Drew Dixon
Arguably, the highest-profile golf tournament in Florida in recent memory gets underway this week, and there will be a lot more than golf pros competing for a purse of $25 million. While competition among the golfers will be intense, the bounty of charitable donations will be sizable.
The Players Championship at Sawgrass has quite a setting ahead of it for the tournament at Players Stadium Course this week, as one of the most compelling storylines is rising PGA superstar Scottie Scheffler will be aiming for a “three-peat” of winning the tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach. No player has ever won The Players Tournament in three consecutive years since it was founded in 1974.
While the competition will heat up until the final round on March 16, The Players’ organizers will contribute to the community. Whether The Players should officially become the fifth major golf tournament on the PGA Tour has often been debated. Still, there’s no debating the substantial charitable contributions generated from the event.
Since its founding 51 years ago, The Players Championship has donated $120 million to Northeast Florida nonprofit organizations.
“It’s a big number, and sometimes hard to fully grasp, but it’s one that’s changing lives,” a press release from The Players said.
This year, The Players’ organizers have dedicated each tournament day to representing a charity that the tournament will prioritize for contributions. Tuesday, when the official tournament gets underway, The Players will single out the Five Star Veterans Center for focus.
Wednesday will shift attention to the Jacksonville Humane Society, while Thursday will spotlight the First Tee, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing youth leadership in communities.
Friday guides contributions toward the Wounded Warrior Project, while Saturday raises awareness for the Community Hospice Foundation.
The curtain falls on The Players on March 16, and the final rounds will be on that Sunday. The tournament will highlight efforts to raise donations to the Malivai Washington Youth Foundation, a nonprofit that assists in youth academic and athletic development.
