2017 Valspar Championship Presented By BB&T Announces Increased Charitable Contributions

For Immediate Release: May 31, 2017

General Chairman Les Muma announced today that the 2017 Valspar Championship presented by BB&T generated $2,412,196 for charity – an increase of 13% from the previous year. The tournament has now generated just under $39 million for charity since 1977.

Muma, representing Copperhead Charities, Inc. which is the non-profit organizing group of the tournament, made the announcement at a breakfast today at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, the site of Tampa Bay’s PGA TOUR event. Adam Hadwin, who addressed the breakfast in a conference call, won the event on March 12, as record galleries totaling 112,000 attended during the course of the week. Hadwin, excited to be playing in all four Major Championships this year as a result of his Valspar win, assured the audience that he would be back in March. “I am very much looking forward to defending a championship for the first time,” he said.

Also looking forward to the 2018 Valspar Championship is 620 WDAE radio personality Steve Duemig who missed this year’s tournament while receiving treatment for brain cancer. Now back on the air, Duemig was presented the Copperhead Courage Award at the breakfast to a standing ovation. “I have been coming to this tournament since it was the JCPenney Classic,” Duemig said, “and I can’t wait until next March.”

“Our tournament has seen significant growth since Valspar became our title sponsor in 2014,” says Muma who is concluding his two-year term as general chairman. “And that has led to a significant growth in our charity giving as well.”

“Les has been an outstanding general chairman,” says Keith Robinson who will succeed him. “He has been a great ambassador for the tournament and been a key factor in the increase in local sponsorship that has made this possible. While he is moving on from the general chairman role, we know that he, like Larry Morgan before him, will continue to be active in our endeavors.”

The total includes money raised through ticket sales, other tournament proceeds as well as the Birdies for Tampa Bay Charities program. Nearly 80 area charities benefited from the tournament.

The next Valspar Championship is scheduled for March 5-11, 2018.