India-based Hero MotoCorp. has "signed a four-year deal to serve as the title sponsor for Tiger Woods' World Challenge event," according to Ryan Lavner of GOLFCHANNEL.com. The Hero World Challenge will be played Dec. 4-7 in Isleworth, Fla. Northwestern Mutual "stepped in for last year's event" at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., after the '12 event "was conducted without a sponsor." Hero is the "world's largest manufacturer" of motorcycles and scooters (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 9/15). GOLFWEEK.com's Brentley Romine noted Woods is "expected to return to action for the World Challenge and dismissed any idea of playing before that." He last played competitively last month at the PGA Championship, where he missed the cut (GOLFWEEK.com, 9/15).
|
THE CHANGING NAME OF TIGER WOODS' TOURNAMENT
|
| NAME |
YEARS
|
| Williams World Challenge |
'99-'01
|
| Target World Challenge presented by Williams |
'02-03
|
| Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide |
'04-07
|
| Chevron World Challenge presented by Bank of America |
'08-09
|
| Chevron World Challenge |
'10-11
|
| World Challenge presented by Northwestern Mutual |
'12
|
| Northwestern Mutual World Challenge |
'13
|
| Hero World Challenge |
'14
|
A PERFECT MATCH? GOLFCHANNEL.com's Rex Hoggard reports the PGA Tour will "announce a new title sponsor" for the WGC-Match Play Championship will be announced Oct. 1. A PGA Tour official "would not say what company would be replacing Accenture," but the deal "will only be for one year" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 9/15).
