MIAMI — Building on its two-year relationship with the PGA TOUR, AstraZeneca announced Wednesday that it has entered into a multi-year sponsorship agreement on behalf of its new cholesterol-lowering medication, CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin calcium), to become an official partner with the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour.
The centerpiece of the partnership is the CRESTOR® Charity Challenge, a season-long weekly competition that recognizes the tournament leader entering the final round at select PGA TOUR events throughout the year. It begins this week at the Ford Championship at Doral in Miami.
Through this first-of-its-kind program, AstraZeneca and its CRESTOR brand will donate approximately $3 million each year to designated health care and PGA TOUR charities. At each of the selected tournaments, a $100,000 contribution will be made, $50,000 will be donated to a health care-related charity selected by the CRESTOR Charity Challenge winner for his on-course performance entering the final round and $50,000 will be donated to a local charity selected by the tournament.
‘We are extremely pleased that AstraZeneca and CRESTOR have agreed to partner with the PGA TOUR on this exciting new charity-focused program, which will benefit the TOUR, health care charities and our players,’ said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. ‘We have enjoyed a solid relationship with AstraZeneca for the past two years, and are excited to expand our partnership to focus on its new cholesterol-lowering medication, CRESTOR.’
‘We are confident that aligning AstraZeneca’s CRESTOR with the PGA TOUR will significantly raise consumer awareness about cholesterol and the importance of seeing a health care provider,’ said Tony Zook, senior vice president, commercial operations, AstraZeneca U.S. ‘The CRESTOR Charity Challenge will not only add an exciting new twist to the PGA TOUR, it will also help the TOUR reach its milestone of $1 billion in charitable donations within the next few years.’
The CRESTOR Charity Challenge winner will be recognized during the network or cable telecast of each week’s tournament.
The partnership also includes an on-site component at select tournaments featuring interactive exhibits designed to provide health and cholesterol awareness, educational activities, health screenings/assessments, and golf tips by teaching pros for fans attending selected events.
In addition, AstraZeneca and CRESTOR will be recognized as the sponsor of the PGA TOUR year-end charity special, which is scheduled to air Dec. 18 on ABC-TV.
Consumers can log on to crestor.pgatour.com to take part in weekly contests, read about past CRESTOR Charity Challenge winners, and learn more about CRESTOR. CRESTOR also will be the official sponsor of TOUR Fantasy Golf at pgatour.com/fantasy.
For more details contact:
James Cramer, Senior Manager Communications and Media Operations,
PGA Tour – Tel 001 904 2733293