Colonial Likely Searching For A Sponsor Again...
Mac Engel reports for the Star-Telegram on a likely early departure for Dean & DeLuca after two years sponsoring the historic Colonial. The food company has four years left on its contract.
Engel obtained a letter to members signed by club president Rob Doby.
“While certainly disappointing, it is not a situation that we as a Membership and Staff are unfamiliar with,” Doby wrote.
The board is scheduled to meet with Dean & DeLuca representatives as early as Thursday about potentially renegotiating the terms of the contract, but at this point the club is preparing to look elsewhere for a title sponsor.
A PGA Tour statement said the Dean & DeLuca is still the sponsor as far as they are concerned but that they are in conversations.
Engel shares several other interesting details, including this:
The PGA wants a little more than $11 million per year from a sponsor for this event, which, per multiple sources, effectively eliminates several companies from landing Colonial. The price tag is roughly $3 million too rich for many companies.
Losing a sponsorship here leaves two Texas stops searching for a sponsor as the 2017-18 schedule is already underway. The Houston Open has yet to secure a sponsor after Shell ended their long run.
Reader Comments (23)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dunwY-4jYgM
it can only be noted again, as said by MJR, the PGAT is neglecting its core, the foundations of the traveling show that became courtesy cars and rubbing elbows with celebrities and business leaders. The North and South, The Western Open, until Valero, The Texas Open was in danger of slipping away: these base events should be put on a pedistal, IMO uch more than the WGC money grabs.
It is amazing that in the fourth largest city in the US, Houston, the tour and the incredible HGA is still without a naming sponsor. This is one of the best attended, largest charity, golfing shows in the country, and its timing is always of interest to TV fans for the setup to Augusta. Maybe the situation is diminishing returns- newer heads of companies are not bitten by the desire to partner with pros on Wednesdays, and have a keynote speaker tell stories of boating trips with their other single golf pros.
The high tech industry has only barely been tapped by the Tour, and the recycle industry has more than one company who has seen gold in them thar trashpiles; more than one group of items to recycle; and unless the EPA ceases to exist, which looks likely with the current administration dismantling the government, the whole green industry is in a position to be a contender for a sponsorship.
Maybe the time has come to have 2 sponsors: the TF and the SS guys, 2 days each 35%/65%-- who knows- it's a different world. Doing instead of watching is coming into vogue. ~~dig~~
Will some Metroplex company step in to sponsor the Colonial? Can Flood ravaged Houston find a local/global company to pick up where Shell left off. Exxon pisses off more money than the sponsorship on bonuses to one person. Halliburton made more in a couple of days furnishing toilet paper in Iraq, Bush's Folly. Come on dudes. ~~dig~~
I really don't know how the financials work for these events, but the Tour needs to be in Houston.
Just saying that it's a great product, but would be more attractive to quality sponsors at a lower price. Hard to justify a huge chunk of your marketing budget going to pay these pros to act like primadonnas and skip your pro-am pairings party....
I predict the era of pampered, highly paid athlete is over. Look at football. That is not ending well. Golf is not that much different. Can you tell me you would spend a lot of time and money watching Brooks, DJ, or Jon Rahm. Nice guys, but they are not particularly compelling people. I am not sure they are worth 11 million to host a tournament. Or to be walking NASCAR billboards for 100K per logo. That is okay. Perhaps we will idolize other things in society besides sports.
I agree golf is a great game. Hard to love a game more. It is fun discussing ways to make it better.
I disagree that getting rid of the EPA is all bad, nor that it will happen, Dig, but hey, why quibble about one disagreement!
Have a great weekend, all! Hit them straight.
I'll use your one sentence approach on OT, and maybe Geoff won't whack my post. EPA is needed because self policing of industry has created unusable water, air quality warnings in major cities, and you know the rest. As to Iraq, I must refrain, as this is a golf discussion.
So onto the situation in Pro Golf~ Tiger brought the high costs and larger audiences, and there was money being made in the '90's, early 00's- but we know that a lot of what was happening was a paper tiger- but the financials were flush, be it on paper, credit, or other people's money, so they were the primary backers of a legion of tournaments.
Some things have changed. If you know a lot of people in their 20's- they are living in a different world- computer over TV, activity over couch potatoville, and on and on. Pro golf is needing to address the fringe part of tournaments, and while concerts are a draw, having relevant entertainment i need be addressed, or perhaps even 2 venues at an event, one with a cutting edge act, and one with a retro act ,for example. The golf is good, the players are good, maybe the scoring needs to be addressed- as I have said, a daily winner, a low score of the day winner, and shees birdie champ? I'm just brainstorming- some ideas may trigger others out there.
Then you get into the players and their interaction with sponsors. Hell this is where Phil M. could do for the tour what he did for the Ryder/President's Cups. All just ideas- Better Things, yall? ~~dig~~
Bingo.