Phil Mickelson will remain in his role as an official ambassador of the tournament next yearGETTY IMAGES
PGA Tour Desert Classic Tournament Exec Dir Jeff Sanders is "convinced the event won't have a second unsponsored year in a row," but he "can't say when a new sponsorship deal will be signed," according to Larry Bohannan of the Palm Springs DESERT SUN. The event has been "without a title sponsor since CareerBuilder withdrew its name from the tournament last November." Sanders said, "I'm bullish on the outcome here. Conversations are going on. We will have a sponsor, a great sponsor, for 2020." Sanders "feels the tournament is attractive to potential sponsors" with the pro-am experience, the golf courses used and the "traditionally strong weather for the tournament in January." Sanders: "This is a long-term commitment, a multi-year commitment, to be determined in years, but it is going to be multiple years. To find the right sponsor that really wants to embrace this tournament, make it great into the future, it takes time.” Sanders added that Phil Mickelson, who has been the tournament’s official ambassador for the last three years, will "remain in that role" for '20 and will again play in the tournament (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 6/10).
