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The Clinton Foundation’s relationship with the tournament continues through 2019.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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The PGA Tour has signed job site CareerBuilder to replace Humana as title sponsor of the former Humana Challenge.
The deal for Chicago-based CareerBuilder to sponsor the annual late-January event near Palm Springs, Calif., widely known for its celebrity pro-am, is a six-year agreement. The company is paying around $7 million a year, according to one golf source.
The tournament will now be called the CareerBuilder Challenge. Additionally, the company becomes an official marketing partner of the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour as part of the deal.
Humana began its much-publicized sponsorship of the tournament in 2012 with an eight-year deal. The company and tournament organizers agreed after this year’s event to end the deal early. A separate deal Humana signed in 2013 extending its role as an official marketing partner of the tour expired at the end of last year.
Humana had partnered with the Clinton Foundation in sponsoring the tournament. The event’s emphasis on health and wellness earned widespread publicity and accolades, and it was named Sports Event of the Year in 2012 at the Sports Business Awards. The Clinton Foundation’s involvement with the tournament continues through 2019.
PGA Tour event inventory
Humana ended its deal after this year’s event, but four other stops on the PGA Tour calendar entered 2015 facing expiration of their lead sponsorship deals this year. One of those slots has been filled; the other three tournaments are in the market for new deals.
■ WGC-Cadillac Match Play: Recently played event has secured Dell as its new lead sponsor for 2016-19.
■ Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial: Tournament to be played next week in Fort Worth, Texas.
■ WGC-HSBC Champions: Tournament to be played in November in Shanghai.
■ Hyundai Tournament of Champions: Deal expired after the January event, played in Maui, Hawaii.
Source: PGA Tour
“It’s unique with the partnership with Clinton Foundation and that it is a pro-am,” said Ty Votaw, chief marketing officer of the PGA Tour, adding that CareerBuilder sees the event as a way to not only promote its brand but also as an opportunity to benefit from the tournament’s association with the Clinton Foundation. “What the message is around that platform is something we will work through,” Votaw said.
Three additional events on the tour’s calendar are in the market for title deals this year.
The deal represents a big leap into the golf industry for CareerBuilder, which in 2013 and 2014 was a presenting sponsor of the Encompass Championship, a Champions Tour event held in the company’s home Chicago market. CareerBuilder also has been a sponsor of the NBA and the Chicago Cubs and has been a Super Bowl advertiser.
“We had a positive experience in our previous level, and this tournament with its history is going to be a great place to showcase the evolution of CareerBuilder from an online recruiting site to a full provider of human resource services,” said Kevin Knapp, CareerBuilder chief operating officer. “The partnership with the Clinton Foundation was also a big draw for us.”
Sponsorships within the online job site category have been sporadic of late. CareerBuilder rival Monster has done deals with the NFL and MLB Advanced Media in the past, including being the sponsor for online balloting for the MLB All-Star Game. Jobing.com had naming rights to the NHL Coyotes’ home arena in Arizona from 2006-14.
The new CareerBuilder event is one of the tour’s oldest tournaments. It began in 1960 and for much of its existence was named in connection with entertainer Bob Hope.
