Pebble Beach, CA – January 23, 2020 – Two, four-person teams bested the competition at the National Finals of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Konica Minolta Golf Classic, held January 16-19 at the legendary Pebble Beach Resorts in California. The Golf Classic raised $1 million for NKF’s programs and initiatives, the first time this amount has been raised from this event in 33 years!
In the Gross Division, four golfers from the Phoenix, Arizona, area tournament bested the competition at the nation’s premier golf resort this past weekend. Mark Upchurch, State Farm Insurance Agent, of San Diego, CA; Daniel Mezich, CEO of Famoso Ltd., of Del Mar, CA; Richard Thompson, General Manager of Giumarra, of San Diego, CA; and Alex Wagner, an Account Executive for Simply Measured, of Seattle, WA, finished in first place. The team shot rounds of 55, 59, 54 for a three-day, 168 total.
The foursome qualified for the National Finals via their top finish in the NKF Konica Minolta Golf Classic hosted by Whirlwind Golf Club, held last November.
In the Handicap Index Division, four golfers from the Naples area tournament defeated the competition. Jason Chiklakis, Wealth Advisor for FineMark National Bank & Trust, Fort Meyers, FL; David Smith, Wealth Advisor for FineMark National Bank & Trust, Naples, FL; Jason Philips, Senior Vice President for FineMark National Bank & Trust, Naples, FL; and Curt Edwards, Wealth Advisor for FineMark National Bank & Trust, Fort Meyers, FL; finished in first place. The team shot rounds of 65, 65, 58 for a three-day, 188 total.
The foursome qualified for the National Finals via their top finish in the NKF Konica Minolta Golf Classic hosted by Tiburon Golf Club held this past December.
Both groups faced off against other amateur golf teams from across the country and played the fabled fairways and signature holes of the Monterey Peninsula: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and The Links at Spanish Bay.
“Congratulations to the winning teams for their outstanding performance at the Pebble Beach Finals,” said NKF CEO and kidney transplant recipient Kevin Longino. “We thank all of the participating golfers from across the nation for their tireless efforts to raise awareness about kidney health and the prevention of kidney disease.”
“I am also very excited and grateful that we were able to raise $1 million from this event, which will help us to expand the mission of the National Kidney Foundation,” he added. “I look forward to our continued partnership with Konica Minolta for this annual event.”
The NKF Konica Minolta Golf Classic, a nationwide series of more than 30 golf tournaments held in major cities across the country, is The Premier Amateur Golf Event for Charity™ raising more than $3.5 million each year and exceeding $100 million to date. Each event also works to raise awareness about kidney health by prominently displaying an important kidney fact or figure on each of the 18 holes of their host golf course. NKF urges Golf Classic participants and the public to make an explicit commitment to “Heart Your Kidneys” by learning about the kidney’s vital functions and help elevate the kidneys to the status of other vital organs, such as the heart.
The series showcases Konica Minolta as the national title sponsor. The national corporate partner is Insurance Auto Auction. National promotional partners are The Greg Norman Collection, Poly, J.Hilburn, and Global Golf Post. Event sponsors include Kendra Scott, Anheuser-Busch, and AmeriHealth Administrators.
About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future™ (www.reshapework.com) with its expansive smart office product portfolio from IT Services (All Covered), ECM, Managed Print Services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for 11 consecutive years, and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2017 America’s Best Employers list. The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for six consecutive years. It partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and work to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit www.CountOnKonicaMinolta.com and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Kidney Disease Facts
In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease— and more than 90% aren’t aware of it. 1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and family history. People of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are 3 times more likely than Whites, and Hispanics are nearly 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to develop end-stage kidney disease (kidney failure).
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.
