AbbVie (ABBV) and the PGA Tour have announced a landmark partnership, naming the pharmaceutical giant the Official Pharmaceutical Sponsor of the PGA Tour and the 2026 Presidents Cup.
The centrepiece of the deal is a new multi-year campaign called Birdies for Brain Health, designed to raise awareness and funding for people living with neurological and mental health conditions.
The initiative will formally launch at the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club, located near AbbVie’s global headquarters in North Chicago, Illinois.
The campaign will begin with an opening donation reflecting the fact that more than one in three people globally are affected by a neurological disorder.
Funds will be distributed across six patient advocacy organisations focused on migraine, mental health, and Parkinson’s disease research and support.
Those organisations include the American Migraine Foundation, National Headache Foundation, Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and the Parkinson’s Foundation.
From 2027, the campaign will expand, generating donations for every birdie recorded at PGA Tour Signature Events and the FedExCup Playoffs.
Tracie Haas, senior vice president of corporate affairs at AbbVie, said: “Neurological and mental health conditions affect more than the individual living with the disease. They can impact families and entire support networks.”
Dan Glod, PGA Tour executive vice president of corporate partnerships, welcomed AbbVie to the Tour, saying the campaign gives the organisation “a meaningful way to build on that legacy” of purpose and community impact.
Professional golfer Gary Woodland, the 2019 US Open champion and a US captain’s assistant for the 2026 Presidents Cup, will serve as a campaign ambassador through personal storytelling and public engagement.
Woodland underwent surgery in 2023 to remove a benign brain lesion and has since spoken openly about the physical, mental, and emotional challenges he faced during his recovery period.
“My experience has shown me how important awareness, support and a strong community can be when someone is facing a health challenge,” Woodland said, underlining why he chose to be part of the campaign.
The partnership reinforces AbbVie’s growing commitment to neuroscience, with a portfolio spanning psychiatry, migraine, pain, movement disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases across global markets.
The announcement coincided with news of a successful Phase 3 trial for AbbVie’s menstrual migraine preventative drug, atogepant, further demonstrating the company’s expanding ambitions in the neurological space.