Another Sponsor Re-ups: Sony In Hawaii Though '18

Another impressive re-signing by the PGA Tour, inking Sony to sponsorship of the Honolulu stop through 2018 even though there have been rumors for some time that Sony was lukewarm about continuing on. Instead, they have locked in to Hawaii for another four years.

For Immediate Release:

PGA TOUR and Sony Corporation Extends Sponsorship of Sony Open in Hawaii through 2018

4-year extension will bring Sony’s commitment to 20th year with PGA TOUR tournament

HONOLULU, Hawaii (November 20, 2013) – Sony Corporation, the PGA TOUR and tournament host organization Friends of Hawaii Charities today announced a four-year title sponsorship renewal of the Sony Open in Hawaii. The new agreement takes effect following the 2014 tournament at Waialae Country Club and extends Sony’s commitment through 2018, the 20th anniversary of its sponsorship.

“Sony Corporation has been a fixture with the tournament since first becoming involved in 1999, making it one of our longest continuous tournament sponsors on TOUR,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “In addition to supporting the charitable initiatives of the Friends of Hawaii, Sony has actively showcased its new products and technology at the tournament, uniquely adding to the fan experience. We are delighted that Sony will continue these efforts through this new four-year commitment.”

The 2014 Sony Open in Hawaii will be held January 9-12 and will be televised on Golf Channel from 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m. local time (7 p.m.-10:30 p.m. ET) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. (7 p.m.-10 p.m. ET) on Sunday.

Sony is among the five longest-running tournament sponsors on the PGA TOUR. The tournament, which has always been held at Waialae Country Club, dates back to 1965. Since its inception, the Sony Open in Hawaii has generated more than $13 million for local charities.

“The extension of Sony Corporation’s sponsorship of the Sony Open in Hawaii is exciting for Hawaii’s not-for-profit and tourism sectors, as well as the many community constituencies that receive benefit,” said Corbett Kalama, President, Friends of Hawaii Charities. “The blessing of financial resources to Hawaii charities is once again doubled by a tandem commitment from Sony Open charity partner, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc.

“Additionally, valuable support from the State of Hawaii and Hawaii Tourism Authority leverages hours of Sony Open live television coverage,” Kalama continued. “This Sony Open showcase of our beautiful island home reaches a massive global audience each January, providing valuable top-of-mind promotional benefit for Hawaii's tourism industry. Together, these valuable partnerships enable Friends of Hawaii Charities to distribute $1 million to Hawaii-based, not-for-profit grant recipient projects.”

The defending champion is Russell Henley, who won in his first tournament as a member of the PGA TOUR.

Grey Goose Named Official Favorite Vodka Of PGA Tour VP's

I'll spare you the entire press release announcing Grey Goose as the official hooch of the PGA Tour, Champions Tour, Web.com and assorted PGA Tour-operated facilities.

But there were two buried ledes...

As part of the marketing sponsorship, GREY GOOSE will be featured in all PGA TOUR Grills, a new premium restaurant concept focusing on fresh, locally sourced ingredients, which is launching during the spring of 2014 in select airports around the United States.

When I think PGA Tour, I think locally sourced ingredients at the airport.

And it appears platform has run its course as must-use press release jargon, as activate shoots to the front of herd. This is evident when one of the class acts in the VP ranks and a possible future commissioner is even using the "a" word...

“GREY GOOSE is a premier, internationally recognized brand that has a long-standing involvement with golf,” said Jay Monahan, Chief Marketing Officer of the PGA TOUR. “We are very pleased to partner with such a respected brand and look forward to working with the GREY GOOSE team to activate on the three Tours, as well as at our TPCs and special events.”

Finchem: U.S. Golf Has Seen Continuous Growth Since Palmer

I'm always fascinated by PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem's theories on growing the game as the mastermind of The First Tee designed to teach life lessons and now a grow-the-game initiative.

Not sure I buy the view he expressed in China Sunday while launching the developmental tour PGA Tour China, which should be a hit with the Australians.

Fourth, we know from looking at the history of golf, that the growth of the game is driven first and foremost by the development of elite players who perform at a unique level. Having the opportunity to grow elite players; thus, accelerate the development of elite players in China, will also translate into the acceleration of the growth of the game in China, which is in all of our interests.

In addition to all of those reasons, I think in summary, it's clear that today's announcement is a milestone to benefit China golf, PGA TOUR, global golf, certainly growth in China, and as a consequence, it is an important day for all of us in the game.

We've got some pretty elite players in the Tiger Woods era, starting with Tiger Woods, and the game hasn't really grown has it? In fact, most barometers suggest it's contracting.

Yet Finchem expanded on his view a few moments later in the press conference:

Q. And for Commissioner Finchem, what do you see as the No. 1 benefit to the PGA TOUR, and what will be your investment?

COMMISSIONER FINCHEM: Well, I think the overall fundamental situation is that the faster the growth, the faster we have growth of the game, impacts every aspect of the sport; certainly the professional side.

And because participation in the game drives, it drives viewership, it drives support for events, etc., etc., and they go hand in hand. Historically, the elite player comes first; strong growth comes second, and certainly that's been the case in the United States since Arnold Palmer came along in 1960 and it's been 40, 50 years of continuous growth.

Continuous? It must be so nice to live on Planet Tim where the flowers are always in bloom and everyone doesn't smoke, shaves hourly and takes their hats off before shaking hands.

So anything we can do to assist the expedition and acceleration of growth is very much in the interest of the professional game, but also golf as a whole.

I'm thinking speeding up play, shrinking the footprint of courses and figuring out ways to create fun, affordable facilities might be more, uh, impactful than developing pro golfers. I know, how absurd.