PGA charity efforts define 'togetherness'

Such has been the impact of the PGA Tour's "Together, Anything's Possible" charitable campaign that Swedish golfer Jonas Blixt succinctly explained what it means to see thousands of lives being impacted.

"I feel like playing on the PGA Tour almost comes second," said the three-time Tour winner.

"What we get to do for charity, what the PGA Tour gives back to the community, is the greatest thing about playing."

Beyond the push to excel in the professional game and beyond the pursuit of golfing greatness, the PGA Tour's stars and the tournaments that form its annual schedule have joined forces to go beyond the game and impact the lives of people at destinations where the Tour visits.

In 2017, the PGA Tour and its tournaments generated more than $180 million for charitable causes, surpassing the previous year's record amount by approximately $14 million.

That raised the all-time total generated for charity by the PGA Tour to a staggering $2.65 billion.

From supporting children's hospitals to mobilizing disaster relief, building homes for disabled veterans and providing educational opportunities for kids, the PGA Tour has taken the lead to making a difference beyond establishing global golf stars who make headlines every week.

"The entire PGA Tour family takes tremendous pride in the positive impact that we continue to make each year through the millions of dollars that are raised for very deserving charitable organizations," said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.

"As we often note, beyond the sheer dollar amount, the real story is in the hundreds of thousands of lives that benefit from these contributions every year."

In 2017, five PGA Tour events raised more than $10 million for charity - the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Valero Texas Open, Dean & Deluca Invitational, the John Deere Classic and the Waste Management Phoenix Open. In addition, the Presidents Cup announced a record donation of over $10.7 million while the Tour's flagship event, The Players Championship, generated $8.7 million.

In the spirit of giving back, golf stars, both past and present, have chipped in over the years to make a difference for the less fortunate. Golf's Big Three - Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and the late Arnold Palmer - participated in a one-day event in 2010 that raised an astounding $15.2 million in a single day for a mission school.

Phil Mickelson and his wife, Amy, launched the "Birdies for the Brave" program over 10 years ago to help build homes for disabled troops and provide educational support for spouses and children of service personnel killed in action.

Olympic gold medalist, Justin Rose and his wife Kate used their foundation to help under-privileged students via a school lunch program called "Blessings in a Backpack" where for many kids, lunch at school on Friday is their last meal until they return on Monday for breakfast.

As part of its sponsorship of the season-long FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour, FedEx commits $1 million in annual donations to benefit nonprofit organizations.

The donations align with FedEx Cares, a global giving initiative, in which FedEx is investing around $200 million in over 200 communities by 2020 to create opportunities and deliver solutions for people around the world.

South Korea's KJ Choi, the first Asian Tour graduate who made it big in America by winning eight PGA Tour titles including The Players Championship in 2011, has a big heart as well.

When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas, Choi donated $100,000 for relief efforts.

"Watching the chaos and devastation, I felt the need to get involved and support the residents of Houston," he said.

Indeed, when everyone comes together for a worthy cause, anything's possible.

The author is a senior director, Communications of the PGA Tour and is based at TPC Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.