RBC, Boeing Intend To Renew Sponsorships Of PGA Tour Event At Hilton Head

The odds "are good" that RBC and Boeing will continue their sponsorships of the annual PGA Tour event in South Carolina beyond '16, "ensuring the tournament's future on Hilton Head Island," according to a front-page piece by Gina Smith of the Hilton Head ISLAND PACKET. RBC Head of Wealth Management & Insurance George Lewis said the bank is in "active discussions" with the PGA Tour. Lewis: "It certainly is our intention to continue in our sponsorship role." Boeing South Carolina VP & GM Jack Jones added, "We now have customers calling us and begging us to come to the pro-am and to Hilton Head. We do hope we're here for a long time" (Hilton Head ISLAND PACKET, 4/14).

PRESIDENTAL PARDON? In California, Larry Bohannan wondered what Hillary Clinton's formal decision to run for President will have on Bill Clinton's "participation in the desert's PGA Tour event, which itself is still missing a sponsor and technically doesn't have a full set of golf courses for the 2016 event." The Clinton Foundation has worked with the event since '11, but it is "actually the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation." While people who "support Hillary's campaign may support her foundation and its participation in the tournament," those who "hope she does not win the election may not want to be involved in an event in which her foundation is a partner." Bohannan: "Could that hurt tournament sponsorships or ticket sales?" Meanwhile, Bill Clinton likely will "campaign for his wife," and he is a "formidable campaigner." It begs the question of whether his "mere presence at the tournament, or in the booth talking about golf and the Health Matters initiative," could be seen by some "as quiet campaigning" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 4/14).