The PDL is proud of its commitment and tradition of philanthropy. Each year’s Chairman is responsible for working with the Chairman Emeritus to select a suitable charity for that year’s tournament and organize the collection and distribution of funds. Each year a generous contribution is made by the players of the Tournament benefiting a charity that is disclosed during the Opening Ceremonies.
2024: Ross Bryan Fundraiser for Spinal Research
2023: Zach Johnson Foundation
2022: UVA Health System -Parkinson's Disease Research (in Honor of Larry Thomson)
2021: Mid Pines Employees Fund
2019: Davis Love Foundation
2018: ABF The Soldiers’ Charity
2017: The Education Trust for the Children of Richard M. Massie
2016: The Dominic Fouts Memorial Cancer Fund
2015: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
2014 – The Davis Love III Foundation
2013 – Greenbrier Hotel United Fund
2012 – The Keepers of the Green
2010- The Davis Love III Foundation
2009 – The September 11th Foundation in honor of “Deeg” Sezna
2024
Ross Bryan, 2024 Chairman and Team GB Team Captain, broke his back at age 21, in the prime of his life.
Ross says:
"As I recovered in the ward, having had steel and titanium drilled into my vertebrae, I looked around the hospital in New Zealand where I had the accident and realized how lucky I had been. Over 70% of the patients would never walk again, and some had no movement from the neck down.
As a keen sportsman, to have all that taken away by an injury would have been devastating. I continue to enjoy a variety of sports and the friendships they bring, thanks to my luck and marvelous surgeons in both NZ and Yorkshire. Check the 2nd picture for what they drilled into my spine and later removed!
So, with the privilege of being the 2024 Ponce de Leon host Captain, I invite my fellow team GB players and our USA rivals to donate kindly so that others may be fortunate to recover from traumatic spinal injuries and enjoy all sports and golf in particular."
Ross Bryan Fundraiser for Spinal Research
2023
In honor of U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson, our Champions Dinner Guest Speaker, Chairman Muscoe Garnett and the Ponce are donating to the Zach Johnson Foundation, which supports Kids on Course, which provides tutoring, enrichment, parent engagement strategies and health support to put students on course to graduate college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
2022
UVA Health System -Parkinson's Disease Research (in Honor of Larry Thomson)The 20th Ponce de Leon Invitational is paying tribute to Larry Thomson of Culpeper, Virginia. LT passed away in August, 2021 after a courageous battle with Parkinson's Disease. He loved his sons, and he loved the great game of golf!
Fundraising Page created by: Neil Thomson
The 20th Ponce de Leon is proud to pay tribute to the late Larry Elwood Thomson. "LT" loved his sons, and loved the game of golf. He peacefully passed away in August, 2021, after a courageous battle with Parkinson's Disease. Your donations raise vital resources for UVA Health System, specifically for Parkinson's Disease Research. LT was lovingly cared for by Dr. Binit Shah and his fine medical staff at UVA. They are doing incredible breakthrough research and treatment to combat this dreadful neurological disease - and your contributions ensure UVA Health's care will continue for the next generation.
The Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders Division at UVA provides clinical care, participates in local and national research and provides education for future Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders specialists.
Thank you for your support. Dad, a fellow lefty, loved to compete on the golf course. But more importantly, he lived a sweet life -
Dad was full of high moral character and kindness as a husband, father, and grandfather.
Kind Regards, Neil
2021
Amidst the COVID 19 pandemic, Chairman Henry Oakey selected the Mid Pines Employee Fund to help support the workers of Mid Pines to offset their lost wages.
2019
The Davis Love FoundationEstablished in 2005 by professional golfer Davis Love, III, the Davis Love Foundation contributes to the well-being and progress of society by supporting both national and community-based programs that focus on children and their families. Headquartered in St. Simons Island, GA, the private Foundation provides a positive and far-reaching vehicle for creative solutions to social ills that affect children and their families. The ambitious mission of the Davis Love Foundation is to help build a better future for children and their families who are at risk of poor educational, economic, social and health outcomes. The Foundation provides grants and donations to community-based programs that focus on children and families in need.
In 2010, the Davis Love Foundation partnered with the PGA TOUR to become the Host Organization of The RSM Classic, an Official PGA TOUR Event. The inaugural event occurred in October 2010 and currently holds a title sponsor contract with RSM, the nation’s leading provider of assurance, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market, through 2025. Over the first ten years, The RSM Classic has raised more than $17.6 million to support charities focused on children and families in need. The funds benefit many organizations including Special Olympics (National, State and Local) and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Georgia.
