THE MODERATOR: Good morning. Thanks, everyone, for being here today. I'm Chris King. I'm with the PGA TOUR Champions. I'm thrilled to be here at beautiful Timuquana Country Club with all of you this morning, the perfect backdrop for this exciting announcement here in the heart of Jacksonville.
We have a tremendous group of guests joining us today. We have Miller Brady, president of PGA TOUR Champions, Jim McHugh, the executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Constellation. We have Jacksonville mayor, Ms. Donna Deegan, and Tabitha and Jim Furyk, our wonderful hosts for this event. We'll start with a few words from these speakers and switch to a Q & A.
To begin, I'm going to welcome up Miller Brady, PGA TOUR Champions, to announce some exciting news.
MILLER BRADY: Thanks, Chris. Always great to be back here in our hometown of Jacksonville for the Constellation Furyk & Friends. Today we'll just jump right into it.
I'm thrilled to announce that Constellation, our partner, our title sponsor, as extended our partnership with the Champions Tour and the Furyk Foundation through at least 2030 here in Jacksonville.
[Applause.]
Thank you, Jim. Constellation has been a longstanding partner with the TOUR and the Furyks. Their commitment allows the foundation to continue the amazing work that they do here in Jacksonville, which to date, since 2021, has raised just over $3.5 million for charity, so thank you for that.
This event has also become quickly a can't-miss event for our players. It's one of the favorite stops on TOUR annually, and in fact last year this tournament was Tournament of the Year on the Champions Tour, so congratulations, Jim and Tabitha, for your hard work there.
Really, that's because of the community support. So not only do you have Constellation as our title sponsor, but you have all the other tremendous support in this community, Circle K as our presenting sponsor, you have the great club here at Timuquana and everything they do to host us this week, so thank you, Timuquana. And then the spectator support annually is truly amazing.
As Tabitha always says, it's all about music, fun and food for all. We carry that mantra forward, Tabitha.
On behalf of our players and our TOUR, I'd like to thank Constellation, the Furyks and the community for their belief in this event and the good work that it can do, and thank you, Mayor Deegan, for being here today. I know you're going to say a few words, but what better backdrop than to have the city here behind us, so thank you for your support.
We look forward to a great weekend ahead and many more years with Constellation as our partner here in Jacksonville. With that, Jim, I'd like to introduce our executive vice president from Constellation and chief commercial officer, Mr. Jim McHugh. Jim?
JIM McHUGH: Good morning, everyone, and thanks for being here. It's really a pleasure to be here, and before I begin, I'd like to give a special thanks to Miller Brady for his outstanding work along with the PGA TOUR Champions. The impact of his leadership is clear, and we're incredibly grateful for his efforts and working so hard on this tournament.
As the title sponsor of the Constellation Furyk & Friends tournament, we're proud to play a role in an event that's more than just a golf tournament. It's a platform. It's a platform that allows us to all give back to the community and all while promoting some of the values we hold dearest at Constellation, including sustainability and environmental stewardship.
This tournament has raised awareness and it's also supported initiatives that are protecting our planet and we're excited to continue to build on that progress in this area in the future as we extend our sponsorship.
I'd like to take a moment, too, to recognize and thank Jim and Tabitha Furyk, two individuals whose commitment to this community and this event is just truly inspiring.
Our relationship with them goes back more than two decades, and it's been just an incredible journey together. Their dedication to charitable giving, our shared commitment to making a meaningful impact, and their tireless work to improve lives through this tournament and this event are just a few of the reasons why we're so proud to be part of this and to extend this relationship.
Of course none of this would be possible without the wonderful city of Jacksonville and the incredible fans who have embraced this tournament from the beginning. Your enthusiasm and support make this event very special. Year after year, we can't wait to come back to it. We can't thank you enough.
As we look to the future, we're excited to build on the tremendous foundation that's already in place. Together I think we can all continue to grow this tournament and grow its impact, and we'll deepen the positive impact that it has on the community and the environment and beyond.
Finally, I want to thank the assembled media for being here today. Your on going support and coverage of sharing our messages and your role in helping us get the great stories of what this event does in the area is very, very helpful to us. So thank you, everyone. We're excited to extend this partnership and sponsorship and build on this momentum that we've created. Thank you.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Miller and Jim. It's incredible to hear about the impact this tournament has and all that you guys have been able to do for this city.
Our next speaker is someone who is a Jacksonville native and, like Tabitha and Jim, knows about making a difference in our community. From her time as an award-winning local news anchor where she established herself as a voice in this city to creating the Donna Foundation, she has invested herself into Jacksonville and its people. I'll add a little bit more on the Donna Foundation before I introduce her.
