The Web.com Tour’s Utah Championship has returned to Oakridge Country Club in Farmington, Utah now through July 15, 2018. Past winners of the event include two-time major champions John Daly (1990) and Zach Johnson (2003), two-time PGA TOUR winner Patton Kizzire (2015) and last year’s champion, Brice Garnett, who won the TOUR’s inaugural Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in March of this year.
The Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank, hosted by the Utah Sports Commission, will partner with the Tony Finau Foundation to support aspiring professional golfers from Utah. Along with other PGA TOUR players from Utah, Finau will provide resources and help develop young, talented players who may not have the financial means to chase their golf dreams. The Utah Championship will also direct a portion of its charitable proceeds to help fund the Foundation’s efforts.
The joint announcement featuring Finau, Utah Sports Commission President & CEO Jeff Robbins, Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert and Web.com Tour President Dan Glod was made this afternoon at the State Capitol in Salt Lake City.
“I’m incredibly excited for the Tony Finau Foundation to partner with both the Utah Sports Commission and Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank – a tournament I have fond memories of here in my hometown,” said Finau. “Through this partnership, we’ll be able to further my Foundation’s efforts to support youth education and recreation programs, as well as launch a development and mentorship initiative to assist a promising young player from Utah in reaching their dream of playing on the PGA TOUR one day and representing our proud state on the world stage.”
The Tony Finau Foundation is built on a family discovered experience through the game of golf. It aims to empower and inspire youth and their families to discover, develop, and achieve the best of their gifts and talents through the game of golf, educational funding, and core family values. The majority of the Foundation’s charitable giving is concentrated in the greater Salt Lake area.
“On behalf of the Utah Sports Commission and the Utah Championship, we are excited to partner with the Tony Finau Foundation,” said Robbins. “This will help support the development of Utah's next generation of PGA TOUR players through a share of the proceeds from the Utah Championship, which will be directed towards the Foundation to support this exciting new initiative.”
The 28-year-old Finau earned his PGA TOUR card via the Web.com Tour in 2014, posting five top-10 finishes in 23 starts, including a breakthrough win at the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae. He finished eighth on the regular season money list to secure his TOUR status for 2014-15 and has finished inside the top 50 in the FedExCup in each of his three seasons since, thanks in part to a victory at the 2015 Puerto Rico Open. Finau is currently 11th in the 2017-18 FedExCup standings with runner-up efforts at the Safeway Open and Genesis Open.
“The Web.com Tour has a great history of players and tournaments giving back to their respective communities, and Tony Finau’s commitment to help develop professional golfers in Utah is a tremendous example of that tradition,” said Glod. “As one of the game’s emerging stars, Tony is using his Foundation to better the lives of those in his native state, and we are confident that his partnership with the Utah Sports Commission and the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank will help players that are looking to follow in his footsteps.”
Finau is the latest in a long line of PGA TOUR players with ties to Utah, including World Golf Hall of Fame members Billy Casper and Johnny Miller, as well as current TOUR members Daniel Summerhays and Zac Blair.
Tickets for the 2018 event can be purchased at the box office, located at Oakridge Country Club. For information and volunteer opportunities, please visit UtahChampionship.com or call 801.328.2372.
ABOUT UTAH SPORTS COMMISSION: The Utah Sports Commission, a not-for-profit 501c6 business league and Utah Sports Commission Foundation, a not-for-profit 501c3 charitable organization, is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees consisting of statewide sports, business, community, and government leaders. The Sports Commission was created to be a catalyst for Utah in its Olympic legacy efforts and to help enhance Utah's economy, image and quality of life through the attraction, promotion and development of national and international sports. The Sports Commission works closely with communities, sports entities, and organizations to provide event services ranging from the bid process, on-site logistics, volunteer coordination, sponsorships and promotional opportunities and other related services. For more information, visit www.utahsportscommission.com
ABOUT THE WEB.COM TOUR: Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Web.com Tour continues to identify those players who are ready to compete and win on golf’s biggest stage. Web.com became the Tour’s umbrella sponsor on June 27, 2012, with a 10-year agreement in place through 2021. In 2013, the Web.com Tour became The Path to the PGA TOUR with all 50 available PGA TOUR cards coming through the Web.com Tour and the season culminating at the four-event Web.com Tour Finals. This season marks the 29th year of competition on the Web.com Tour. Three out of four PGA TOUR members are Web.com Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won more than 500 PGA TOUR titles, including 23 major championships and eight PLAYERS Championships. To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Web.com Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM, or follow the Tour on social media via Twitter (@WebDotComTour), Facebook (facebook.com/WebDotComTour) and Instagram (Instagram.com/WebDotComTour).
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