2018
THE ABF SOLDIERS’ CHARITYThe 2018 charity is ABF The Soldiers’ Charity (formerly the Army Benevolent Fund), the National Charity of the British Army, offering a lifetime of support to soldiers, veterans and their immediate families when in need. Their priorities are to help these individuals by making grants to them through the Regimental and Corps Associations, and to support a wide range of specialist charities that sustain the British Army ‘family’, both at home and around the world. Their mantra is to provide “A hand up, not a hand out”. Whilst this term has become somewhat clichéd, none is more apt than President John F Kennedy’s use of the term (in 1961), defining it as “doing something towards becoming self-sustaining” – this is exactly how we see it today.
2017
The Education Trust for the Children of Richard M. MassieThis year’s tournament was dedicated to the memory of Richard Massie, loving father of three children and twin brother of Henry. Richard played in eight PDL invitationals, winning the Fountain of Youth cup three times. Richard triumphed in 2004 in Orlando with “The Dawgs. ” He won the 2005 MVP in Palm Beach when he Captained Black Sunday to a dominant Championship, going undefeated for the week, defeating Neil Thomson in singles at PGA National Resort. Richard chaired the 2010 tournament at Sea Island when he won his third title with The Red Numbers.
More than those accomplishments though, the Ponce lost one if its own this February. We miss Richard’s laughter. We miss our drinking buddy. We miss our friend.
Richard had reached out in January about playing in this year’s Ponce. Richard will not be the last one of us to go, but he will always be the first. Richard’s death provides us all a stark reminder how fragile…how special this life is.
Every drained clutch putt, each sunset through these North Carolina pines, every beer, laugh or memory with an old friend, we remember Richard who we know was with us all this week.
2016
The Ponce honors the memory of Nick Fouts and the Dominic Fouts Memorial Cancer Fund this year in its battle to support cancer fighters.
The Dominic Fouts Memorial Cancer Fund is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds through special events to help support cancer fighters. Dominic Daniel Fouts (aka Nick), son of Oregon Duck and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Fouts, was delivered the devastating diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer on July 4, 2009, just 12 days before his 31st birthday. Stoic throughout his 3-year battle, Nick continued to teach middle school science, snowboarding, surf, and travel as much as he could between the surgeries and treatments that left him ill. He unexpectedly lost his battle on August 12, 2012, though he never stopped fighting.
2015
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of St. Jude’s founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion, or a family’s ability to pay.
2014
The Davis Love III Foundation
The Davis Love Foundation contributes to the well-being and progress of society by supporting both national and community-based programs that focus on children and their families. Headquartered in St. Simons Island, GA, the private Foundation provides a positive and far-reaching vehicle for creative solutions to social ills that affect children and their families. The ambitious mission of the Davis Love Foundation is to help build a better future for vulnerable children and their families who are at risk of poor educational, economic, social and health outcomes. The Foundation provides grants and donations to community-based programs that focus on children and families in need.
2013
The Greenbrier Hotel United Fund
The Greenbrier employees have been extremely hospitable to the Ponce in 2011 and 2013 and we want to show our sincere appreciation by donating $1,600 to this charitable cause. We are thrilled to be donating alongside the employees of the Greenbrier. The Greenbrier employees raise monies throughout the year via raffles, drawings and more, and the Ponce is proud to add to this effort. Each holiday season, the Board of Directors distributes the funds to local food banks and other local causes, thereby helping the neediest of the needy. The Greenbrier is a major employment center for this area of West Virginia and we hope that less fortunate people will appreciate this contribution. We are thankful that we are able to visit a beautiful place like the Greenbrier and equally as thankful we are able to give back to the local community.
2012
Keepers Of The Green
The 2012 Charity is the Keepers of the Green, an international golfing fellowship, founded in 1995 and based in St Andrews, whose mission is: “To promote the game of golf and to improve lives through powered mobility”. The Ponce is proud to present a check this year of £1400 or over $2100. Since its formation, Keepers of the Green’s extensive fundraising activities have resulted in life changing experiences for over 200 individuals who have been presented with powered wheelchairs (worth approx £700,000). Our main wheelchair presentation takes place, through the generous co-operation of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, at each year’s Open Championship. Additional presentations are made following the Members’ annual Spring and Autumn Meetings when they play with the authentic 5 hickory clubs on one of St Andrews seven courses – an arrangement greatly assisted by the kind cooperation of the Links Management Committee of St Andrews.
