GRAND BLANC, Mich. , Nov. 13, 2017 – Tournament officials announced today several developments relative to the inaugural PGA Tour Champions event coming to Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club September 10-16, 2018.
During a press conference held today from McLaren Health Care’s new headquarters in Grand Blanc, MI, officials announced a three-year deal that positions the Michigan health care provider as the presenting sponsor of the Ally Challenge. As a result, the name of the event moving forward becomes the Ally Challenge presented by McLaren.
“First and foremost, we are thrilled to partner with an event that will have such a positive impact on Genesee County,” said Philip Incarnati, McLaren Health Care President and CEO. “The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren provides a tremendous platform to align our brand with what we know will be the premier sporting event in southeast Michigan.”
In additional tournament news, Ally Financial Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer Andrea Brimmer announced that Grammy Award winning country music duo Big & Rich will headline the Ally Challenge Community Concert at Warwick Hills. The concert will debut Friday, September 14, following the completion of the first round of the tournament.
“The Big & Rich concert will be one of the highlights of the tournament and is an illustration of our desire to build a week-long celebration of world class golf, entertainment and charitable giving,” said Riley. “The economic activity this tournament has the potential to generate and the donations it will leave behind thanks to sponsors like McLaren Health Care and events like the Community Concert are sure to have a lasting impact on this community and the great state of Michigan.”
Big & Rich are America's Technicolor cowboys, brothers-in-arms in service to the creed that great music has no boundaries. Individually, John Rich and Big Kenny are first-rate musicians, songwriters, producers, entertainers—and now the creative force behind their own label imprint, Big & Rich Records. Together, they are one of the most truly original musical forces ever unleashed on a welcoming world.
The tournament also revealed today the details surrounding ticket options that are now on sale to the public at www.theallychallenge.com. Two types of Season tickets are available; a Clubhouse Ticket as well as a Grounds Ticket. Daily tickets are also offered. Both Season Ticket options and the Friday Daily Ticket include admission to the Big & Rich concert. Admission gates will be open beginning Thursday, September 13 through Sunday, September 16.
“Community and corporate support for the Ally Challenge presented by McLaren has been tremendous since we announced the return of professional golf to Warwick Hills in August,” said tournament director Chris Coffman. “We could not be more excited to welcome McLaren to our sponsor roster and add the Big & Rich concert to our schedule of events on the same day that we launch ticket sales for this marquee PGA TOUR Champions event. Warwick Hills is definitely going to be the place to be next September 13 – 16!”
The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren will be one of the premier Regular Season events on PGA TOUR Champions in 2018, which will give way to the third-annual Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs – a season-ending, three tournament series used to determine the Tour’s season-long champion.
All three rounds of The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren will be broadcast on Golf Channel.
For more information about the Ally Challenge, please visit theallychallenge.com. For the latest Ally Challenge news and updates on social media follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram at @AllyChallenge and on Facebook at Facebook.com/AllyChallenge.
About the Ally Challenge
The Ally Challenge is an official event on the PGA TOUR Champions owned and operated by Tournaments for Charity, a Michigan non-profit corporation. This 54-hole stroke play golf tournament features 78 PGA TOUR Champions professionals competing for a $2 million purse at the historic Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan. The event is designed to showcase the best golf on the PGA TOUR Champions for the enjoyment of spectators and to benefit local charities in the greater Flint area. All three official rounds will be internationally televised on the Golf Channel. For more information, visit www.theallychallenge.com.
For more information about the Ally Challenge, please visit theallychallenge.com. For the latest Ally Challenge news and updates on social media follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram at @AllyChallenge and on Facebook at Facebook.com/AllyChallenge.
About Ally Financial
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading digital financial services company and a top 25 U.S. financial holding company offering financial products for consumers, businesses, automotive dealers and corporate clients. Ally's legacy dates back to 1919, and the company was redesigned in 2009 with a distinctive brand, innovative approach and relentless focus on its customers. Ally has an award-winning online bank (Ally Bank Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender), one of the largest full service auto finance operations in the country, a complementary auto-focused insurance business, a growing digital wealth management and online brokerage platform, and a trusted corporate finance business offering capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies.
The company had approximately $164.0 billion in assets as of September 30, 2017. For more information, visit the Ally press room at http://media.ally.com or follow Ally on Twitter: @AllyFinancial.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a fully integrated health network committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 12 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 450-member employed primary care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 260,000 lives, home health and hospice providers, retail medical equipment showrooms, pharmacy services, and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 47 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive centers in the U.S. McLaren has 24,000 employees and more than 52,000 network providers. Its operations are housed in more than 350 facilities serving the entire Lower Peninsula of the state of Michigan along with a portion of the Upper Peninsula. Learn more at www.mclaren.org.
Contact:
Cristi Vazquez
313-656-3817
cristianna.vazquez@ally.com
