Chips & Putts: Signing Of Kim Part Of Busy Week For RBC

RBC Announces Mike Weir Foundation Will Be Official National Charity Sponsor Of PGA Tour

In Toronto, Dave Perkins notes Royal Bank of Canada's multi-year endorsement deal with golfer Anthony Kim came "one day after RBC announced it would make the Mike Weir Foundation" the official national charity sponsor of the PGA Tour RBC Canadian Open. The news marks a "very good splash for RBC in two days." Perkins: "Kudos to RBC, which said it wanted to help reverse the fortunes of a tournament on rubbery legs." Also, signing a deal with a player like Kim should help RBC "move more strongly into the U.S. market" (TORONTO STAR, 3/11). The GLOBE & MAIL's Jeff Brooke reported the RBC Canadian Open also is teaming with Weir to "launch a new charity event on July 20," the Monday before the Canadian Open begins play. PGA Tour players and celebrities, including Suns G Steve Nash, will play in a pro-am that is "open to the public and could be taped for television." Organizers said that "half of the 20 available foursomes have been sold" (GLOBE & MAIL, 3/10).

TRANSITION OFFENSE: TAMPA BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL's Larry Halstead notes Transitions Optical's sponsorship of the PGA Tour Transitions Championship is the company's "first foray into sporting events title sponsorship." Transitions President Brett Craig: "We saw this tournament as a platform to drive awareness of healthy sight." Copperhead Charities Inc. Vice Chair Bob Banks, whose organization owns the tournament, said, "We've never had a sponsor this interested." Halstead notes Transitions has already partnered with the Lightning to sponsor last Tuesday's game against the Penguins, and Transitions endorser Trevor Immelman "dropped the symbolic first puck and participated in a putting contest against a fan" (TAMPA BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/6 issue).

JUST A NAME: In a Q&A with the CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL's Erik Spanberg, Quail Hollow Club President Johnny Harris said that the decision to remove Wachovia's name from the PGA Tour event at the course "won't impact the operations of the event in any way." Harris: "As far as we're concerned, we have a corporate sponsor. They are supporting the tournament and continue that support. We are in a unique environment that makes certain corporations uncomfortable with the publicity that comes with supporting sports events." Harris did say that there will be "no Block Party this year" (CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/6 issue).

OFFLINE: CNBC.com's Darren Rovell noted the Tiger Woods Foundation's Web site has "pulled the logo of Stanford Financial off its site." Stanford was "previously listed as a platinum partner" of the foundation (CNBC.com, 3/10).