Rounding Out The Foursome: USGA Signs IBM As Corporate Partner

By Jon Show, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

The USGA has formally signed IBM as its fourth and final large-scale corporate partner. Sources said that the four-year deal is worth around $3M annually in cash, plus goods and services tied to the operation of USOpen.com and event scoring. The USGA ended a century-long ban on corporate partnership last year, signing American Express, Lexus and RBS. An announcement is expected sometime this week. IBM ended its 15-year run as official technology partner of the PGA Tour late last year.

NIGHT GOLF: Meanwhile, NBC formally announced this morning that its coverage of this June’s U.S. Open in San Diego will end at 10:00pm ET on Saturday and 9:00pm ET on Sunday. NBC has sold about 80% of its available inventory and is holding back the remainder for the scatter market. Lexus is the USGA’s only major corporate partner that has purchased spots in the telecast. Wachovia and Aviva are new advertisers, while AIG, Eli Lilly, A-B and MasterCard are all returning. NBC said spots are selling at a rate up to 10% higher than last year based on audience projections.

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