City of Hope has become the official charity of the Northern Trust Open, which is one of the longest running golf tournaments on the PGA TOUR and has a rich philanthropic history.

The partnership was announced at a July 10 press conference at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., site of the tournament. City of Hope was selected after a year-long process in which 21 Los Angeles-area charities submitted proposals.

Jerry West, left, Michael Friedman, John Cloer and Frederick Waddell hit “first putts” at a recent press conference. (Photo courtesy of PGA TOUR)

The tournament raised $1.7 million for local charities in 2012 and $55.2 million since its inception. As the official charity, City of Hope will use the event to share its message nationwide. It will also benefit from considerable charitable dollars. In turn, City of Hope will work alongside the Northern Trust Open to generate exposure, sales, promotion and growth of the event, which has hosted some of the game’s greatest players.

Los Angeles sports icon Jerry West, the Northern Trust Open’s executive director, told press conference attendees the organization is thrilled about the partnership with City of Hope.

“I became involved with this event in order to give back to the community of Los Angeles that has given me so much, and I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do the past few years. With City of Hope, and the ongoing commitment of Northern Trust, I’m confident we can set our sights even higher and bring even more assistance to our neighbors who need it most,” West said.

He was joined at the press event by Frederick H. Waddell, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Northern Trust, Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president and CEO of City of Hope, and John Cloer, a City of Hope pediatric cancer survivor.

Although City of Hope will be the primary beneficiary of the Northern Trust Open, the event also will continue to raise funds for other local charities through a variety of partnerships.

To learn more about the event, which is scheduled for Feb. 12 to 17, 2013, visit www.northerntrustopen.com.