Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation Chair Bobby Long, whose organization runs PGA Tour Wyndham Championship, said that the event's August date "helped in negotiations with Wyndham Worldwide CEO Steve Holmes" for a four-year title sponsorship extension, according to Jeff Mills of the Greensboro NEWS & RECORD. Long said, "We were talking about things we could do better, and one of the things we agreed we should do is embrace our date, because it's hard to displace someone else (in the spring). So let's make it the best we can make it." He added, "One of those things would be to go on and extend (the contract). So here we are." PGA Tour Exec VP/Communications & Int'l Affairs Ty Votaw said the Tour has "right around 25 or 26" events getting new title sponsors or securing contract extensions. Terms of the extension were not available, but Wyndham Championship Tournament Dir Mark Brazil said title sponsors "run anywhere from the $7-to-$8 million range for a regular PGA Tour event." Brazil: "It's working for Wyndham. ... They're getting their key clients here, walking the course, seeing Wyndham Championship logos everywhere, having a good experience with all the executives" (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 8/2). In North Carolina, John Dell writes it was "with great fanfare" that tournament officials yesterday announced Wyndham's extension. Since the company has "come aboard and the tournament moved to Sedgefield from Forest Oaks, the event has picked up steam." In the five years since Wyndham became title sponsor, the tournament "has averaged more than $1 million in donations annually to area charitable organizations." Also announced yesterday as part of the agreement "was the extension of BB&T's role as the presenting sponsor for the next four years" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 8/2).
