Each year, the Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children raise millions of dollars to be distributed to hundreds of children’s charities across the country.
In late March, Valero President Joe Gorder announced that the 2014 Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children raised a combined $9 million for children’s charities. The amount was announced during Gorder’s live interview with NBC Sports during tournament coverage. It puts the Valero Texas Open closer to its “Drive to $100 Million” milestone. Since its title sponsorship began in 2002, Valero has helped raise a total of $90.5 million.
“For us, this is what the tournament is all about,” Gorder said. “It’s about the hundreds of children’s charities that benefit from our efforts, and the constant support of our spectators and sponsors.”
The tournament also crowned a new champion: Steven Bowditch of Australia, earning his first PGA Tour victory and a trip to the prestigious Masters tourney.
Bowditch, who chipped in on his first two holes in Saturday’s round en route to a three-shot lead coming into Sunday, finished at 8-under par 280, in holding off Will MacKenzie and Daniel Summerhays by one stroke. Matt Kuchar, a crowd favorite and the 11th-ranked player in the world, finished two shots back at 6-under par, and Tour stars Jim Furyk and Zach Johnson were three shots off the pace.
Besides helping Valero close in on the $100 million milestone, the $9 million raised by this year’s Valero Texas Open puts the tournament among the top charitable fundraisers on the PGA TOUR. Valero’s title sponsorship of the tournament runs through 2018, giving the Valero Texas Open the potential to continue raising many more millions of dollars for children’s charities.
“We aren’t going to stop at $100 million,” Gorder said. “It’s just a milestone.”
This is the second year that Greg Norman Production Company, a subsidiary of Great White Shark Enterprises, has overseen management of the Valero Texas Open.
“We are very proud of the success of this year’s Valero Texas Open,” said the tournament’s Executive Director, Larson Segerdahl. “This long-standing event is on the rise thanks to the support of Valero, our many corporate partners, the thousands of volunteers who dedicate their time, talent and energy to this endeavor, and of course the entire San Antonio community for supporting this great San Antonio tradition.”