Chips & Putts: Tiger Still Driving Buick Courtesy Cars On Tour

Woods Driving Buick Courtesy Cars A  "Goodwill Gesture" Toward Former Sponsor

Tiger Woods is still driving Buick courtesy cars when he plays in PGA Tour events this season, part of what Buick Golf Marketing Manager Larry Peck called a “goodwill gesture” after the two sides mutually agreed to end their nine-year endorsement one year before it was scheduled to expire in December. Players typically drive the courtesy cars provided to them by individual tournaments. Similar to previous years, local Buick dealers sell Woods’ car following the tournament, but Peck said any dealer promotions are muted. “Without the business relationship we’re not looking to do anything like that,” he said (Jon Show, SportsBusiness Journal).

SAFE FROM THE HAZARD: CBS' Jim Nantz discussed the recent criticism surrounding golf sponsorship and said, "Golf is such an easy target. I wish all these politicians who invested their time to make all these scolding remarks about our sport would have sat down and realized what the sport does to support charities, to support local communities." He added, "I often feel like golf is defenseless. The mainstream media loves to attack it, loves to find fault with it." Nantz noted the PGA Tour gives more money to charity each year than the NBA, NFL and MLB combined, and said, "Why isn't that something Barney Frank wanted to talk about? John Kerry? They really should spend a little more time digging into what the sport does" (CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/1 issue).

WINE & DINE: Golf Central’s Tim Rosaforte reported retired golfer Annika Sorenson launched her Sera line of wine last weekend in Livermore, California. Rosaforte: "It’s an expensive bottle, $75 a bottle. ... Friends of mine who were there said it was very good." Mike McGee, Sorenstam's husband noted that it "was too bad that Annika couldn’t enjoy it" due to her pregnancy ("Golf Central,” Golf Channel, 5/4).

NOTES: Virginia-based consulting firm Impact Ventures has signed a three-year deal to title sponsor the Duramed Futures Tour event at Richmond Country Club through '12 (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 5/5)....As part of its sponsorship as the official NFL logo golf bag manufacturer, Wilson Golf has introduced a line of bags available with official logos and colors for every NFL team (Wilson Golf).