Serving San Diego Charities Since 1961
PURPOSE OF ORGANIZATION

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 Buick Invitational. The net earnings of the corporation are used solely for charitable 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.
BRIEF HISTORY
The Century Club was founded in July, 1961, when tournament officials of the then San Diego Open decided they must have a broader base of support than the single corporate sponsorship previously provided by the San Diego County Chevrolet Dealers Association (1952-54) and Convair (1955-60). The Century Club was so named because individual memberships were initially priced at $100 each ("Century" note). Under the leadership of the late Frank Alessio, the Century Club entered into a working partnership with celebrity host Andy Williams ...
in the fall of 1967, and beginning in 1968 the tournament was titled the Andy Williams San Diego Open. That same year the club also became a partner with the City of San Diego for financial support from hotel/motel tax funds and the use of Torrey Pines Golf Courses as the home of the tournament.
By 1981, with mounting pressures from the PGA TOUR to increase purse monies and City financial support now withdrawn because of the effects of Proposition 13, the Century Club entered into its first agreement with a corporate sponsor, The Wickes Companies, Inc. In 1983 American Isuzu Motors assumed the corporate sponsorship for a three-year period, and in 1986 Shearson Lehman Brothers (now Shearson Lehman Hutton) entered into a working agreement for corporate and title sponsorship that extended through the 1991 tournament. In 1992, our current sponsor Buick Motor Division joined us and has continued to renew their contract to be the title sponsor of the tournament through the year 2010.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
The Century Club, at this time, is comprised of 55 Active members. In addition, there are currently 12 Provisional members, 7 Associate members and 32 Honorary Members (Past Presidents and distinguished supporters.).
The Board of Directors is comprised of 15 members and includes the following officers: President & General Chairman, Executive Vice President (President & General Chairman-Elect), two Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Immediate Past President. The Board members are elected for four-year terms, with approximately 1/3 of the terms expiring each year. Officers are elected for one-year terms.
The Board is charged with the responsibility of the overall management and control of the business and affairs of the Century Club, with primary emphasis on establishing policies and procedures for the fulfillment of these functions.
The Executive Director and a staff of 7 full-time personnel - Director of Marketing & Hospitality, Tournament Relations Manager, Special Events Manager, Operations Manager, Director of Sales, Charity Coordinator, Marketing Communications Manager, and Receptionist - 2 part-time personnel - Business Accounting Manager and Ticket Manager -- in addition, a Public Relations Manager, Director of Sales, and Gala Coordinator is under contract - these staff members carry out the day-to-day responsibilities and report to the Board of Directors.
There are 31 standing committees organized to help administer the functions of the club. Members are appointed to the committees on an annual basis.
DISTRIBUTION OF SURPLUSES
For many years, the majority of the proceeds from the tournament went almost exclusively to support the administrative operation of the San Diego County Junior Golf Association. However, the increased success of tournament activities since 1983 has produced increased proceeds and permitted an expanded policy for charitable distributions. The basic philosophy is one of allocating a certain amount of the net proceeds to continue to build the assets of the reserve fund, with the remainder made available for charitable distribution. Each year when the final net proceeds are determined, the Board of Directors decides on the specific amounts to be distributed and to be allocated to reserve, and the Charities Committee is responsible for recommending the amounts of distributions to requesting charitable organizations. Final charity distributions are presented to the Board of Directors for approval. This year we donated nearly $2.7 million to over 200 charities.
ACTIVITY CHART
The steady growth of tournament marketing and operations and the resultant increase in the number of staff responsibilities in recent years have transformed The Century Club office operation from an 8-to-10 month seasonal situation to year-round. The 90 days immediately after each tournament (usually March, April, and May) are spent both in wrap-up activities and initial preparations for the next tournament, the next six months (June - October) are fairly steady with routine tournament preparations, and the pace intensifies rather significantly for each of the next four months leading to the tournament (November - February).
Part-time staff positions may be added during the six-month period prior to each tournament, and volunteer support is also utilized in many areas during that period.
The Century Club holds regular meetings of Active members on the average of once a month which usually includes four-six golf outings in the meeting schedule. The Annual Meeting is held the first part of May.
The Board of Directors meets on an average of once a month throughout the year, more frequently if needed just prior to the tournament.
Committees meet "as needed" to carry out their respective responsibilities, usually beginning in September or October.
SLATE OF OFFICERS
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TOM WORNHAMPresident & General Chairman |
JIM HORTONExecutive Vice President |
TOM MONSONFirst Vice President |
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JEFF BAGLIOSecond Vice President |
SCOTT MORSESecretary |
CHUCK YASHTreasurer |
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BRONSON C.
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