"So there it is: 51 years and not even so much as a decent goodbye."

Jim McGovern takes Buick/GM to task for not having the courage to announce that the final Buick Open was indeed, the final Buick Open.

So there it is: 51 years and not even so much as a decent goodbye. The largest company in the free world goes bankrupt, abrogates their contracts and can't even find the dignity to stand up, look you in the eye and say, "Thanks, we know you worked hard for us and we appreciate it. You're the best and we wish it could have turned out better. Good luck."

Though he's probably correct, Doug Ferguson does note this in his story on the official announcement that Buick was relinquishing both the Open in Michigan and the Invitational at Torrey Pines.

The tour said it remains "very interested" in keeping a tournament in Michigan and was exploring opportunities. One of the officials said General Motors was trying to put together a consortium of sponsors to keep a tour event in Michigan, but the tour signed off on The Greenbrier before that could be pulled together.

Since Adam Schupak revealed that The Greenbrier had landed a tour stop, I've heard from several well connected people who can't fathom how the Ponte Vedra brass signed off on a non-Fall season spot for the place. Of course, we don't know yet that it's going to be put in the regular season schedule.

Back to Buick. Here's the release from the tour. Note how the courts were artfully blamed, and note the line about phenomenal PGA Tour growth. No mention of Buick's sold thanks to the partnership.

Joint Statement re: Buick and PGA TOUR Relationship

The PGA TOUR and Buick jointly announced today that as a result of the recent court-supervised restructuring of General Motors, all agreements between Buick and the PGA TOUR have been withdrawn.

This brings to an end the Buick Open at Warwick Hills, (Grand Blanc, Mich.) and Buick’s sponsorship of the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, (LaJolla, Calif.). While this is disappointing news, both the PGA TOUR and Buick remain in discussions regarding future sponsorship possibilities.

An announcement from the PGA TOUR will be made tomorrow regarding a replacement for the Buick Open's tournament date on the 2010 PGA TOUR schedule. The TOUR, meanwhile, remains very interested in maintaining a tournament presence in Michigan and is currently exploring opportunities.

The PGA TOUR and the Century Club of San Diego will continue discussions regarding sponsorship of the Invitational.

Buick and the PGA TOUR have shared a strong five-decade long mutually beneficial relationship that has seen phenomenal growth in professional golf through the years. Buick would like to express its appreciation to the TOUR, which has been a fantastic partner and good friend.

The PGA TOUR expresses its sincere appreciation to Buick for its longstanding support and being such a valuable partner of the TOUR, dating back 51 years with the Buick Open, and looks forward to continuing discussions about the future.