The Chick-fil-A Bowl College Corner, a new hospitality area, will debut during the Tour Championship in Atlanta in September between the 10th green and 11th tee. The area at the PGA Tour's finale will include a 300-person hospitality tent with covered open-air seating, all-inclusive food and beverage, TVs and tailgate-style games. Former college football coaches, players and golfers are expected to make appearances (Chick-fil-A Bowl).
A MIGHTY WIND: In Chicago, Danny Ecker noted the Western Golf Assocation "has surpassed its corporate sponsorship goals" for next month's BMW Championship and has "added 20 more hospitality tents than originally planned to accommodate demand from Chicago-area companies." Tournament VP Vince Pellegrino said that chalets "had been designated only for the final three holes, but nearly two dozen sponsors purchased packages in recent months that pushed tournament organizers to build along the 15th hole as well." The "strong showing from Chicago's corporate base will help" Conway Farms Golf Club get the tournament back in '15 "after it heads to Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver next year" (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 8/19).
SKY'S THE LIMIT: In Phoenix, Mike Sunnucks reported the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open is "adding 20 new skyboxes to the famously rambunctious 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale." That will "bring the total number of boxes at the 16th hole to 192." Event organizers also are "adding greenside suites and cabanas at the 16th." Meanwhile, Tournament Chair Tom King announced that Japanese electronics manufacturer Kyocera "will be the naming rights sponsor" for the event's pro-am in '14 and '15. King said that corporate and sponsorship interest in the event is "up," and that is "fueling the added boxes" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/19).
ENJOY YOUR STAY: Wyndham Worldwide Senior VP/Marketing & Communications Alyson Johnson said of the company's sponsorship of the PGA Tour Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, "We have about 300 guests we bring in. When you arrive here, there's no question it's a Wyndham event. It's a great source of pride for our associates. Back in our corporate office in Parsippany (N.Y.), we have a week-long celebration because it's a source of pride." Johnson said of the company's decision on whether to extend its sponsorship, "Typically the tour will start to look at its sponsors a year and a half before they're up. We haven't gotten there yet. This is the first year (of a four-year sponsorship). We are thrilled with this relationship we have. It feels like this is our community, too" (BUSINESS JOURNAL OF THE GREATER TRIAD AREA, 8/16 issue).
