The PGA TOUR announced Wednesday that with more than $10.7 million raised for charities all around the world, the 2017 Presidents Cup, held at Liberty National Golf Club, across the Hudson River from New York City, set a new record for charitable contributions.
The money will go to charities in the U.S. and abroad as chosen by the 34 players, captains and captain’s assistants. The tournament is unique in that there is no purse or prize money and PGA TOUR pros are not paid for their participation. Instead, they are gifted a amount each year (in 2017, it was $150,000 per player) to donate to the charity of his choice.
Since the first Presidents Cup in 1994 when $750,000 was raised for charity to today, more than $49.1 million has been generated from event proceeds. Over the last 23 years, the tournament has impacted more than 450 charities in 16 countries.
“Staged in arguably the most global and diverse city in the world, the 2017 Presidents Cup will go down as one of the most impactful of all time,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan in a press release. “From having three past U.S. presidents on the first tee on Thursday to having the sitting U.S. president hand over the Presidents Cup to the winning team for the first time, the Presidents Cup as a celebration of golf reached new heights. With today’s announcement of $10.7 million to charities around the world, we are also able to celebrate the new heights achieved by the event’s commitment to charitable giving.
“I’d like to thank every player, captain and the captain’s assistants for putting on a great display of camaraderie, sportsmanship and competitive fire earlier this fall, and also for reaching into their communities and to charities around the world to put these dollars to good use.”
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 alternates between United States and international venues.
The 2019 Presidents Cup will be held at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, December 9-15.