Dallas, Phoenix Teams Win NKF Konica Minolta Golf Classic Finals at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif., Jan. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Two, four-person teams bested the competition at the National Finals of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Konica Minolta Golf Classic, held January 18-20 at the legendary Pebble Beach Resorts in California.

In the Handicap Index Division, the winning foursome from Dallas, TX included David Martin, Marlen Vogt, Kelly O'Bannon, and Ty Miller. The first-place team shot rounds of 61-63-65 for a three-day total of 189 (-27 par) in the four-person scramble. They qualified for the National Finals by winning their local NKF Konica Minolta Golf Classic at Royal Oaks Country Club.

In the Gross Division, a team from the Phoenix tournament took top honors. Members included Mark Upchurch, Daniel Mezich, Richard Thompson, and Alex Wagner. They finished in first place with rounds of 58-57-57 for a three-day total of 172 (-44 par) in the event. The team qualified for the National Finals by winning their closest, local Golf Classic competition at Whirlwind Golf Club.

"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 kidney disease, which helps us to expand the mission of the National Kidney Foundation."

Both foursomes qualified for the National Finals via their top finishes in NKF Konica Minolta Golf Classic events during the 2018 season. In the National Finals, they faced off against nearly 200 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.

The NKF Konica Minolta Golf Classic, a nationwide series of 30 golf tournaments held in major cities across the country, is The Premier Amateur Golf Event for Charitytm, 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 Auctions / One Car One Difference. National Finals partners include Polycom and Michelob Ultra. National promotional partners are Global Golf Post, the Greg Norman Collection, Bridgestone Golf, and Kendra Scott.

For more information about the NKF Konica Minolta Golf Classic and the next opportunity to qualify for the National Finals at Pebble Beach, please visit www.NKFKonicaMinoltaGolfClassic.com.

About Konica Minolta 
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Futuretm (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 30 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease?and most 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 renal disease (kidney failure).

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive and longstanding organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease. For more information about NKF visit www.kidney.org.                                                            

SOURCE National Kidney Foundation