New sponsorship agreement allows AAGT to increase the size of its tournament purses while giving its members the opportunity to play in a premier charity golf tournament
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (September 3, 2013) – The All-American Gateway Tour (AAGT) announced Friday that Desert Schools Federal Credit Union, the largest not-for-profit membership-based financial institution in the state of Arizona, has re-signed as a sponsor of AAGT and will serve as Presenting Sponsor of the 2013-2014 Arizona Series.
The upcoming series will feature a slate of fifteen 54-hole tournaments scheduled to be played October – April throughout the Phoenix area, plus a season-ending Tour Championship. Each series will consist of five tournaments, featuring a 100% purse payback program, a cumulative “Points Race” to award a Web.com Tour playing exemption, as well as a one-day, 18-hole Sponsorship Event prior to each series that will award the winner with free entry into all five tournaments.
Now approaching its 75th year serving the Arizona community, Desert Schools is a full-service financial provider, from savings and lending to investments and online banking. It has a commitment to exceed expectations to its members and clients with superior service, personal convenience and products to fit each member’s unique style and goals.
Since 2010, Desert Schools has been a proud sponsor of AAGT. For the past two years, AAGT players have participated in Desert Schools’ annual Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Charity Tournament. The 2013 event raised nearly $305,000, bringing Desert Schools’ composited donation to more than $2 Million since the event’s inception. The credit union’s contribution will help fund the 1 Darn Cool School Program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, an initiative to help kids keep up with their schoolwork during their stay in the hospital.
“The All-American Gateway Tour is one of the finest professional developmental golf tours in the country and we are very excited to continue our support of the tour and its players as Presenting Sponsor of their Arizona Series events,” said Ron Amstutz, Executive Vice President of Desert Schools Federal Credit Union. “The Tour shares the same passion for taking an active role in the community by giving back that Desert Schools prides itself on, which has made this partnership a natural fit.”
It’s a win-win situation for the players who will be participating in AAGT’s upcoming series. This sponsorship represents another increase to the weekly tournament purses and the tour championship match play purse, as well as an opportunity to play in one of the best charity golf tournaments in Arizona.
“The support we receive from sponsors is integral to maintain and grow the tour and we are grateful to Desert Schools and all of our sponsors for the support they give us,” said Ryan Pray, managing partner of the Gateway Golf Group and tour consultant for AAGT. “We are equally excited to continue to support Desert Schools’ charity tournament, benefitting The Children’s Miracle Network and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.”
Tournament registration for AAGT’s 2013-2014 Arizona Series opens this Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013. Players will be able to register for a tournament for free and will not be charged until a minimum of 75 players has registered for the event. AAGT’s one of a kind, 100% purse program, where all the dollars related to the qualifiers, minus any course costs, go back into the purses, gives players every incentive to sign up early and play for all of their money. To learn more, please visit www.aagtgolf.com.
About Desert Schools Federal Credit Union
Desert Schools is Arizona’s largest credit union with $3 billion in assets, 370,000 members and more than 50 locations. As a not-for-profit cooperative, Desert Schools has been serving members for nearly 75 years with stellar service, innovative products, community outreach and education. Learn more at www.desertschools.org.
About All-American Gateway Tour (AAGT)
Established in 2001, the All-American Gateway Tour (AAGT) was created to help aspiring PGA TOUR professionals fine-tune their skills in competitive golf tournaments. In its 12-year history, the tour has maintained a leading position as the premier developmental professional golf tour on the west coast and has paid out more than $43 million to players over that period. AAGT has served more than 3,400 players, with 168 AAGT alums currently playing on the Web.com and PGA Tours. These players represent 32 PGA Tour wins and 78 Web.com Tour wins. Today, AAGT continues to provide the ideal competitive environment as well as significant financial opportunities for aspiring PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour professionals. For more information on sponsorship opportunities or information for the 2013-2014 season, please visit www.AAGTgolf.com. You can also follow the tour on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AAGTGOLF or like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AAGTProGolf.
Contact:
Laurie SantaLucia
ANDERSON Advertising & PR for Desert Schools
480-945-2229
laurie@anderson-adv.com
Holly Dean
PR contact for All-American Gateway Tour (AAGT)
480-766-3178
holly@aagtgolf.com
