Zurich Insurance Group, title sponsor of this week's PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans, has extended its deal through '19. Zurich's relationship with the Tour, established in '05, was set to expire next year. Title sponsorships for Tour events with its broadcast TV partners -- CBS has this one -- typically go for $6-8M a year (Michael Smith, Staff Writer). In New Orleans, Trey Iles noted Zurich partnering with the Fore!Kids Foundation and the PGA Tour has helped raise more than $9M for "local charities that help children in the New Orleans area.” The company also “helped in the rebuilding effort” after Hurricane Katrina in ’05. The partnership has “brought in premiere golfers who have sponsorship deals with Zurich.” Zurich-sponsored golfers Justin Rose and Ben Crane both attended yesterday’s announcement (NOLA.com, 4/24).
BIG EASY STYLE: In New Orleans, Chris Waddington wrote for hardcore New Orleans golf fans, the PGA Tour event “feels like six days of Christmas morning: world class competitors, a wonderful course, a purse of $6.6 million, and the extra pleasure of knowing that all proceeds go to charity.” Tournament CEO Steve Worthy said, “We want to make this an attractive party for all kinds of people, not just the hardcore golf audience.” The event last year “attracted about 100,000 guests over six days.” About 60% of those visitors “come from New Orleans despite competition from that other big, weekend event: the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.” Worthy said, “There’s not a huge overlap between the Jazz Fest audience and the crowd that comes out for Zurich Classic, but we know that both groups want a lot out of a festival experience.” He added, “Our goal is to make this an incredible experience for everyone, whether you’re out here for the first tee at 7 a.m. or one of those fans who shows up with a baby carriage and treats the whole thing as an afternoon in the park. That kind of hospitality is what makes this a real New Orleans event for so many people” (NOLA.com, 4/22).
