Principal^® Charity Classic sets charitable giving record in 2022

The Principal Charity Classic today announced its 2022 tournament raised more than $8.2 million in support of Iowa children’s charities, surpassing the event’s previous record of $7.3 million set in 2021. The annual PGA TOUR Champions event in Des Moines has now raised more than $45.6 million for Iowa children’s charities since Principal Financial Group^® became the title sponsor in 2007. Watch the 2022 recap video here.

“We continue to see overwhelming generosity from our sponsors, volunteers, and spectators,” said Dan Houston, chairman, president, and chief executive officer at Principal^®. “The impact of this year’s tournament will have a lasting effect on young people in Iowa. In addition to world class golf, my favorite part of the tournament every year is meeting some of the children who benefit from this wonderful community event. I am so proud we have this opportunity to support the efforts of our charity partners.”

The Principal Charity Classic impacts the lives of more than 130,000 Iowa children in the areas of education, health, and arts and culture. Tournament proceeds provide support to four Tournament Charity Partners in the Des Moines area: Blank Children’s Hospital, MercyOne Children’s Hospital, the United Way of Central Iowa, and Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa. Additionally, the event’s Birdies For Charity program supports nearly 90 non-profits throughout the state of Iowa. 

“This record-breaking donation is a true testament to the Des Moines community and our local and regional corporate communities and golf fans,” said Ken McCullum, board chair for the Principal Charity Classic. “This year we were thrilled to welcome fans back to the Wakonda Club where over 58,000 fans filled galleries and enjoyed state-of-the-art hospitality venues, and an exciting week-long schedule of events that helped drive the charitable efforts.” 

This year’s tournament provided another dramatic finish, with Jerry Kelly defeating Kirk Triplett in a sudden-death playoff on the 18^th hole. The win was Kelly’s second victory of the 2022 PGA Tour Champions season. 

New tournament sustainability initiative announced

Just in time for Sustainable Golf Week, which kicks off on October 3^rd, the Principal Charity Classic is also announcing its effort to work toward obtaining Golf Environment Organization (GEO) tournament certification. “GEO Certified” is a comprehensive modern certification, developed to the highest credibility standard, to help golf facilities, developments, and tournaments demonstrate and be recognized for their environmental and social responsibility.

“Principal Charity Classic organizers engaged a sustainability consultant to provide year-round support to create zero-waste practices, promote civic and corporate stakeholder engagement, and perform a comprehensive tournament sustainability audit,” said McCullum. “The next step is to develop an action plan to capture sustainability metrics going forward to advance these efforts.”

The 2023 Principal Charity Classic tournament will take place June 1–4, 2023, at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa. Visit principalcharityclassic.com to learn more about the Principal Charity Classic or to make a donation in support of the tournament’s year-round charitable giving efforts.