Valero Texas Open Raises $8 Million For Children’s Charities

If anyone ever doubted the impact of a PGA Tour tournament on a community, consider this: the 2009 Valero Texas Open and its associated events is expected to raise $8 million for children’s charities in the San Antonio area.

And that’s in a weak economy on a short turnaround. The tournament was moved to the spring of this year after being played last fall. That means that the sponsors and donors have stepped up to the plate twice in less than a year.

All told, the PGA Tour has raised $1.4 billion for charities over the last 70 years. In 2008 alone, the total was $124 million. Given those numbers, its no wonder that communities are heartbroken when they lose a tournament. I fear that the Buick Open at Michigan’s Warwick Hills is in danger, and that would be a serious blow to area charities.