KAPALUA, Maui, Hawaii, Jan. 8, 2015 – The Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the PGA TOUR’s winners-only event, kicks off the golfing New Year at the famous Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii. The field this year features many of the game’s top talent, like Masters champion Bubba Watson and FedExCup Playoffs winner Billy Horschel. They will be joined by a list of the game’s elite including three-time winner during the 2013-2014 season Jimmy Walker, PGA TOUR rookie of the year Chesson Hadley, Australian Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, two-time Hyundai Tournament of Champions winner Geoff Ogilvy, Hunter Mahan and Colombia’s Camilo Villegas.
“Golf has proven to be the perfect sport for us to communicate our dynamic vehicle lineup and growing premium products and we can’t wait for the first tee shot of the new calendar year,” said Dave Zuchowski, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. “The PGA TOUR’s commitment to charity is similar to our own and we again plan on making a positive impact on many Hawaii and Maui charities.”
The Hyundai Tournament of Champions is all about giving back to the community. Since the tournament’s inception in 1999 the tournament and host organizations have donated nearly $5 million to Maui Community Charities and that number will only increase after the 2015 event.
For the third year in a row, Hyundai Hope On Wheels is hosting a 5K Run/Walk in conjunction with the Tournament of Champions. The Run/Walk will take place on Saturday, January 10 at 7:30 a.m. at Whalers Village in Kaanapali. As part of this 5K event, Hope On Wheels will also award a $75,000 Hyundai Young Investigator Clinical Award to Kapi‘olani Medical Center for pediatric cancer programs. Since becoming title sponsor, Hyundai, through its nonprofit Hyundai Hope On Wheels, has donated $483,000 to the Kapi‘olani Medical Center.
New this year, Hyundai is making it possible for a player’s caddie to win a new car. A first on the PGA TOUR, if a player makes a hole in one on the 8th hole he will win a new Hyundai for himself and one for his caddie. The player will win a 2015 Genesis 5.0 and the caddie will win a 2015 Santa Fe Sport.
During the tournament week, the PGA TOUR players will drive Hyundai’s flagship Equus sedan, all-new Genesis sedan or Santa Fe around Maui. These Hyundai vehicles, as well as the all-new Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, Santa Fe Sport, Azera and Tucson Fuel Cell vehicle will be featured throughout the Plantation course and Kapalua resort. The winner of Hyundai Tournament of Champions will also receive an Equus or Genesis to drive complimentary for an entire year.
Hyundai is in its fifth year as title sponsor of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and the event is a significant part of Hyundai’s global sports marketing strategy. The tournament matches the world’s passion for golf with the company’s own competitive drive and loyal customer base. In recent years, Hyundai has expanded its golf properties by creating the Hyundai Invitational. As part of the tournament series, Hyundai partners with 50 well-established charity tournaments around the country. Two winners from each go on to compete at the Hyundai Invitational National Final for a chance to win a trip to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. This year, Hyundai welcomes the first winners from this new program.
Hyundai is also the official vehicle of the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation and vehicle partner for the Farmers Insurance Open. With these sponsorships, PGA TOUR players drive Hyundai vehicles in three out of the first four PGA TOUR events in the 2015 calendar year. Information on all of Hyundai’s golf activities can be found at the recently launched website, Hyundaigolf.com.
The tournament begins with the Pro-Am on Thursday, January 8, continuing with four rounds of professional competition Friday, January 9 through Monday, January 12. The Golf Channel will broadcast all four days of competition with NBC covering the tournament live on Sunday.
Follow the tournament on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get updates and a behind-the-scenes look at the tournament preparations.
PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China.
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 the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 225 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2013, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $134 million for local and national charitable organizations and in early 2014 the TOUR’s all-time charitable contributions surpassed $2 billion.
The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.