PARSIPPANY, N.J. and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., 2013-02-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — PGA TOUR and Avis Car Rental announced today that Brian Gay has been voted the January PGA TOUR Player of the Month presented by Avis. As the official rental car company of the PGA TOUR, Avis will make a $50,000 contribution to charities supported by Gay, split between Birdies for the Brave and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
In a fan decision on PGATOUR.COM, Gay outpolled Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods and Russell Henley. The four were nominated by a panel of national media for their performances during the month of January.
“I’m proud to have been voted the PGA TOUR Player of the Month for January,” said Gay. “My goal for this year was to come out focused, energized and believing in my ability to win golf tournaments. The win at the Humana Challenge and the Avis award have been an incredible beginning to the 2013 PGA TOUR season. My wife, Kimberly, and I thank Avis for their $50,000 contribution that will go to Birdies for the Brave and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”
The highlight of Gay’s month was his fourth career PGA TOUR title at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. Gay overcame a six-stroke deficit on the final day, posting a 9-under-par 63 to force a playoff with Charles Howell III and David Lingmerth. Gay then won the playoff with a birdie on the second playoff hole. Gay also tied for 24th at the Sony Open in Hawaii and tied for 31st at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
“We are honored to recognize Brian Gay and celebrate his dedication and focus to the game,” said Jeannine Haas, chief marketing officer, Avis Budget Group. “We congratulate Brian on being named January’s PGA TOUR Player of the Month and are proud to support Birdies for the Brave and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in his name.”
For more information or to vote for the PGA TOUR Player of the Month presented by Avis, visit www.pgatour.com.
About Avis
Avis Car Rental operates one of the world’s best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,200 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world’s top brands for customer loyalty. Avis is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAR), which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world. For more information, visit www.avis.com.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Canada.
The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 945 million households in 225 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2012, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $122 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR’s all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.8 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, Fla.