PARSIPPANY, N.J. and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., Aug. 13, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PGA TOUR and Avis Car Rental announced today that Open Championship winner Phil Mickelson has been voted the July PGA TOUR Player of the Month presented by Avis. As the official rental car company of the PGA TOUR, Avis will make a $50,000 contribution to the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation.
In a fan decision on PGATOUR.COM, Mickelson outpolled Jordan Spieth, Woody Austin and Brandt Snedeker. The four were nominated by a panel of national media for their performances during the month of July.
"I really appreciate being named PGA TOUR Player of the Month for July," said Mickelson. "Amy and I thank Avis for its contribution to our foundation and the PGA TOUR as a whole."
The highlight of Mickelson's month was his fifth career major championship title at The Open Championship at Muirfield. Mickelson entered the final round of the 2013 Open Championship trailing Lee Westwood by five shots, but a 5-under 66 led to a three-stroke win over Henrik Stenson. The victory was Mickelson's 42nd career PGA TOUR title, ninth all-time.
"Phil Mickelson's performance on the golf course during the month of July is praiseworthy – and the fans agree. In fact, this PGA TOUR Player of the Month honor marks the second time that Phil has received the recognition," said Jeannine Haas, chief marketing officer, Avis Budget Group. "We congratulate Phil on his success and are proud to donate $50,000 on his behalf."
Founded in 2004, the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation supports a variety of youth and family initiatives through involvement with Start Smart and the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy.
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 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Canada.
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 nearly 945 million 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 2012, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $130 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR's all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.8 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, Fla.