We also very much appreciate the support of the St Andrews Golf Club which provides our office base. The Patron of Keepers of the Green is the internationally renowned Golf Historian, David Joy, best known as “the man who plays Tom Morris”, portrayed internationally on stage and screen. Honorary Members include Peter Alliss, Peter Thomson, Sir Michael Bonallack and Emil Pacholek. The Keepers of the Green Foundation (as a registered charity) is our vehicle for accepting and using donated funds and has, over the years, discovered and developed many friends and kindred spirits throughout the world ready to help us in our quest to increase mobility for others. In line with our objective to promote the heritage of the game of golf, “Keepers” was also established as the first ever golfing tribute to Old Tom Morris, who made such an outstanding contribution to the game during his lifetime. It is therefore fitting that Tom Morris should be the figurehead of this unique golfing organisation and also particularly appropriate given that one of his sons was severely disabled but that did not prevent him working in his father’s club makers shop overlooking the 18th green of the Old Course.
2010
The Davis Love III Foundation
2009
The September 11th Foundation in honor of “Deeg” Sezna
Gentlemen:
A follow up to my comments from Sunday night. This year for our annual charity/philanthropic pursuit, we are paying tribute to the life of Davis G. “Deeg” Sezna, Jr… Deeg (pronounced “Deeg”) was the eldest son of our new Friend of the Ponce, Davis Sezna — the President of La Quinta Resort & Club. Deeg was a 23 year-old recent Vanderbilt graduate whose life was cut tragically short during the 9/11 attacks. He worked for Sandler O’Neill on the 104th Floor of the South Tower. Deeg was a Cum Laude graduate of the Sanford School in Wilmington, Delaware (playing varsity golf there all 4 years), before heading to Vandy where he was was Treasurer of Pi Kappa Alpha. He graduated in 2001 with a BA in Economics and headed to NYC where the world was waiting for his leadership. His career goal was to succeed his father one day as a leader in hospitality business, but first wanted to cut his teeth in the city. Deeg was an accomplished golfer. He once remarked that he wanted to win the Delaware State Am, as his father and grandfather did. Just a week prior to his death, Deeg played a round over at New Jersey National Golf Club.
Even though none of us had met Deeg, we all knew him. Why? — Because we are all sons, and many of you are fathers — so it is only appropriate that we pay tribute to his life, and we will try to carry on his golfing and leadership legacy. Simply put, he was a brother-in-arms to the Ponce. Please read a nice article written by another Friend of the Ponce, Matt Ginella (as we know, Matt was instrumental in putting us in touch with Mr. Sezna and La Quinta for our 7th Annual tournament). I am making Matt aware of our gift as well.
Matt’s article sheds some light on the strength of the Sezna family: Click Here to Read. As I mentioned at Palmer’s, we can all learn from the courage and character exhibited by Mr. Sezna in the wake of the death of 2 of his 3 sons: (son Teddy Sezna was killed in a boating accident on the Delaware River in July of 2000) His optimism in the face of adversity and ability to console those around him with humor.
I will be sure to copy you all on a more formal letter to the Sezna family and to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, once we have raised the money and formally set up the fund.
The funds we accumulate will enable us to have a paver made as a memoriam to Deeg that will be located on the grounds of the 9/11 Memorial Plaza where the Towers once stood. I hope to include some type of written tribute on the paver that reads something similar to: From 16 Gentlemen Golfers of the Ponce de Leon Invitational to 1 Gentleman Golfer, Davis G. “Deeg” Sezna, Jr. – For Love of the Game!
Our tribute will also be recognized in the Opening Day program, on the website, and in the World Trade Center Memorial kiosk.
As I mentioned above, I will be sure to include all of you in more formal correspondence once we set up the fund.
Thanks for “getting it” –
Neil Thomson
Chairman Emeritus
2008
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Foundation
2007
The Wounded Warrior Project
This was the first year the PDL incorporated an annual charity to the tournament. Wes Battle added this element and introduced the Wounded Warrior Project to the Ponce.