The PGA of America’s PowerShares QQQ Championship was a two-day affair, but at the tournament’s offices in Westlake Village, Sales Manager Alex Mallen has been in game mode for much longer. “There’s a lot to do, even though we’re only seen for one week,” she said. “It’s all year that we’re working hard to put this together.” The first tournament occurred Oct. 28-30 at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. The course has a three-year contract to host the championship. Mallen is one of four PGA Tour employees who have occupied an office suite at 31360 Via Colinas since April, where they have coordinated the first leg of the inaugural Charles Schwab Championship tour. Now 56 of the 72 professional golfers in the tournament are on their way to the semifinals in Richmond, Va. – and Mallen and her colleagues are preparing for 2017. One reason for the year-round presence is to line up partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits. This year, Sherwood Cares, Boys & Girls Club of the Conejo Valley and First Tee of Los Angeles were selected as charity partners. “It’s important for us to not only be an event that’s once a year but to build relationships with the Conejo Valley,” said Mallen, who serves on the board of the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce. “After we pay our bills and the players, anything above and beyond from a revenue perspective is left here in the area, primarily through our charity partner Sherwood Cares.” Sherwood Cares is a nonprofit foundation run by members of the Sherwood Country Club. Since its inception in 2013, the organization has donated more than $230,000 to 18 local charities. “Now that we have this partnership with PowerShares QQQ and the PGA Tour Champions, we’re going to have more to give out,” said George Carney, chairman and founding president. In 2017, PowerShares QQQ plans to launch “Community Champions,” a series of events to benefit local residents, veterans, businesses and nonprofits. Though the team is still working out the details, Mallen is confident that the project will be a hole-in-one. “We absolutely want to be part of this community, and we’re entrenched,” she said. – Helen Floersh