The First Tee of Greater Wilmington, a nonprofit youth development organization that plans to introduce the game of golf and healthy values to 25,000 youth within the community by 2019, has been named primary beneficiary of the 2017 PGA Tour event, scheduled to be played May 1-7 at Eagle Point Golf Club.
 
Champions for Education, the nonprofit organization that manages and operates the Wells Fargo Championship, announced the move Tuesday. Champions has offered up a $25,000 challenge grant to support The First Tee of Greater Wilmington, which will be used by the local chapter of The First Tee to encourage financial support that will be matched by Champions for Education, up to $25,000, potentially generating a total of $50,000.
 
“We are excited about The First Tee of Greater Wilmington’s plans for this area and look forward to doing whatever we can to assist those efforts,” said Mac Everett, a board member with Champions for Education, in a news release. “With the help of our title sponsor Wells Fargo, our host Eagle Point Golf Club, other corporate partners, the many volunteers, and the fans who attend the tournament, this will be an opportunity for the Wells Fargo Championship to leave a permanent legacy in the Greater Wilmington area.”
 
In December, The First Tee of Greater Wilmington announced it was proceeding with plans to build a 3-hole short course, along with hitting nets and a classroom, at the Wilmington Municipal Golf Course on Oleander Drive.
 
A public-private partnership deal with the City of Wilmington, the course will be funded with a little more than $1 million in private donations and no tax dollars. Construction is currently underway, and the grand opening is scheduled for May 2 during the week of the Wells Fargo Championship. 
 
The national First Tee formed in 1997 as a result of a partnership among the LGPA, the Masters Tournament, the PGA of America, the PGA Tour and the USGA, and has 180 chapters in the U.S.
 
“We are so appreciative of the financial support and the increased awareness the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship will provide to The First Tee of Greater Wilmington,” said Gordon Dalgleish, who serves as board chairman for The First Tee of Greater Wilmington. “The support from Wells Fargo and the tournament will create a lasting community legacy as we seek to impact the lives of so many of our young people in the years ahead.”
 
In 2015, Wells Fargo became a National Trustee for The First Tee and pledged $1 million to the program. Wells Fargo also established the Succeeding Together contest for participants of The First Tee around the country to earn the opportunity to attend the tournament and play in the Wednesday Pro-Am.