Fidelity Bank Tees Off with the Zurich Classic

Every April, some of the most talented golfers in the world make their way to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic, a PGA Tour event. The tournament features a unique two-person format and charity initiative managed by event partner Fore!Kids Foundation, which raises funds for local children’s service organizations. Fidelity Bank, which is headquartered in New Orleans, has supported those efforts through its Community Partners program for nine years, serving as the event’s official bank and a major hospitality sponsor.

Fidelity’s involvement in the Zurich Classic has grown over the years, says Tammy O’Shea, chief marketing officer of the $1.2 billion-asset community bank. She and several other employees have become Fore!Kids members who volunteer at the tournament by selling concessions, acting as course marshals and distributing money to vendors.

The bank also sponsors the Fidelity Bank Fairway Club, a premium ticket that gives attendees access to three hospitality venues on the course.

O’Shea says the sponsorship has allowed Fidelity to establish other partnerships. “It’s a place for us to meet prospects and entertain existing customers but also to associate with and develop relationships with other nonprofits, and that’s been a big benefit to us,” she says.

Most importantly, the tournament sustains organizations that are doing essential work for Louisiana.

“It would be one thing if we were just out there sponsoring a PGA-level tournament … but for New Orleans, the Zurich [Classic] is so much more than that,” says O’Shea. “It really is about the charities that are going to receive these much-needed funds that—for some of them—form the majority of their annual operating budget.”

Since 2005, the Zurich Classic has raised more than $55 million for local children’s organizations, and for O’Shea, presenting checks to nonprofits at the end of the tournament is the most rewarding part.

“Our mission statement is, ‘Here for good,’ so a part of that is giving back to the community,” O’Shea says. “Every nonprofit is doing something—they’re going to have a gala that they need volunteers for, or a golf tournament—so it’s our commitment that we will do more for them than just writing a check.”