Giving back to local charities remains the mission at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (KION-TV)- The 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is not only about golf and fun, but also about giving back to the community. 

Steve John who is the CEO of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation said that while there are changes to the traditional pro-am this year, the charitable aspect will remain the mission

"The commitment from the Monterey Peninsula Foundation is not going to change whether we have 80 CEOs or 80 celebrities or 80 athletes,” John said. “Doesn't matter the commitments there.” 

And how does the Monterey Peninsula Foundation decide where to allocate the money? 

“We support over 200 charities a year, on an annual basis,” John said. “We have a grant committee that meets twice a year and last year we committed $18 million to the Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey Counties in all areas of need."

Olivia Beaudouin, who is a marine scientist that lives in the area, was at the tournament on Saturday and said that she hopes for some of the money raised can go towards protecting local marine life. 

“I think it’s super important that we keep talking about it,” Beaudouin said. “We need to keep raising awareness about it because it’s events like these that will help our coastlines because Monterey Bay is a special sanctuary and we need local events like this to protect it as well.” 

Dylan Antonetti has been coming to the tournament year after year and said the charity money that comes in is the most important part of the tournament.

“That's the biggest thing for the county,” Antonetti said. “Obviously, it's for the charities to give exposure to the foundations and an event like this brings a ton of eyes onto it, and, you know, it could potentially bring in more opportunities for those charities to continue to grow in the future.”

The Monterey Peninsula Foundation also tells KION that the Pebble Beach Pro-Am is the most charitable event on the PGA Tour.

Tournament officials also said that 2023 was their single highest year in of giving in tournament history.