Tiger Wins Buick. Tiger Wins Buick not sponsored by Buick. Buick Open ends. Buick announces it’s completely pulling any and all sponsorship ties with the PGA Tour. Wow…quite a weekend and start to the week, now isn’t it? That’s right, Buick, a sponsor of the PGA Tour for over 50 years including sponsoring tournaments, has pulled the plug and will cut their remaining ties with the PGA.
Buick Pulling Plug
In a way, it’s a sad day for golf and for Buick, as they have indeed sponsored for a half a century. Nevertheless, reports are saying that a court-ordered “restructuring” of their parent company General Motors, is causing Buick to have to back out and stop sponsoring any and all tournaments in Michigan and California. Translation: bye bye Buick Open.
Buick Open & Invitational Will Be Missed
Reports are also saying that it’s not just this Buick Open that the tour will miss, the Buick Invitational will also be sorely missed. Try this on for size:
“The additional blow came with the end of the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, where Woods has won a record six times. The Buick Invitational is among the top tournaments in the early part of the PGA Tour schedule because it typically is the first event on network TV and has the highest TV rating because of Woods.”
Yikes. Apparently some insiders are leaking news that the Buick Open already has a replacement for next year, a tournament at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. While it hasn’t been ‘officially’ reported yet, word is that will definitely be the replacement and should be announced soon.
Goodbye & Thanks Buick
At any rate, sad day for Buick, the oldest continuous corporate sponsor in PGA History. Hopefully things turn around for them and they can once again do a deal with the PGA. It’ll be sad to see these tournaments go, they were always entertaining.
GM sold out to the Gov. The Gov is overseeing the P&L, thus GM is sensitive to the expenditure scrutiny. The Gov (or Car Czar) isn’t too keen on the value of Marketing or indirect Marketing exposure. Too bad really, as the $$$ spent on a Lead Sponsorship of a Tourney that is primarily self liquidating is like a rain drop falling in the Ocean in the full scheme of things at GM. Alas, the Czar doesn’t see it that way but rather as a PR disaster. Just my take on what is really happening here and its not just hitting the Golf Industry either.