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, California.

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 percent 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 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).

On Sunday, Senior Open Championship winner Paul Broadhurst birdied the iconic par-5 18th at Pebble Beach to claim the 2016 title, bettering Bernhard Langer and Kevin Sutherland by one shot. The Englishman became just the third player in history – joining Ben Hogan and Tom Watson – to win at both Carnoustie Golf Links and Pebble Beach Golf Links.

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