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Marketing and Sponsorship

Finchem Trying To Find Out If Cadillac Will Return To Doral; Trump Makes Appearance

Cadillac's contract to title sponsor the WGC event at Trump National Doral ended following yesterday's final round, and while it is assumed the automaker will not renew it, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said he is "looking to get an answer from them in the short-term as to whether they are going to continue," according to Bill Van Smith of the MIAMI HERALD. Finchem "expressed appreciation of the 50-plus years a Doral golf tournament" has been part of the Miami community. He said that the longevity of the event "could factor into an ultimate decision" on whether to keep the tournament at Doral. Finchem: "We're not looking to leave. Having said that, we have to have sponsorship to conduct a tournament" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/7). Donald Trump, who owns the course, said, "I don't know how Cadillac is doing with the Tour, whether there's going to be an extension or not." However, he added, "I would imagine you would get another sponsor pretty easy for South Florida. So maybe if it is not Cadillac, it will be somebody else" ("Golf Central," Golf Channel, 3/6). In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde writes the tournament "needs a sponsor," and the question "becomes whether Trump is a help or a hindrance toward that." Trump yesterday "declined to say if he would sponsor the tournament himself if a new sponsor isn't found." Trump: "I know they're talking to other people" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 3/7). In Miami, Linda Robertson writes without a sponsor, "all deals are off" regarding the event's future. Meanwhile, the "timing of the mud-slinging campaign clown show" that is Trump's political campaign gives the PGA Tour an "additional reason to say goodbye" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/7).

MAN OF THE MOMENT: GOLFWEEK's Alex Miceli wrote a tournament "lacking much buzz suddenly leaped to life" when Trump arrived at Doral early yesterday afternoon. As he "drove in a golf cart across the property ... a throng of fans jostled to get a glimpse." He then "stopped at the practice range, where the day’s final group, third-round leader Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, prepared" (GOLFWEEK.com, 3/6). In West Palm Beach, Dave George notes Trump arrived with his helicopter "landing on the fairway of another course on his property." He stepped out "wearing a sportcoat and a white baseball-style cap." Hundreds of fans, some "wearing Trump’s 'Make America Great Again' slogan on caps and shirts, raced to follow" (PALM BEACH POST, 3/7). In N.Y., Karen Crouse notes tourney winner Adam Scott received his trophy not from Trump, but his son Eric, as part of a "concession the candidate felt necessary to keep his presence from becoming a Category 4 distraction." Trump had a "52-person Secret Service detail" with him (N.Y. TIMES, 3/7). In Miami, Greg Cote notes Trump and Finchem yesterday met and agreed he would "not be the center of attention for once." Neither wanted to "politicize Scott's moment" or give other candidates a "chance to demand equal time on NBC" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/7). Golf Channel's Gary Williams: "The amount of attention that he gathered and gained yesterday was tenfold to what it has been in the last couple years" ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 3/7).

DON'T GO AWAY: GOLF WORLD's Jaime Diaz writes it would be a "mistake for the PGA Tour to leave" Doral, which has hosted the Tour since '62. The course is "special in the way it challenges professional golfers and brings out their exciting best." While it is "not the most aesthetically pleasing layout," it has a "magical blend of qualities evocative of Augusta National and precious few others." Diaz: "The tour needs to find a way to stay" (GOLF WORLD, 3/7 issue).

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