This marks the third time in 10 years the desert tournament has searched for a new title sponsorGETTY IMAGES
CareerBuilder is "taking its name off" the annual PGA Tour event in Southern California, leaving the tournament in an "all-too-familiar situation: looking for a new title sponsor," according to Larry Bohannan of the Palm Springs DESERT SUN. The 60-year-old tournament near Palm Springs, to be played Jan. 17-20, will be "renamed the Desert Classic, a throwback to when the event was called the Bob Hope Desert Classic from the 1960s to the 1980s." With CareerBuilder’s departure, tournament officials said that they now have a "chance to find a new title sponsor that can help take the tournament to new heights." CareerBuilder Challenge Exec Dir Jeff Sanders, who runs the event for operator Lagardere Sports, said the group is "one great partner away from taking this event to the highest level." Bohannan notes this marks the "third time in 10 years the desert tournament has searched for a new title sponsor." CareerBuilder is "still contractually obligated to fund" the '19 tournament, meaning the event will "still have" a $5.9M purse. But Sanders "sees a chance to start the search for what he calls the right sponsor" for '20 earlier than if CareerBuilder was still involved through the '19 tournament. Sanders: "This opportunity came to us less than two weeks ago. I’ve had a number of conversations with clients of ours who spend money in golf. They understand the power of the business of golf. I have had fantastic response. I am not surprised. I don’t think that this property will be available very long" (DESERTSUN.com, 11/1).
