Farmers Donates $63,800 in Birdies for Babies to March of Dimes

LA JOLLA, Calif., Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bubba Watson poured in 10 birdies and an eagle in the final two rounds on his way to winning the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday.  In the process, he generated a $2,000 donation to the March of Dimes from tournament sponsor Farmers Insurance.   Watson's fellow golfers added another 518 birdies and 10 eagles for a total of $63,800 donated by Farmers as part of their Birdies for Babies program.  

"Families are at the core of everything we do as an organization," said Bob Woudstra, Chief Executive Officer of Farmers Insurance. "By supporting the March of Dimes, we're helping moms have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies."  

Farmers, the second largest corporate contributor to the March of Dimes,  announced its "Birdies for Babies" program earlier this week, donating $100 for each birdie, $1,000 for each eagle, and $100,000 for each hole-in-one during tournament play this past Saturday and Sunday at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course.  In total, 528 "birdies" and 11 eagles were made on behalf of babies.  All the money raised supports the March of Dimes' mission of improving pregnancy and baby health.  

"It was a fabulous weekend of golf and an even better weekend for improving the health of babies," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "We are grateful to all our friends at Farmers Insurance and the PGA TOUR. They are truly committed to helping us improve the health of moms and babies all across the country."

In 2010, Farmers launched the successful "Birdies for Babies" program at both the Farmers Insurance Open and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.  The "Birdies for Babies" program raised $60,000 for the March of Dimes with an additional $100,000 pledged on behalf of 2010 tournament champion and Farmers customer Ben Crane.  

The public was invited to join this effort to improve the health of all newborn babies by "liking" Farmers on Facebook.  For every "like" received during special feature posting times on Saturday, January 29 and Sunday, January 30 Farmers donated an additional $1 to the March of Dimes.  Farmers also matched all contributions made during the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament up to $25,000.

About Farmers Insurance Group of Companies  

Farmers is a trade name and may refer to Farmers Group, Inc. or the Farmers Exchanges, as the case may be. Farmers Group, Inc., a management and holding company, along with its subsidiaries, is wholly owned by the Zurich Financial Services Group. The Farmers Exchanges are three reciprocal insurers (Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange), including their subsidiaries and affiliates, owned by their policyholders, and managed by Farmers Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information about Farmers, visit our Web site at www.farmers.com.

Farmers Group, Inc. is a management and holding company, which along with its subsidiaries is wholly owned by the Zurich Financial Services Group. The Farmers Exchanges are managed, but not owned by Farmers Group, Inc. The Zurich Financial Services Group has been a long-time sponsor of the PGA TOUR's Zurich Classic of New Orleans.  Just as Zurich stepped up by proving its commitment to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, Farmers Insurance proved its commitment to San Diego following a series of devastating wildfires in recent years.

About The Century Club of San Diego

The Century Club of San Diego is a non-profit corporation organized for the main purpose of administering and promoting San Diego's annual PGA TOUR event, the Farmers Insurance Open. The net earnings of the corporation are used solely for charitable and eleemosynary purposes, including the primary support of the San Diego County Junior Golf Association and for donations to other charities and golf-related activities in the San Diego community.

About PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR is the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour.

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 communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.

In 2011, the three Tours collectively have tournaments in 29 states and in 12 countries and territories outside of the United States. PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 600 million households in 225 countries and territories in 30 languages.

Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2010, tournaments on the three Tours generated $120 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR's all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.6 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.

About the March of Dimes

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE March of Dimes