For more than 20 years, they have impacted families with breast cancer nationwide, impacting more than 20,000 families while generating almost $6 million in financial services and over $3 million in supporting research. It's my great privilege to welcome up Jacksonville's mayor, Donna Deegan.
DONNA DEEGAN: Good morning. Best view in the city right here, no question about it. This is a beautiful place to be this morning, and I'm very grateful to be a part of this wonderful day.
It's a pleasure to be with everybody here at the Constellation Furyk & Friends, and I'm excited that this fantastic event is going to be staying in the Jacksonville community for years to come.
I want to first extend my heartfelt thanks to Constellation and their unwavering support. Really do appreciate their dedication to this event and to our community. It's truly commendable.
Without local ties, Constellation has chosen to invest in Jacksonville, bringing significant business and economic benefits to our city, and we are grateful for all they do and have done and continue to do to enhance Jacksonville as we work to be a more sustainable city. We appreciate Constellation's work in this space and their strong focus on the environment.
The investment from Constellation would not be possible without Jim and Tabitha. We really love you guys. You have done so much for so many years.
As a world-class golfer, Jim could have chosen anywhere in the world to make his home. For more than a quarter century, he and Tabitha have called northeast Florida home, and they have been driving forces in making good in our community.
The Jim and Tabitha Furyk Foundation has made a tremendous impact over the entire region, and we're incredibly fortunate to have them as part of our community. Their foundation's efforts reach more than just this event. They've invested heavily in local causes, from youth and families to health and housing to animal rescue and the environment. Jim and Tabitha's work inspires us all to be better.
Additionally, I want to thank the PGA TOUR Champions for their continued partnership and support. With the PGA TOUR based right here in our backyard, it's wonderful to hold this tournament as a hometown event in the fall, complementing THE PLAYERS Championship in the spring. This tournament brings world-class golf to our city, it showcases all that our city has to offer, and it puts the Jacksonville brand on the national stage.
The influx of visitors, media coverage and business opportunities generated by the Furyk & Friends event significantly boosts our local economy, as well. This tournament creates over $8 million in economic impact each year, creating jobs, supporting local businesses and enhancing our city's reputation as a premier destination for sports and entertainment, a big priority for my administration.
What I love most about this event is how it brings all of us together. Everyone here today believes in the power of sports to give back to the community, support local causes and of course have fun while we're doing it. As mayor and on behalf of our wonderful city, I am incredibly grateful for Constellation, Jim and Tabitha Furyk and the PGA TOUR Champions. You're making a difference for all of us. Thank you so much.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Mayor Deegan. It's wonderful seeing how this community has embraced our event and we're grateful for your continued support. That's going to conclude the speaker portion of our event. We will open it up to a Q & A session with our panelists right here. Please raise your hand and we'll provide you a microphone.
Q. Mr. McHugh, I want to put you on the spot a little bit, and I'm not asking anybody to jump the gun here, but is it safe to say you would not have made this additional investment of five years as a title sponsor without being confident that the future of the tournament at the next golf course it's played at is relatively secure?
JIM McHUGH: Oh, yeah, for sure. To us, the renewal of the title sponsorship is about the success we've had, and it's been great here at Timuquana. It's been a wonderful venue, and it's been wonderful for the players, fans and everything.
Jim and Miller can talk for sure about the plans for the future, but we're very confident that this is going to continue to be a successful event, and we're very confident we're going to be able to grow the impact that we've had so far, and that's what's important to us. It's an opportunity for us to continue to bring our clients here, too, and see firsthand the impact that we're having in the community.
Q. Playing on the PGA TOUR and the PGA TOUR Champions, you know that title sponsorships can be very long-term or they can be a little bit mercurial, I guess. Some come and go and some stay for the long haul. What is it about Constellation even prior to this tournament, the relationship you have with them as a player? Why them? Why golf? Why do you think it works with Constellation?
JIM FURYK: Yeah, I think we've been using one word all week with the number of events we had, and that word is "family." I spent over two decades with Constellation. I've gotten to know a lot of their employees, a lot of their clients, and we started -- after you do that for a number of years, you start talking about your kids, where they're at. You kind of, hey, is your daughter still in London, have you guys visited again. It just became a very close relationship.
I think we had a lot of common bonds in our communities and raising money for charity. We had an event in Philly together a long time ago that lasted close to 10 years. It's just really a close bond.
When Tabitha and I approached Miller and approached the PGA TOUR about having an event here in town, we knew that the most important part of that would be getting a title sponsor that was very interested in our city and what we were trying to accomplish, and honestly, we flew to Baltimore, we had dinner with the folks from Constellation, it was our very first stop, and we were very fortunate that they decided to kind of partner with us in this and be a big part of what we're doing.
