PURE Insurance announced as title sponsor of annual PGA TOUR Champions event at Pebble Beach Golf Links

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR and Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) Insurance today announced an agreement making the policyholder-owned property & casualty insurer for high net worth families the title sponsor of the longstanding PGA TOUR Champions event contested annually at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif.

The newly-named PURE Insurance Championship will continue to bring together the Legends of the game alongside top juniors from The First Tee, with a four-year agreement in place through 2020. The Monterey Peninsula Foundation will serve as the event’s host organization.

“We are pleased to introduce PURE Insurance as the new title sponsor of one of our most cherished events, contested annually on one of the most iconic venues in golf,” said PGA TOUR Champions President Greg McLaughlin. “PURE is recognized nationally for their uncompromising commitment to excellence in the insurance industry, and their values pair with our efforts in putting forth quality competition and charitable impact to create a successful partnership.”

Formed in 2006 by industry veterans with unique expertise in high net worth insurance, PURE is the only national insurer exclusively dedicated to protecting the property and liability of high net worth individuals and families. PURE’s unique combination of exceptional service, specialized coverage and significant savings has helped the insurer grow by 40% or more each year since inception.

“Becoming the title sponsor of this prestigious PGA TOUR Champions event supports our efforts to increase awareness of PURE and strengthen our leading position in the high net worth insurance category,” said Ross Buchmueller, President & CEO of the PURE Group of Insurance Companies. “Collaborating with the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and The First Tee to impact thousands of lives makes this sponsorship tremendously rewarding for our entire team.”

The format for the PURE Insurance Championship will remain the same, with 78 PGA TOUR Champions players, 78 young men and women ages 14 to 18 from First Tee chapters around the country and 156 amateurs competing over 54 holes of tournament play, split between both Pebble Beach and Poppy Hills.

The First Tee is a nonprofit youth development organization with golf programs centered on building character through Nine Core Values™: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment.
The 78 juniors are selected annually by a national panel of judges that evaluate participants’ playing ability and comprehension of the life skills and core values learned through their involvement with The First Tee.

"This is an incredibly important tournament for The First Tee," said Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., CEO of The First Tee. "For the participants, this experience is a game-changer as it opens their eyes to the possibilities in golf and beyond. For The First Tee, the tournament serves as a platform to share our mission. We are delighted that PURE Insurance will become a title sponsor of this PGA TOUR Champions event."
The Monterey Peninsula Foundation will serve as host organization of the PURE Insurance Championship, with Clint Eastwood continuing his role as chairman of the event, and World Golf Hall of Fame member and Trustee of The First Tee Arnold Palmer serving as honorary co-chair.

The Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) focused on enhancing quality of life in Monterey County and surrounding areas through the strategic disbursement of charitable funds generated by hosting both the PURE Insurance Championship and the PGA TOUR’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Since 2004, the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee has been one of the most exciting stops on the PGA TOUR Champions schedule, producing champions such as World Golf Hall of Fame member Hale Irwin (2005), Jeff Sluman (2008, 2009, 2011) and Kirk Triplett (2012, 2013).

For more information on the PURE Insurance Championship, please visit PureInsuranceChampionship.com.

For more information on The First Tee, please visit TheFirstTee.org.

About PURE

Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) is a policyholder-owned insurer dedicated to creating an exceptional experience for responsible high net worth individuals and families. PURE provides best-in-class, customizable coverage throughout the U.S. for high-value homes, automobiles, jewelry, art, personal liability, watercraft and flood. Having grown by more than 40% every year since inception, today PURE insures more than 55,000 responsible, high net worth families. Inspired by some of the finest policyholder-owned companies in the world, PURE emphasizes alignment of interests and transparency. PURE's low cost of capital, careful member selection, and proactive risk management all contribute to highly competitive rates. In return for a fee, PURE Risk Management, LLC acts as Attorney-in-Fact for PURE. For more information or to find a local broker, visit pureinsurance.com.

About PGA TOUR Champions

PGA TOUR Champions has the most recognizable and accomplished players in the game, with many of its 34 members in the World Golf Hall of Fame competing regularly in its events. It’s where Legends play. The Tour also counts numerous other major championship winners among its members. PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. PGA TOUR Champions primary purpose is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, protect the integrity of the game and generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays. Points earned in official Charles Schwab Cup events in 2015 determined Bernhard Langer as the Charles Schwab Cup champion. In 2016, the newly-introduced Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs will identify and recognize the Tour’s leading player. The Commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Greg McLaughlin is President of PGA TOUR Champions. The PGA TOUR’s website is pgatour.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Follow the PGA TOUR Champions at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions and on Twitter @ChampionsTour.

About The First Tee

The First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth development organization whose mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf. With its home office at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., The First Tee reaches young people on golf courses, in elementary schools and at other youth-serving locations. Since its inception in 1997, The First Tee has grown its network to deliver programs in all 50 United States and select international locations. In 2015, The First Tee brought character education through the game of golf to more than 4.7 million young people. The First Tee’s Founding Partners are LPGA, the Masters Tournament, PGA of America, PGA TOUR and the USGA. Shell Oil Company is The First Tee’s Founding Corporate Partner and Johnson & Johnson is its Legacy Partner. Former President George W. Bush serves as honorary chair.

About Monterey Peninsula Foundation

Monterey Peninsula Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization which donates funds from the proceeds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the PGA TOUR and the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee, a PGA TOUR Champions tournament. The Foundation focuses on improving the quality of life in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties.
www.montereypeninsulafoundation.org;
www.attpbgolf.com