Transitions Optical To Title Sponsor Tampa's PGA Tour Event

The PGA Tour tomorrow will announce Transitions Optical has signed a four-year deal to title sponsor the event in Tampa through 2012. The deal is worth an estimated $7M annually, including media commitments. The previous sponsor, PODS, opted out two years into a deal that would have ended after the 2012 tournament. The event will remain in March, but will be held two weeks later. Atlanta is now the only event without a title sponsor. Industry sources said there are three companies interested, including Maryland-based Hughes Network Systems and two other unidentified companies, one of which is based in Atlanta. The PGA Tour’s policy board is expected to discuss the future of the tournament during a June 16 meeting. Transitions was represented by IMG in the negotiations (Jon Show, SportsBusiness Journal). ESPN.com's Bob Harig noted the Tampa event will be known as the Transitions Championship, and the deal "saves the tournament from possible extinction after it lost its financial backing for the second time in three years" (ESPN.com, 6/2).