I think we're blessed. I'm extremely excited to be here today and talk about an extension, and as you said, kind of a long-term type process. It's just allowed our foundation to grow and to do more great work here in the city.
Q. Jim and Tabitha, do you have any news or can you tell us a timeline for when you'll have news on a new course?
JIM FURYK: I think it's something we're working through the process. We have a number of good options. Maybe a little uncomfortable -- I don't know if uncomfortable. I think it's more probably putting the cart before the horse right now to kind of talk about the future and where we're going, but I know we have a number of good options. We're working through those, and it's really important to us to kind of secure the next stop, and I think also as we're sitting here to really thank Timuquana for getting us a great start, getting us running. The players love this place. I'm sure -- I'm confident that the future, our next stop, our next home will be very good, as well.
Q. I'm assuming that you intend to stay in northeast Florida?
JIM FURYK: Yes, absolutely. That is 100 percent. Our foundation, our work is here in northeast Florida, and we intend to stay here, absolutely.
Q. I would be remiss in not congratulating you both on the Presidents Cup. You did a fantastic job.
TABITHA FURYK: Thank you very much. We appreciate that.
Yeah, staying here, that was part of our mission in starting this event is trying to do more. When we first started our two-day event and that was good for 10 years and we were raising money, but we realized the need here was far greater than what we were able to accomplish, so staying here in Jacksonville, showcasing Jacksonville as a city and the great philanthropy that goes on here and the opportunity for us to support more people is very important, and Constellation is behind us 100 percent.
Truly, we're here today to celebrate the fact that they are with us for the next five years, and it wouldn't matter where we were going if we didn't have Constellation. We're very appreciative of their support.
Q. For Tabitha and Jim, what does it mean that you have five years of security to keep having an impact? What does it allow you to do in northeast Florida?
TABITHA FURYK: Amazing. Amazing. As Jim said, we went to Baltimore and met with Constellation and talked about the opportunity to even create this event so we could do more. Was just an amazing opportunity, and the fact that we're able to grow it, that it's created really a unique opportunity for them to bring so many clients -- we had about 125 of Constellation and their clients over to the house last night. We took the water taxi in from the Hyatt and just had a wonderful evening watching the sun set. For them to be able to come and enjoy our city and not really do business in this area is incredible, and we even noticed there were a bunch of folks last night that joined that do live here in Jacksonville.
Being able to grow what we're doing, to expand the interest in Jacksonville as a city as a whole is super important to us, but as a foundation, it's incredible. We've always been project specific, so knowing that the charities that we already work with are doing incredible things with the funding that we've been able to provide, but looking to the future and knowing what we can do ahead is just remarkable. We're very pleased.
Q. Jim McHugh, earlier you mentioned the charitable impact this tournament has. Talk about just the event and how giving back it is to Constellation, how important it's been.
JIM McHUGH: Yeah, yeah, for sure. When Tabitha was talking about the wonderful things we can do as this grows, the word that keeps coming to my mind is there's an overlapping commitment with us. Like there's an overlap in things that -- there's a lot of things that Jim and Tabitha's foundation support, but for sure there's a big segment of it that is right in our wheelhouse that we do at Constellation around youth development, environmental sustainability, STEM education, family services, and we've been kind of focused on making sure that that stays tight and that that overlap is there. It allows us when we bring our employees and our clients here to kind of understand, this is consistent with how they interact with us on an everyday basis.
This is a consistent theme and a consistent opportunity for them to be with us.
It's important to us because it's engrained in our culture at work, that this is really at the core of what we do is two things. I think giving back to the communities where we operate or where we have customers or even across the nation, we have a national footprint with our customer base, and then secondly, the environmental stewardship start of it. To be able to get that message out and use this as a platform to share those messages with folks about the importance of moving to the carbon-free future, we just see this whole platform as a wonderful opportunity for us to continue that, too.
TABITHA FURYK: If I could even jump in, as he's mentioning, they are strong supporters here of our Blessings in a Backpack program, but while they're supporting what we're doing here in Jacksonville and the five different schools that we're able to feed children, they're also doing it in Baltimore and Houston and Chicago. They're doing it across the country. Same with Habitat; while we're building here and they're helping us to support, their employees and their clients are doing that across the country in the markets that they're in.
It is a big overall impression that they're making, and St. Johns River with the River Keeper that we support, and even in the Habitat For Humanity, we're LED bulbs and all of these messaging, so that we're truly together as a part of this kind of trying to save Mother Earth as a whole. It's a great opportunity for us to be a part of it.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, everyone, for being here today. We're thrilled for everyone's support of this event, and we look forward to seeing everyone this weekend.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports