PARSIPPANY, N.J. and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., Feb. 7, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PGA TOUR and Avis Car Rental announced today that Zach Johnson has been voted the January PGA TOUR Player of the Month presented by Avis. As the official rental car company of the PGA TOUR and in its third year as sponsor of the PGA TOUR Player of the Month program, Avis will make a $50,000 contribution to the Zach Johnson Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Cedar Rapids, Ia., children and their families lead happy, healthy lives.
In a fan decision on PGATOUR.COM, Johnson outpolled Jimmy Walker, Patrick Reed and Scott Stallings. The four were nominated by a panel of national media for their performances during the month of January.
"I am truly honored to have been voted the January PGA TOUR Player of the Month," said Johnson. "Avis' generosity will help directly impact the youth and families of eastern Iowa through the Zach Johnson Foundation. This is just another example of how great the game of golf is with such a unique platform to give back to our communities."
The highlight of Johnson's month was his 11th career PGA TOUR title at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, where he posted a final-round 66 to edge Jordan Spieth by one stroke. In his two other starts in January, Johnson finished tied for eighth at the Sony Open in Hawaii and tied for third at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. Johnson's stroke average for the month was 67.17 with 11 of his 12 rounds in the 60s.
"The voters got it right – Zach Johnson's performance throughout the month of January is commendable," said Jeannine Haas, chief marketing officer, North America, Avis Budget Group. "We're proud to name him 2014's first player of the month and donate $50,000 to the Zach Johnson Foundation."
For more information or to vote for the PGA TOUR Player of the Month presented by Avis, visit www.pgatour.com.
About Avis
Avis Car Rental operates one of the world's best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,750 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world's top brands for customer loyalty. Avis is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:CAR), which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world. For more information, visit www.avis.com.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China.
The PGA TOUR's mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 225 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2013, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $133 million for local and national charitable organizations and in early 2014 the TOUR's all-time charitable contributions surpassed $2 billion.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.