Chips & Putts: Northern Trust's Hospitality Spend Defended

Northern Trust's Sponsorship Of L.A. PGA Tour Event Was In Place Before Economic Downturn

With Northern Trust being criticized for its spending on hospitality at last month's PGA Tour event in L.A., YAHOO SPORTS' Martin Rogers noted the bank's support of the tournament was "agreed long before the economy landed in the deep rough, and was a legitimate form of advertising and marketing." Despite the criticism, Tiger Woods announcing his return to the PGA Tour during the first day of the event allowed the Northern Trust brand to be "splashed across web pages, newsprint and airwaves around the world" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/4). Hopkins Capital Group CFO Jim McNulty said Northern Trust "had a contract, and they had to fulfill their contract." McNulty: "They weren't out playing golf, they were developing relationships. It's a basic concept that you develop relationships away from the office" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/5).

CHECK MINUS: Sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella said Nike's new commercial promoting Woods' return to competition is the "worst commercial I've seen in my life." The commercial shows fellow Nike golfers acting dejected upon Woods returns, and Rotella said, "I don't know why they'd ask the players to do that." Rotella works with golfer Trevor Immelman, who appears in the spot, and said that the "feeling of inferiority -- even tongue-in-cheek -- is not a message he wants his players taking to the tee" (GOLF WORLD, 3/9 issue).

PERFECT MATCH: RBC has signed a four-year deal to become the presenting sponsor and official bank of the Stephen Ames Cup, a match-play event the PGA Tour member hosts each summer for teenagers from Canada and Trinidad & Tobago. Ames had funded the tournament for the past four years (CP, 3/4).

LAND OF THE RISING SUN: The J Gold Phoenix LPGA Int'l is running a promotion with Phoenix-area Walgreens stores to sell tickets to the March 26-29 event at a 20% discount. The discount also is available to those buying and printing tickets at the tournament Web site. Regular prices for daily tickets are $20 each and weekly passes are $75 (Jon Show, SportsBusiness Journal).