FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ILLINOIS PGA PROFESSIONALS RAISE MORE THAN $640,000 AT
2025 ILLINOIS PGA FOUNDATION BIRDIES FOR CHARITY EVENT, REACH $5 MILLION MILESTONE
GOLF, Ill. – September 3, 2025 – The Illinois PGA Foundation announced today that its 2025 Birdies for Charity fundraiser, held the day after Labor Day, raised over $640,000, bringing the 15-year total amount raised to over $5 million.
The Illinois PGA Foundation Birdies for Charity fundraiser is divided into two events between the Illinois PGA Section, and the Central Illinois PGA Chapter. Each event has corresponding charities that the proceeds benefit.
The 2025 Section Birdies for Charity event was held at its annual facility, River Forest Country Club. A total of 42 Illinois PGA Professionals teed it up on Tuesday at River Forest Country Club and tallied a total of 1,257 birdies to raise $613,000. The proceeds from the Illinois PGA Foundation Birdies for Charity event will be split between Ann Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF), Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, G.O.L.F. (Greater Organization for the Less Fortunate), and the Illinois PGA Foundation.
“This event is circled on our members’ calendars every year as they look forward to playing golf to help children’s charities and try and achieve new fundraising goals they set for themselves,” said Carrie Williams, Executive Director of the Illinois PGA and Illinois PGA Foundation. “Every year we are so impressed with our PGA Professionals and their supporters as they continue to raise the bar for this event. We are beyond excited to announce that our Professionals and their extremely generous and supportive donors hit a new fundraising record in 2025.”
This year, Illinois PGA Foundation supporters Love Tito’s and Harris Golf Cars contributed to the total amount raised with charitable donations. Love Tito’s matched the first $5,000 raised at the Section’s Birdies for Charity event, and Harris Golf Cars provided a $800 flat donation to the Section’s event.
“We are very thankful to Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Harris Golf Cars for their generosity in donating to this year’s Birdies for Charity,” said Williams. “Their commitment to supporting the Foundation and its mission of improving lives and positively impacting communities through the game of golf has been greatly appreciated and we look forward to our continued relationships.”
The majority of Professionals played five full rounds of golf (90 holes) at River Forest Country Club, while each participant played a minimum of four rounds (72 holes).
Team Butler National Golf Club, consisting of Rodney Wray, PGA, Andrew Svoboda, PGA, Sean Kelley, PGA, and Joe Bentivegna, PGA, carded the most birdies at River Forest Country Club, totaling 142, and raising the most money on the day at more than $123,000. Brian Carroll (The Hawk Country Club) led the field in birdies made at 46.
Meanwhile, at the CIPGA Birdies for Charity event, which was hosted at The Country Club of Decatur, host PGA Professional Nick Taute carded 37 birdies in 72 holes leading the Chapter in birdies made. Scott Brownfield (Country Club of Peoria) led the fundraising, bringing in over $15,000 on 23 birdies. The 2025 Chapter Birdies for Charity event benefited OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria and the Illinois PGA Foundation.
Birdies for Charity was created in 2011 when Travis Johns (Medinah Country Club) brought the concept with him from the North Texas PGA Section and proposed it to the Illinois PGA Section Board. At the time, Chris Gumbach, head PGA Professional at River Forest Country Club was the Partnership Committee Chair and immediately thought this type of event was just the kind of community involvement program the Section and its Members needed to rally around.
“We started this day 15 years ago with no connotation other than to make money for organizations outside of the golf world and the PGA of America umbrella,” said Gumbach. “It’s now become something that is not only special to myself and co-founder Travis Johns, but to all the Illinois PGA Professionals that have played in this event, and to the community that we have built through this event. It has become one of the coolest, if not the coolest, thing the Illinois PGA Foundation has ever done.”
About the Illinois PGA/Illinois PGA Foundation
The Illinois Section of the PGA of America is a professional organization serving the men and women golf professionals in northern and central Illinois who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf. The Illinois PGA is responsible for the administration of competitive golf tournaments, educational opportunities, support programs and growth of the game initiatives. With over 840 members and associates, the Illinois PGA is one of the 41 regional Sections that comprise the PGA of America. The Illinois PGA Foundation focuses its community efforts on promoting the goodwill and growth of the game with an emphasis on activities that benefit youth. Foundation initiatives include: GolfWorks Illinois, Youth-based Scholarship Funds and the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. For more information about the Illinois PGA and the Illinois PGA Foundation, please visit www.ipga.com and join us on Facebook, X or Instagram.
CONTACT:
Brandon Seymour
Illinois PGA Communications
330.888.9400 mobile
847.729.5700 office
bseymour@pgahq.com