The Tiger Woods Foundation yesterday announced that Northwestern Mutual has signed on as title sponsor of the 15th annual World Challenge, set for Dec. 2-8 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The event, recognized as an unofficial money event by the PGA Tour, features Woods and 17 other pros competing for a $1M top prize. It is co-sponsored by the PGA Tour and benefits the foundation's college-access programs. Northwestern Mutual was the presenting sponsor of the '12 event (Tiger Woods Foundation). GOLFCHANNEL.com's Will Gray noted the '12 tourney was "conducted without a title sponsor." It has had "three previous title sponsors across its 14-year history, most recently Chevron, which sponsored the event" from '08-11. Without a title sponsor last year, Woods "reportedly stepped in to fund" the $4M purse. Though it "will not count as an official event" during the '13-14 PGA Tour regular season, the event was "added to the Tour's schedule last month" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 8/14). In Milwaukee, Stacy Vogel Davis noted Northwestern Mutual has "increased its sponsorships in the last few years," most notably as a "major sponsor of NCAA March Madness" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/14).
