ATLANTA – The PGA TOUR today announced that Southern Company has renewed its relationship as Proud Partner of the TOUR Championship in an agreement that extends through the 2027 tournament. Southern Company remains alongside The Coca-Cola Company and new addition Accenture as the three Proud Partners of the PGA TOUR’s season finale, which returns to Atlanta and historic East Lake Golf Club, August 24-28, to crown the season’s FedExCup champion.
Southern Company enters its seventh year as a Proud Partner of the TOUR Championship and has supported the event since its first playing at East Lake Golf Club in 1998. Fueled by its passion for the East Lake Foundation, Drew Charter School and First Tee – Metro Atlanta, Southern Company has played an integral role in the tournament’s all-time charitable contribution of more than $42 million. As a company that calls Atlanta home, Southern Company’s reinforced partnership with the TOUR Championship further solidifies the event’s commitment to the city and East Lake Golf Club.
As part of the agreement, Southern Company also maintains its designation as Official Marketing Partner of the PGA TOUR.
“Southern Company has been integral to the success of the TOUR Championship and its ability to give back to the local Atlanta community, but their involvement goes far beyond the season finale from its sponsorship of the illustrious Payne Stewart Award to its longstanding support of First Tee and its annual impact on youth around the country,” said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Partnerships. “We are grateful for Southern Company’s continued commitment to the PGA TOUR and look forward to building on what has been a successful partnership.”
Each year, on Tuesday evening of the TOUR Championship, Southern Company presents the PGA TOUR’s annual Payne Stewart Award, which is given to a player who best exemplifies character, charity and sportsmanship, the traits that best defined the late 11-time PGA TOUR winner. Through the Payne Stewart Award, Southern Company provides a $500,000 grant, with $200,000 going to charities connected to the Stewart family and $300,000 designated by the recipient. To date, the company has contributed $8.9 million to community charities in honor of Payne Stewart and those individuals receiving his namesake award.
Tomorrow evening, Southern Company and the PGA TOUR will honor 2022 recipient Billy Andrade, who stands as the 25th PGA TOUR player to receive the award since it was first awarded in 2000. The Payne Stewart Award Ceremony will be broadcast live on Golf Channel from 7-8 p.m. from the Southern Exchange in downtown Atlanta.
To further acknowledge those who have made indelible impacts on the game, Southern Company partnered with the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2021 to create the Charles Sifford Award presented by Southern Company, which honors an individual who personifies legendary African American golfer Charles Sifford’s groundbreaking achievements through perseverance, confidence, respect and adaptability. Renee Powell was recognized as the inaugural recipient of the Charles Sifford Award as part of the World Golf Hall of Fame’s 2022 induction ceremony on March 9. Powell – the second African American woman to ever compete on the LPGA Tour – demonstrated resilience amidst her own obstacles of racial adversity and segregation and dedicated her life to making golf a sport for all.
“Across Southern Company, we are committed to being bigger than our bottom line through a set of values and actions that create an environment where those we serve are better off because we are there,” said Bryan Anderson, executive vice president and president of external affairs for Southern Company. “Our decades-long association with PGA TOUR and the Payne Stewart Award allows us to make lasting, positive impacts within our communities. We deeply value our partnership with the PGA TOUR and look forward to many more years of generating good energy into education, health and wellness, neighborhood revitalization, and other worthy causes that meet the needs of our communities.”
In addition to its impact and involvement in the professional game, Southern Company has been the Education Patron of First Tee since 2012. Through their support, more than 1,400 schools have received the First Tee School Programs reaching more than 700,000 students on an annual basis. Additionally, more than 1,800 educators have received professional development training to deliver the programming.
Southern Company has also provided strong financial support to national chapters of First Tee and have supported efforts around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as significant technology enhancements.
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