money collected going back to the schools.

The tournament also possesses a strong commitment to members of the military in the community. Wounded Warriors and active duty personnel, as well as their families, are annually admitted free of charge to two hospitality venues on site. The tournament hosts a “Night to Honor Our Heroes”, a dinner that features distinguished speakers from the military. All proceeds from this event benefit local military charities.

The Valero Texas Open annually stages a Charity Challenge during the Aquafina Family Fiesta day that engages over 500 area kids and 15 charities. This event has distributed approximately $20,000 to participating charities.

Another charitable component to the Valero Texas Open is the “Valero Benefit for Children” the Monday after the final round, where more than 2,200 individuals from Valero’s vendors participate each year. A tremendous success, the Benefit generates 75% of the tournament’s charitable giving.

“Golf San Antonio and Valero believe that charitable giving is the most important component in conducting a PGA TOUR event,” said Tony Piazzi, Golf San Antonio president and CEO. “In these challenging times, it is important to integrate our charity message into the community. We are thrilled to receive this award, and thank Valero and our many volunteers for their tremendous support of the Valero Texas Open.”

The 2011 Valero Texas Open, captured in 2010 by Adam Scott, will be held April 14-17 at TPC San Antonio.

About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour.

The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.

In 2010, the three Tours collectively have tournaments in 34 states and in 12 countries outside of the U.S. PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 600 million households in 231 countries and 30 languages.

Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2009, tournaments on the three Tours generated nearly $109 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR’s all-time total of charitable contributions to nearly $1.5 billion.

The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the company is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

CONTACT
Joel Schuchmann, PGA TOUR, 904-280-4707, joelschuchmann@pgatourhq.com

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