Dean & DeLuca Invitational earns PGA Tour recognition

The Dean & DeLuca Invitational was an attention-getter in a variety of ways last spring.

And the PGA Tour noticed in a big way.

The Dean & DeLuca Invitational at Colonial Country Club earned an award for Best Title Sponsor Integration during the Tour’s tournament meetings this week.

This award is given annually to the tournament which goes above and beyond in a year-round activation plan with the title sponsor, including brand activation on site and advertising and charitable efforts throughout the year.

Officials at the tournament distributed more than $11.6 million in charitable donations in October to non-profit groups based in North Texas, marking a tournament-record total for Fort Worth’s annual PGA Tour stop.

The final distribution of $11,628,787 included more than $10 million raised for local charities through the tournament’s Birdies for Charity campaign.

The 2017 tournament will be held May 25-28. Jordan Spieth is the defending champion.

This story was originally published December 9, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Dean & DeLuca Invitational earns PGA Tour recognition."