THE PLAYERS Championship today announced a major commitment to two local colleges – University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville – expanding its current partnership by creating a $500,000 scholarship endowment at each school over the next five years. By the completion of the new and enhanced endowments, these funds will become the largest scholarship in the Jacksonville area.

Today’s announcement falls in line with THE PLAYERS renewed charitable focus: a committed goal of generating $50 million for local youth-related charities over the next 10 years. To put the goal in perspective, THE PLAYERS has generated approximately $27 million for charity – in total – over the past 10 years, $15 million of which has benefited youth-related organizations. Through this shift in focus, the event will more than triple the financial impact on area non-profits that promote youth education, character development, and health and fitness. Since 1977, when THE PLAYERS moved to Ponte Vedra, more than $40 million has been generated for Northeast Florida charities, including a record $4.8 million in 2010.

Under the commitment to the University of North Florida, THE PLAYERS Championship Endowed First Generation Scholarship has been created to assist and recognize students who are the first in their families to seek a four-year college degree. To launch the First Generation Scholarships, the University of North Florida today hosted a luncheon that included scholarship recipients, past tournament chairs and THE PLAYERS staff.

Additionally, THE PLAYERS and the Florida State College Foundation have partnered to create THE PLAYERS Championship Scholarship, which will provide scholarship aid to deserving students from the five-county area attending Florida State College at Jacksonville.

THE PLAYERS Championship will take place May 7-13, 2012. More information about THE PLAYERS is available at www.pgatour.com/theplayers.