Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Dir Adam Sperling said that the event has “generated more sponsorship revenue” through May 31 than it did for all of the ‘13 calendar year, which was its first as a part of the new PGA Tour calendar, according to Alan Snel of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Sperling, speaking at a sponsor breakfast yesterday, said that deals with companies such as TREW Financial & Benefits Group are a “big part” of the event’s “growing sponsorship revenues." The event “had about 150 sponsors” for the '13 iteration, which took place at the start of the PGA Tour season in October. The tourney’s goal is to “increase revenue” by 40% in ’14. Major sponsor MGM Resorts Int’l “extended its three-year sponsorship deal” to ‘17, and the event has “drawn new sponsors" such as Twin Peaks restaurants, U.S. Bank and Summerlin-based retirement community Las Ventanas, which will sponsor a senior day at the '14 event. MGM Resorts VP/Marketing Partnerships Lance Evans said that the company wants to use the event "to draw more golf-interested guests to its hotel-casino properties who might not know" that Las Vegas hosts a PGA Tour tournament. He added that MGM Resorts will “release more details on how it will activate its golf sponsorship closer to the event” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/3).
