Farmers Insurance Preparing for Second PGA TOUR Tournament in San Diego

LA JOLLA, Calif., Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers Insurance is hard at work preparing with the Century Club of San Diego for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Club scheduled for Jan. 24-30.  After stepping up just before last year's tournament to become title sponsor of the PGA TOUR tournament, Farmers signed a four-year extension agreement as title sponsor through 2014.

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"We are extremely pleased to continue our partnership with the PGA TOUR, the Century Club and the city of San Diego," said F. Robert Woudstra, Chief Executive Officer of Farmers.  "We look forward to bringing this year's competition and a strong field to all of San Diego and the United States.

"Farmers is celebrating its 83rd year of strong national and local community leadership and charitable giving," Woudstra continued.  "Last year's Farmers Insurance Open resulted in more than $1.7 million in contributions to the many Century Club charitable organizations.

The partnerships we have solidified in San Diego are an extension of our ongoing commitment to serving communities all across the United States in which our agents, district managers and employees live and work."

"We're absolutely delighted that Farmers, based upon its positive experience with the 2010 tournament, agreed to continue as title sponsor through 2014," PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "Farmers Insurance did such an outstanding job of becoming fully engaged with the tournament on such short notice and in maximizing its role as title sponsor. We now look forward to working with Farmers Insurance on a long-term basis along with the host organization, the Century Club of San Diego, to continue the growth and local impact of the Farmers Insurance Open."

As a Southern California-based company, Farmers Insurance has strong ties all across the state and the San Diego area has been a focal point for Farmers in recent years as the company has been an industry leader in responding to its customers' needs in the aftermath of recent devastating wildfires. Farmers Insurance and its highly professional and dedicated agency force also have led the insurance industry in promoting fire safety and related programs for consumers.

"Farmers Insurance continues to pro-actively support fire safety, preparedness and education programs for the citizens of San Diego and for insurance consumers across the country," said Woudstra. "Like what Zurich Financial Services Group does in New Orleans through its sponsorship of the upcoming 2011 Zurich Classic in New Orleans, Farmers' sponsorship of the Farmers Insurance Open for the next four years is an extension of our corporate outreach and commitment in making a difference in the communities we serve."

The Farmers Exchanges, as a group, are the third-largest personal lines insurer in the United States and the largest auto insurer in California. Farmers provides a wide range of other insurance, business insurance and financial services products primarily through a national distribution network system of professional insurance agents, who service more than 15 million customers.

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.

SOURCE Farmers Insurance