The Oneida tribe was unable to recoup the cost of hosting the event through tournament revenuesGETTY IMAGES
The LPGA "will not return" to Wisconsin's Thornberry Creek at Oneida golf course for a fourth year, after the Oneida Nation's Business Committee voted in late July to "end its sponsorship of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic," according to Jeff Bollier of the GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE. The tournament was a "high profile venture that failed to break even financially." The Oneida tribe was "unable to recoup the cost of hosting the tournament through sponsorships, merchandise sales, and food and beverage sales on the course." Additional revenue gains were "not as large as expected at other Oneida businesses." Although the tribe "lost money on the tournament, reports shared by the business committee with Oneida members stated the event was a success in terms of attendance and media exposure." Oneida Nation Tribal Chair Tehassi Hill "left the door open for the LPGA's return to Thornberry Creek under a different sponsor" (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 8/22).
