PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PGA TOUR fans have spoken, and Kevin Kisner has been named the 2019 MetLife MatchUp champion. MetLife, on behalf of Kisner, will be donating $750,000 to The Kevin and Brittany Kisner Foundation, which serves children from the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) by supporting child health, education and youth sports organizations.
“Words can’t explain the joy Brittany and I feel after winning the MetLife MatchUp,” said Kisner. “I am grateful to my fans, friends and family for the support we received in winning the online fan vote. The donation from MetLife will have a profound impact on the lives of many children through the good work of our foundation.”
Founded in 2016, The Kisner Foundation has donated nearly $200,000 in grant funds to help various community programs that reach thousands of children in the CSRA. Notable grant winners included Boys & Girls Club of Aiken, Aiken County Public Schools (concussion testing for athletes), PlaySafe, Great Oak Therapeutic Riding, Mental Health America of Aiken County and University Hospital, to name a few.
“We are grateful to MetLife for their support of the PGA TOUR,” said Brittany Kisner. “This donation will greatly multiply the Foundation’s efforts to help children in the Central Savannah River Area. Even more kids will benefit from the donation so that they have an opportunity to flourish and achieve their dreams. The donation from the MetLife MatchUp will have a positive impact for years.”
“We are delighted to add Kevin’s name to our list of MetLife MatchUp champions,” said Steve Goulart, executive vice president and chief investment officer for MetLife, and president of MetLife Investment Management. “We’re proud that the MetLife MatchUp gives PGA TOUR players and MetLife an opportunity to engage with many charitable organizations that deserve our collective recognition and support.”
Now in its third year, the MetLife MatchUp is a season-long competition across 18 select PGA TOUR events. At each event, two players were pitted against one another in a fan vote to determine which player better navigated a difficult situation on the course. Weekly winners received $15,000 for their preferred charity while advancing through to the final vote. More than $3 million has been donated since the launch of the initiative and over 25 different charities – from animal welfare to children’s health – have benefited from the donations.
Last year’s MetLife MatchUp winner, Andrew Putnam, donated his winnings to the College Golf Fellowship in support of its mission to provide spiritual support for college golfers and coaches. Bubba Watson won the MetLife MatchUp in 2017 and his donation went towards junior golf in Pensacola, as well as the cost of building and equipping the new Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart, which opened in May in Pensacola, Florida. It is the region’s only children’s hospital and serves families across Northwest Florida, South Alabama and South Georgia.
For more information, please visit PGATOUR.com/MetLife.
About MetLife MatchUp
The 18 events in the 2019 MetLife MatchUp include: Waste Management Phoenix Open, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Open, WGC-Mexico Championship, The Honda Classic, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Valspar Championship, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Valero Texas Open, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship, AT&T Byron Nelson, Charles Schwab Challenge, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, RBC Canadian Open, Rocket Mortgage Classic, 3M Open and John Deere Classic.
The MetLife MatchUp is the driver of MetLife’s Official Marketing Partnership with the PGA TOUR that runs through 2020. As the Official Life Insurance Sponsor of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions since 2013, MetLife added a second category in 2017 of “Official Worksite Benefits Sponsor of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions.”
About MetLife
MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.About.
About PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.
The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Series-China. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world’s best players, hailing from 27 countries (90 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to 226 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving. In 2018, tournaments across all Tours generated a record $190 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.84 billion.
The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
