PGA Championship Experiencing Decline In Corporate Involvement

Organizers for next week's PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club "expect to turn a nice profit, but it will be with less help from the private sector, as financial considerations force some companies to downsize their presence ... or to get out of the hospitality business entirely," according to David Phelps of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. PGA Championship Regional Dir of Sales Shannon Loecher: "It's been a challenge, but we've seen sales coming in consistently. A handful (of companies) went from 100-person chalets to 50-person chalets. Some companies are partnering with other companies, and some have gone from chalets to (10-person) tables." Loecher said that "about 35 companies ordered chalets, compared with more than 40" for the '02 PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Loecher added that total corporate participation is "down from 140 companies in 2002 to about 110 this year." Phelps notes Minneapolis-based law firm Dorsey & Whitney (DW) "will not have an enclosed 'chalet' during the week," and DW Manager of Marketing Communications Bob Kleiber said, "The bottom line is, these packages are expensive and it's difficult to know if you get the bang for the buck." Wells Fargo "entertained guests at its own private chalet in 2002," but this year the company is "sharing a chalet with an unidentified client." U.S. Bancorp. said that it is "hosting a 100-person chalet, down from a 150-person unit that it hosted in 2002." General Mills said that it "would have a corporate presence at the championship similar to its chalet presence in 2002, but it declined to say how big the chalet will be" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/6).

ALMOST SOLD OUT: PGA Championship officials yesterday said that the event is 650 tickets "shy of a sellout." There are 550 general admission weekly passes "still available for $300 and 100 Wanamaker package weekly passes for $425." Meanwhile, the "grand opening of the PGA Championship's 28,000-square foot golf shop is Saturday and Sunday" from 10:00am-5:00pm CT at Hazeltine (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/6).