PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. and LA QUINTA, Calif. (May 11, 2015) – The PGA TOUR, Desert Classic Charities and the Clinton Foundation announced today that CareerBuilder, the global leader in human capital solutions, is the new title sponsor of the former Bob Hope Classic after entering a six-year agreement that runs through 2021.
The newly named CareerBuilder Challenge will continue to honor and celebrate the legacy of Bob Hope and his longtime role as tournament host; and through its existing relationship with the Clinton Foundation, the tournament again will promote a health-focused theme in 2016.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome CareerBuilder as the new title sponsor, joining the Clinton Foundation in support of a tournament that has been an important part of the PGA TOUR schedule for more than 55 years,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “While long associated with the great Bob Hope as the tournament host, the CareerBuilder Challenge has the distinction of being one of only two PGA TOUR tournaments, along with the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, in which amateurs play alongside the professionals during actual tournament competition. This is a unique event that also has had a significant charitable impact throughout the Coachella Valley since 1960. We look forward to working with CareerBuilder, the Clinton Foundation and Desert Classic Charities to continue to build upon this tradition.”
Since its introduction in 1960 as the Palm Springs Golf Classic, the tournament has generated more than $56 million for numerous non-profit organizations in the Coachella Valley that enrich the lives of Valley residents.
“CareerBuilder is excited to become the title sponsor of a tournament that is not only rich in tradition and sports excellence, but also has a strong commitment to philanthropy,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “This is a great venue to showcase our technology and evolution into a global HR SaaS company. We look forward to working with the PGA TOUR and the Clinton Foundation as we continue on our mission to empower employment around the world.”
The tournament underwent a transformation in 2012 when Humana and the Clinton Foundation joined forces with Desert Classic Charities and the PGA TOUR to solidify the tournament’s future and redefine it as not only a tournament, but a strategic platform to establish and communicate new initiatives in health and well-being, including a major conference hosted by former President Bill Clinton.
“We have been proud to partner with the PGA TOUR and Desert Classic Charities to improve health and wellness in the Coachella Valley and beyond, and we are so pleased to continue this work through the CareerBuilder Challenge,” said Valerie Alexander, Chief Marketing Officer of the Clinton Foundation. “We look forward to being part of an exciting new chapter of this storied tournament, which will enable the community to enjoy world-class golf and give us the opportunity to help even more people live healthier lives.”
Also in 2012, the tournament adopted the current format of a four-day tournament with the first three rounds played in a pro-am format; the pro-am teams consisting of one professional and one amateur playing in groups of four; and for each day of the three round pro-am competition, the professional playing with a different amateur partner. While all amateurs compete in daily competitions as well as an overall, three-day competition, the experience became even richer for six of the amateurs beginning in 2014, as the top three gross and top three net leaders through three rounds now advance to compete during Sunday’s final round, playing individual stroke play.
“Desert Classic Charities is thrilled CareerBuilder will be our title sponsor, only the third in the 56-year history of our tournament,” said John Foster, Chairman and President of Desert Classic Charities. “I know the people of the desert communities will join us in warmly welcoming this great company as we look forward to a long and beneficial partnership.”
The tournament continues to honor the memory of Bob Hope, who became the tournament host in 1965 and was a constant presence throughout the years until his passing on July 27, 2003 at age 100. One element of tribute is the Bob Hope Trophy that is awarded to the champion of the CareerBuilder Challenge.
“On behalf of our family and the Bob Hope Legacy, we thank the PGA TOUR and look forward to an exciting association with CareerBuilder and renewing our association with the Clinton Foundation,” said daughter Linda Hope. “Dad's spirit will continue to live on in the game he loved; in the Tournament which bore his name, and in the charities that benefited from the marriage of those two. Dad's dream is in good hands.”
In addition to replacing Humana as the tournament’s title sponsor, CareerBuilder is joining the PGA TOUR Official Marketing Partner program as the “Official Career Site of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour.”
About CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors and 1 million jobs. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing everything from labor market intelligence to talent management software and other recruitment solutions. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.
About the Clinton Foundation
The Clinton Foundation convenes businesses, governments, NGOs, and individuals to improve global health and wellness, increase opportunity for women and girls, reduce childhood obesity, create economic opportunity and growth, and help communities address the effects of climate change. Because of our work, 26,000 American schools are providing kids with healthy food choices in an effort to eradicate childhood obesity; 36,000 farmers in Malawi have improved their incomes by more than 500 percent; 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced in cities worldwide; more than 5,000 people have been trained in marketable job skills in Colombia; 8.2 million people have access to lifesaving HIV/AIDS medications; $200 million in strategic investments have been made, impacting the health of 75 million people in the U.S.; and members of the Clinton Global Initiative have made nearly 3,200 Commitments to Action to improve more than 430 million lives around the world. Learn more at http://www.clintonfoundation.org, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ClintonFoundation and on Twitter @ClintonFdn.
About Desert Classic Charities
Since its inception, Desert Classic Charities, the charitable entity that organizes the PGA TOUR event in the Coachella Valley, has contributed more than $56 million to a wide range of Coachella Valley charitable organizations and Eisenhower Medical Center. The scope of giving is broad and includes support for structured and mentoring programs for children, social services, and food and safe shelter for the less fortunate. Desert Classic Charities is dedicated to continuing its mission to serve human needs in the Coachella Valley and beyond by generating funds and opportunities every year through the event.
About 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 226 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2014, tournaments across all Tours generated a record $140.5 million for local and national charitable organizations, after surpassing $2 billion in all-time charitable contributions early in the year.
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.
Contacts:
Chris Smith
PGA TOUR
904-273-3379
csmith@pgatourhq.com
Jennifer Grasz
CareerBuilder
773-527-1164
jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com
Craig Minassian
Clinton Foundation
212-3480360
press@clintonfoundation.org
Toby Zwikel / Brian Robin
Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.
818-462-5599 / 818-462-5610
tobyz@bzapr.com / brianr@bzapr.com
CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com