Could Florida Swing Bypass Tampa Bay Florida Golf Course?
The news didn't generate much interest around here. A golf tournament in Pennsylvania was being replaced by one in Connecticut. What's the big deal?
If you look at the big picture, it's huge. And it should be a warning that a PGA Tour event in Tampa Bay on a Florida golf course is not the lock.
When the new FedEx Cup schedule for 2007 was announced three months ago, the 84 Lumber Classic in Pennsylvania took a prominent spot in June. And it was no surprise.
In just three years, it had positioned itself nicely because of big-bucks 84 Lumber owner Joe Hardy . He poured millions into his golf course in western Pennsylvania. He pampered the players. And his tournament got a coveted spot, bumping out such tour mainstays as Hartford and Washington.
A few weeks ago, Hardy decided that the millions it costs to sponsor a PGA Tour event could be better spent. So he pulled the plug. And the PGA Tour, wasting no time and giving local organizers in Pennsylvania no chance to locate a new title sponsor, got the Hartford folks on the phone and offered them their tournament back. (Hartford officials had been considering a Champions Tour event.)
The St. Paul Travelers Championship will take 84 Lumber's spot, June 21-24, 2007.
The lesson is that the PGA Tour can be ruthless when it comes to filling tournament dates.
There was great joy when it was announced that the Chrysler Championship would be part of the FedEx schedule and part of the Florida Golf Course Swing in March 2007.
But Chrysler is bowing out as title sponsor, and a new one must be secured. Then there is the issue of working out a new contract with the Westin Innisbrook Resort a Florida golf course, a key aspect in having the tournament here. Given the fact that Innisbrook and the tournament need each other, a deal should get done, but a contract has not been signed.
The bigger issue, however, is securing a title sponsor. They are simply not lined up outside tour headquarters ready to throw down $7-million a year to sponsor a florida golf course tournament. They must be courted and schmoozed and no doubt that is happening. But nothing is imminent.
So if you want a good conspiracy theory, consider: The tour has yet to sign off on the fall portion of its schedule, the events that will follow the Tour Championship. One of those is believed to be the Texas Open in San Antonio, an event sponsored by oil refiner Valero that has raised millions for charity over the years. It has been a successful tournament despite going up against the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup. It craves a shot at the big time.
Perhaps the tour has not announced the fall events because it is waiting to see what happens with Tampa Bay on a Florida golf course, one of just two tournaments (along with Colonial) without a title sponsor. If nothing materializes here, the tour could make some minor adjustments to the Florida Swing, with the Honda Classic, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Doral followed by a mini-Texas Swing in San Antonio and Houston.
It's a sinister scenario, to be sure. But if the PGA Tour can leave the state of Pennsylvania without a tournament, it can bypass Tampa Bay, and forget play on a Tampa Bay Florida golf course.
If you look at the big picture, it's huge. And it should be a warning that a PGA Tour event in Tampa Bay on a Florida golf course is not the lock.
When the new FedEx Cup schedule for 2007 was announced three months ago, the 84 Lumber Classic in Pennsylvania took a prominent spot in June. And it was no surprise.
In just three years, it had positioned itself nicely because of big-bucks 84 Lumber owner Joe Hardy . He poured millions into his golf course in western Pennsylvania. He pampered the players. And his tournament got a coveted spot, bumping out such tour mainstays as Hartford and Washington.
A few weeks ago, Hardy decided that the millions it costs to sponsor a PGA Tour event could be better spent. So he pulled the plug. And the PGA Tour, wasting no time and giving local organizers in Pennsylvania no chance to locate a new title sponsor, got the Hartford folks on the phone and offered them their tournament back. (Hartford officials had been considering a Champions Tour event.)
The St. Paul Travelers Championship will take 84 Lumber's spot, June 21-24, 2007.
The lesson is that the PGA Tour can be ruthless when it comes to filling tournament dates.
There was great joy when it was announced that the Chrysler Championship would be part of the FedEx schedule and part of the Florida Golf Course Swing in March 2007.
But Chrysler is bowing out as title sponsor, and a new one must be secured. Then there is the issue of working out a new contract with the Westin Innisbrook Resort a Florida golf course, a key aspect in having the tournament here. Given the fact that Innisbrook and the tournament need each other, a deal should get done, but a contract has not been signed.
The bigger issue, however, is securing a title sponsor. They are simply not lined up outside tour headquarters ready to throw down $7-million a year to sponsor a florida golf course tournament. They must be courted and schmoozed and no doubt that is happening. But nothing is imminent.
So if you want a good conspiracy theory, consider: The tour has yet to sign off on the fall portion of its schedule, the events that will follow the Tour Championship. One of those is believed to be the Texas Open in San Antonio, an event sponsored by oil refiner Valero that has raised millions for charity over the years. It has been a successful tournament despite going up against the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup. It craves a shot at the big time.
Perhaps the tour has not announced the fall events because it is waiting to see what happens with Tampa Bay on a Florida golf course, one of just two tournaments (along with Colonial) without a title sponsor. If nothing materializes here, the tour could make some minor adjustments to the Florida Swing, with the Honda Classic, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Doral followed by a mini-Texas Swing in San Antonio and Houston.
It's a sinister scenario, to be sure. But if the PGA Tour can leave the state of Pennsylvania without a tournament, it can bypass Tampa Bay, and forget play on a Tampa Bay Florida golf course.
posted by John at
7:28 AM
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