Staying The Course: Young Tourney Wants Conservative Growth

By Brad Pinkerton, Staff Writer

While the PGA Tour’s Wachovia Championship in Charlotte is growing rapidly in terms of its popularity among players and fans after just three years, Tournament Dir of Marketing & Sponsor Relations Jan Ivey insisted the tournament, which currently has about 60 sponsors, will keep a “very tight-knit, small group of [corporate] partners.” Ivey said with the tournament’s growth, “comes a lot of responsibility on the event organizers to make sure it continues to grow conservatively, keeping the basic principles of the event in tact and continuing to increase the credibility and integrity of the event each year.”

NEW & IMPROVED: There are a few additions to the course in terms of corporate hospitality suites this year due to increased demand. Two new chalets by the 15th green were purchased by Compass Group and Harris Land Co., while two $68,000 villas along the 16th fairway were purchased by Primland Resort and MFS Investment Management. If fan surveys conducted by tournament officials this week show that these additions are a success, Ivey indicated that more may be added in the future. Ivey: “We’ll go back and we’ll see what the market demands and ... [how much] land we have to expand in and see what we can do.” Ivey said the price range for hospitality suites runs from $1,250 to more than $100,000.

CROWD CONTROL: Ivey said Quail Hollow Club, where the tournament is held, could accommodate more than the roughly 35,000 fans expected each day, but she added, “We choose to keep it at a very manageable level versus making it an event that spectators would not enjoy just because you could put more people on the golf course. That’s not part of our philosophy.”