The PGA Tour's "new alliance" with Buy.com and its golf
subsidiary, Buygolf.com, "apparently has left" the Tour's
Internet partner CBS SportsLine "more than a bit
disgruntled," according to Gene Yasuda of GOLFWEEK. CBS
SportsLine "believed" that it had "reached an agreement" to
designate its Internet golf retailer -- Igogolf.com -- as
the Tour's "primary e-commerce partner," when it signed a
deal earlier this year "to merge" its GolfWeb site with
PGATour.com. But that "coveted status appears to be up for
grabs," as Buy.com, the new title sponsor of the PGA Tour's
developmental tour, will "use its deal to aggressively
promote" its Buygolf.com subsidiary. Buy.com's plans to
make Buygolf.com the "official online golf superstore of the
PGA Tour" and to set up kiosks at Tour events "apparently
haven't been well-received" by CBS SportsLine, as
Buygolf.com's ad on PGATour.com has been removed from the
site. CBS SportsLine President/Sales & Marketing Mark
Mariani "declined comment" when asked about the ad's
removal, and PGA Tour Senior VP/TV Production & New Media
Donna Orender called the ad's disappearance a "non issue."
PGA Tour Senior VP/Marketing & Business Development Tom Wade
"acknowledged" that the Tour would "develop e-commerce
projects" with Buy.com, but said that "future plans with"
the company "won't infringe on" the Tour's deal with CBS
SportsLine (GOLFWEEK, 11/13 issue). In a separate piece,
Yasuda cites sources who say that via its PGA Tour
relationship, Buygolf.com is "bound to gain exposure that
may catapult it ahead of its many competitors."
Igogolf.com's affiliation with the Tour "appears to have
been undermined" by Buy.com's deal (GOLFWEEK, 11/13 issue).
