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GRAND BLANC, Mich. – Tournament officials announced today that the fourth playing of The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren, concluded August 29, 2021, at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, raised $1,315,678 for charitable organizations in southeastern Michigan and beyond. The 2021 amount surpasses the $1 million dollar mark for the second time in the event’s brief history. 

Since its inception in 2018, The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren has donated a total of more than $4.5 million to support of local charities in the greater Flint area and beyond.

The total includes $440,000 for the tournament’s primary beneficiary, United Way of Genesee County (UWGC).

“These funds will do so much good for the people in this community through the work of the beneficiaries like the United Way,” said Alison Summerville, Business Administration executive and head of Corporate Citizenship at Ally. “I’m tremendously proud of how the Ally, McLaren and tournament teams came together to achieve such outstanding results this year under continued COVID-related pressures.”

"The significant charitable dollars raised through the unwavering commitment of sponsors, organizers, volunteers and patrons are a true testament to the value this tournament delivers to our region,” said Kevin Tompkins, Senior Vice President of Marketing at McLaren Health Care. “These funds will benefit thousands of families in meeting basic needs during these challenging times. McLaren could not be prouder to partner with Ally Financial, Warwick Hills, the PGA TOUR and HNS Sports Group to deliver an event that makes such a positive impact on people's lives."

UWGC has operated in the community for nearly 100 years providing support addressing educational outcomes, health access, financial stability and the basic needs of its residents; the UWGC leverages donations from more than 200 workplace campaigns and individual investors to support over 150 programs. Last year dollars raised impacted over 100,000 lives representing every zip code of Genesee County.

The tournament’s investment will help support over 18 programs in Genesee County, impacting more than 20,000 individuals through the three priority areas: Financial Literacy, Housing and Employment.

“Thank you to all the fans, players and sponsors who attended the 2021 Ally Challenge,” said, James Gaskin, CEO, United Way of Genesee County. “Your participation is helping homeless veterans get back on their feet at My Brother’s Keeper; supporting minor home repairs with Habitat for Humanity; teaching kids the importance of fiscal management; and 15 other crucial programs helping our most vulnerable neighbors. A very special thank you to Ally and McLaren for this opportunity to impact our community”. 

Birdies for Charity presented by Ally accounted for $601,072 of the total donation thanks to 862 birdies recorded by PGA TOUR Champions players during competitive rounds at The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren. A total of 17 qualified Michigan 501(c)(3) charities participated in the program in 2021. This unique program is a grassroots charity platform, now in its fourth year, that serves as an extension of the tournament’s mission to positively impact non-profit organizations in the greater Flint area.

The Ally Challenge’s newest philanthropic initiative, Tickets FORE Charity, was responsible for $5,000 of the tournament’s overall donation. Tickets FORE Charity provides an opportunity for non-profits participating in Birdies for Charity presented by Ally to earn additional dollars for their cause based on attendance during the final round of The Ally Challenge.      

The total also includes $100,000 to four charities ($25,000 each) designated by the celebrities who participated in the 2021 Celebrity Shootout. A number of additional, predominantly local, charities will share the remaining $169,606 in varying amounts. 

Overall, more than 20 charities benefitted from The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren in 2021.

The continued growth of The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren’s philanthropic impact on the community was ensured on September 14, 2019, when the tournament announced a five-year extension of their agreements with title sponsor Ally Financial Inc., presenting sponsor McLaren Health Care, host venue Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, and the tournament’s agreement with the PGA TOUR. The extensions guarantee The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren will continue as a PGA TOUR Champions event played at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club through 2025.

“The tradition of giving this tournament has established in the southeastern Michigan community is inspiring,” said Matt Stepnes, The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren tournament director. “On behalf of HNS Sports Group and our tournament staff, I would like to thank Ally Financial, McLaren Healthcare and all our sponsors for helping make the gift of these funds a reality. The competition on the course and the energy of tournament week this year was incredible, but it’s the sincere and sustaining impact created by the dollars raised for charity that’s most important ¾ and the tournament is committed to growing that charitable spirit for years to come.”

The 2022 Ally Challenge presented by McLaren will take place the week of August 22 – 28 at renowned Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club.

The Ally Challenge will be one of the premier Regular Season events on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2022, which will give way to the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs¾a 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 presented by McLaren

The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren 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 about The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren, 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 digital financial services company committed to its promise to "Do It Right" for its consumer, commercial and corporate customers. Ally is composed of an industry-leading independent auto finance and insurance operation, an award-winning digital direct bank (Ally Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender, which offers mortgage lending, point-of-sale personal lending, and a variety of deposit and other banking products), a corporate finance business for equity sponsors and middle-market companies, and securities brokerage and investment advisory services. A relentless ally for all things money, Ally helps people save well and earn well, so they can spend for what matters. For more information, please visit www.ally.com and follow @allyfinancial. 

For more information and disclosures about Ally, visit https://www.ally.com/#disclosures.

For further images and news on Ally, please visit http://media.ally.com.

About McLaren Health Care

McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 15 hospitals in Michigan and Ohio, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 588,000 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S.  McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 90,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.  Learn more at www.mclaren.org.

About HNS Sports Group

HNS Sports Group is a Dublin, Ohio-based LLC founded in 2000. The company offers over 125-plus years of collective experience and is committed to providing professional, efficient and effective client representation in the categories of sponsorship consultation, event management, hospitality management, sales representation and tournament operations within the golf market. To learn more about HNS Sports Group, visit www.hnssports.com.

Media Contact

Thomas P. Sprouse 

Director of Communications, 

The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren                

E-Mail: tsprouse@hnssports.com            

Office: 614-889-6791                 

Mobile: 614-519-1873

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