PGA TOUR, Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation, and TaylorMade are among those stepping up during COVID-19 Pandemic
NICHOLASVILLE – July 17, 2020
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic’s global impact on the daily lives of people around the world, the PGA TOUR was planning on another epic season featuring the best golfers on the planet competing for coveted FedEx points at each of its 43 annual events. Included on the TOUR’s schedule was The Barbasol Championship, which was canceled in April due to the coronavirus. The tournament would have been played this week at Champions at Keene Trace in Nicholasville.
Tournament officials are already focusing their attention towards preparations for the 2021 Barbasol. “We’re confident next year’s Barbasol will be the best installment of the tournament to date,” said Tournament Director Bryan Pettigrew.
While professional golf is on hold in the Bluegrass for the moment, the charitable arm of the Barbasol Championship, Caddie127, has remained active supporting the five local charities it has been partnered with for the past two years. The charities include All God’s Children, Kentucky Children’s Hospital (UK HealthCare), the Kentucky Region of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Refuge for Women, and the Woodhill Community Center (Lexington Leadership Foundation).
To that end, the Barbasol Championship will host a Charity Golf Tournament at Champions on October 15 and 16 in support of these outstanding organizations. The evening of the fifteenth will feature a reception, taste of the PGA TOUR dinner, entertainment, and silent auction. Signature cocktails from PGA TOUR events from around the country will also be served. The tournament itself will be held on the sixteenth with participants enjoying access to Champions’ driving range, a bloody Mary station, shotgun start/scramble format at noon, and an awards ceremony to conclude the event.
“During this time of global uncertainty, it’s imperative for us to continue supporting our amazing local philanthropic community and the children and families they serve,” Pettigrew said. “The critical services and programs they provide, to those most in need, are counted on now more than ever.”
Additional support of has ranged from telling the stories of these wonderful charities through the Barbasol Championship’s Kentucky media partners to providing direct financial contributions.
Also, TaylorMade contributed $4,900 to each of the five charities and the Arnold & Winne Palmer Foundation donated 100,000 meals to God’s Pantry in the name of 2019 tournament champion, Jim Herman.
“We’re committed to promoting, strengthening, and advocating for these fine organizations by all means available to us,” Pettigrew added. “Along with the rest of the world, we look forward to life getting back to a state of pre-coronavirus normalcy as soon as possible.”
