Former Commissioner Tim Finchem and his wife, Holly, have donated $13 million to PGA TOUR Charities, helping accelerate a reimagined philanthropic platform launching with the 2028 PGA TOUR season.
“The PGA TOUR family, its players, fans and communities have meant so much to us for so long, and we feel a connection to the golf world that endures to this day,” Holly Finchem said. “This donation is more than a capstone on Tim’s unwavering commitment to charity. It is a celebration of our belief in this great game and the PGA TOUR.”
The contribution arrives as the TOUR embarks on a new competitive structure in 2028 and seeks to build a more centralized, visible, and scalable approach to charitable giving. PGA TOUR Charities, the TOUR’s 501(c)(3) charitable arm, will evolve into a platform for direct community investment, creating clearer opportunities for players, tournament partners, fans, and local communities to participate in and support the organization’s philanthropic efforts.
Since its inception, the PGA TOUR has generated more than $4.4 billion for charities and communities. The organization plans to build its next-generation strategy around national priority areas including well-being, service, youth, access and opportunity, while maintaining the tournament-driven local focus that has long distinguished the sport.
“The charitable impact of the PGA TOUR is real and a powerful model we are proud of,” PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp said. “Our continued, shared responsibility is to make that impact even greater and easier for our players, partners and fans to rally around. We are deeply grateful for the incredible gift from Tim and Holly Finchem as we enter this next chapter.”
Finchem, a World Golf Hall of Fame member and recipient of the PGA TOUR Lifetime Achievement Award, served as the TOUR’s third commissioner from 1994 through 2016. During his tenure, the organization surpassed the $1 billion milestone in charitable giving in 2005 and the $2 billion mark in 2014.
He also played a vital role in the 1997 founding of First Tee, the youth-development organization that uses golf to help young people build life skills. He was a longtime advocate and fundraiser for the program, including recruiting former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush to serve as First Tee honorary chairs.
In today’s announcement, the PGA TOUR said that a select group of players, led by Player Advisory Council Chairman Lucas Glover, will help shape the enhanced platform. The initiative aims to connect player involvement more directly to the TOUR’s broader charitable strategy while preserving the local relationships that tournaments and their charitable beneficiaries have established.
“Charity has been such an important part of the PGA TOUR, and I’ve seen that firsthand in the tournament markets — big and small — that I’ve played throughout my career,” Glover said. “Building on what our tournaments have accomplished through the years is key, with fresh eyes on how we bring even more focus and resources from the TOUR level.”
The announcement also builds on charitable commitments linked to the TOUR’s Returning Member Program. Brooks Koepka previously committed $5 million in charitable support as part of his reinstatement, and the TOUR said the remaining $2.5 million of that commitment will be distributed equally among charitable beneficiaries designated by 99 eligible members, including player engagement in the process.
Laura Neal, executive vice president of PGA TOUR Strategic Philanthropy, said the initiative is designed to strengthen—not replace—the local charitable foundation developed through PGA TOUR events, volunteers, partners and organizations such as First Tee and its 150 chapters worldwide.
“This next chapter is about generating even more focus, coordination, resources and visibility around that work from the TOUR level,” Neal said.
The PGA TOUR plans to work with players, partners, events, and fans over the next 18 months to further evolve the PGA TOUR Charities platform, with a progress report likely to come at next year’s PLAYERS Championship.
