Jan 24, 2007- Phoenix, Ariz. – Tom Maletis, President of Tournament Golf Foundation Inc. (TGFI), today announced that the 2006 Safeway International, presented by Coca-Cola, generated $900,000 to benefit Arizona-based charities.
The 2006 Safeway International was held last March at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. Juli Inkster, LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame member won the 2006 champion. The charitable proceeds from the event will be directed from TGFI to the Phoenix division chapter of the Safeway Foundation for distribution to local area charities.
The LPGA event, which began in 1983, has now donated over $11 million to local charities. Combined with the 2004 and 2005 events, the Safeway International has generated $2,483,000 for charity in three years with Safeway as the title sponsor.
Banner Health Foundation, the philanthropic resource for the state’s largest nonprofit healthcare provider, has been identified as the primary beneficiary of charitable funds from the tournament. This year Banner Health Foundation will receive $632,000 from the event. Banner Health Foundation is a major partner in the annual tournament, recruiting and managing more than 1,000 volunteers for the event. The remaining proceeds will be distributed to local Phoenix area charities through the Safeway Foundation.
"Our goal for the tournament was to donate at least half as much money to charity as we had in our $1.4 million purse, which we exceeded," said Maletis. "Thanks to Safeway, Banner Health Foundation, Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, local sponsors and incredible volunteers, the event drew record crowds, generated record proceeds for charity and created a significant economic impact on the local area. We look forward to building on our success."
The 2007 edition of The Safeway International will be held March 18-25. The field for the tournament should be great once again. In 2006, the tournament had 49 of the top 50 players on the LPGA tour in the field. The purse for this year’s event has been raised to $1.5 million and the four days of tournament play will be broadcast on the Golf Channel.
Tournament Golf Foundation Inc. is of a group of volunteers who donate their time and provide the primary operations for the annual event. Begun in 1972, the group is now comprised of 40 individuals and couples. TGFI is also the owner and operator of the Safeway Classic in Portland, OR. The Safeway Classic will be held August 20-26, 2007.
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America based on sales. The Company operates 1,767 stores in the United States and Western Canada, and had sales of $38.4 billion from continuing operations in 2005. The Company’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY. Safeway’s Phoenix division operates 113 stores in Arizona, and one in Gallup N.M.
For more information on the Safeway International and Tournament Golf Foundation, visit their website: www.safewaygolf.com. For more information about Safeway and the Safeway Foundation, please visit www.safeway.com.
Contact:
Tom Maletis
(503) 702-5000
Reid Hutchins
(503) 291-0109
Kerry Hamilton
(602) 747-4510
