The Players Championship opens today with PricewaterhouseCoopers serving as the only “proud partner” for the PGA Tour’s marquee event. It is the second straight year that The Players has had a single proud partner. The tournament’s partner list used to number three -- Swiss bank UBS and door and window company Jeld-Wen in addition to PwC. But UBS pulled out in '10 and Jeld-Wen departed last year prior to the tournament, even though it had a year left on its contract. Neither has been replaced. Several second-tier sponsors have visibility around the course. PwC signed an extension on its deal last year, making it a tournament partner through '17. The accounting firm enjoys branding throughout TPC Sawgrass and heavy advertising on NBC/Golf Channel, as well as a robust hospitality program. Proud partner deals at The Players can run as much as $12M a year, according to industry experts. The TV broadcasts feature limited commercials, compared to regular tour events, which enhances the value of the deal, sources said. Commercial breaks for The Players on NBC range from 4-7 minutes per hour, compared to 9-11 minutes for a typical PGA Tour event.
